Slow Walk

“There are no golden moments.” — Tom West


It seems that almost everything is in a slow walk these days:


USMCA (NAFTA 2.0) ratification

North Korea and Iran denuclearizing

China trade deal

Fully fixing (or replacing) Obamacare

Securing our Mexico border and immigration reform

European trade dealings

Reduction of the national deficit


Some of this sloth is politically inspired by next year’s election. However, President Trump seems to have taken most of these delays in stride. He is showing remarkable patience and little frustration. Remarkable!

Perhaps building skyscrapers always involves frustrating delays ... so Trump has gotten used to the perpetual slow walk ...

Unconventional

President Trump’s approach to international and domestic relations is certainly unconventional ... sometimes bordering on the bizarre. As such he has attracted mucho criticism and scorn. I myself have often scratched my head at his offbeat antics with Kim, Xi and Putin. But, on the other hand, the conventional behavior of our other presidents has not produced bragable results ... in fact, things kept getting more mired and confused.

Enter stage right our orange-haired pussy grabber whose laser-like focus seems always on results ... no matter how much manure his own countrymen heap on him. If he loses a round, he is not fazed. He keeps pushing toward the same goalposts that we all want: denuclearizing bad actors, fair trade, disentanglement of US troops overseas, border security, being respected by the world’s superpowers, stronger military, less political correctness, a booming economy, the return of manufacturing to the US, etc.

Liberal pundits grouse that Trump has no policy agendas ... well, read the previous sentence to see how myopic they really are. It is very clear to me and many Americans what Trump is trying to do ... and likely will get done if given half a chance. Call it the Trump Doctrine.

Yes, the never-Trumpers and, often his own personality, get in his way of these ends. But, to his great credit, he holds to these noble goals ... as opposed to the cockamamie agendas on the conventional Left. Being unconventional but right is much better than conventional but wrong.

Headlines

California’s move to Super Tuesday hands Harris a big edge in 2020

As Trump ponders auto tariffs, free trade Republicans push back

Spending binge worse than under Obama, Bush

Washington Post: Democrats hid border security win from Trump

Dems prepare to force Trump to reveal private talks with Putin

Trade talks with the U.S. are ‘making a final sprint,’ Chinese state media claim

Kaepernick settles collusion case against NFL ... $60 - $80 million?

Trump decries catch and release as spending bill expands program

Vatican defrocks former Washington cardinal over sex abuse

Trump’s message is having an impact on NATO, secretary general says

Just 1 in 4 Americans pass US citizenship test ...

Lindsey Graham congratulates Trump on defeating ISIS caliphate

Promises, Promises

What Trump is quite likely to get from Pelosi, Schumer and the "bipartisan Democrats" over the next three weeks in border security negotiations ...

Red Herring

A friend recently sent me an e-mail about immigration reform in which he said: "making the desirable [illegal immigrants] citizens after exacting a measure of penalties is the way to go".  This to me is unrealistic and a Democrat-inspired red herring … which now is unfortunately echoed by many naive Republicans … such as Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham.  Let me expand on the points I have made in a previous blog post (see: Carrying Water in Sieve).

Imagine that you are an illegal immigrant ... you work under the table, you don't pay income taxes, you get many social services: Medicaid, EBT card, Section 8 housing, an Obamaphone, etc. ... maybe even SSI.  You have a driver’s license but don't have auto insurance.  You even can vote and sometimes do.  Now would you step forward and let the government know who and where you are, lose some or all of your social benefits, pay your back taxes and penalties, commit to paying income and Social Security taxes into the forever future, buy auto insurance, learn English, and stand in line for citizenship?

I don't think so.  One can be sure that most illegal immigrants understand economic self-interest and the sorry state of our immigration-law enforcement.

I predict that the only result of the currently-proposed immigration-reform legislation would be that less than 25% of those to whom this reform is directed will actually come forward under its terms.  And I also think that most of its more restrictive provisions will be ignored by the Obama administration (i.e., border security expansion will not be implemented) … and the number of illegal immigrants will dramatically increase from the admitted 11 million today.

A piece of advice … don’t try to feast on a red herring.

Creeping Corruption

The Obama administration and its legions of acolytes are causing me to experience creeping corruption fatigue.  Maybe it was that I just wasn’t paying enough attention, but I used to believe and trust that those in government had the best interests of the United States at heart.  But now I am not so sure … as I hear an insidious drumbeat of government scandals (any one of which might have brought down previous administrations) ... and instance after instance of those we elect or appoint to manage our affairs subverting the best interests of our country in order to advance their own agendas and rewards.  Here are three such instances (I could provide twenty more out of the current news cycle):

- Benghazi Musical Chairs

- Patriot Act Corruption

- Border Security Non-enforcement

And, unfortunately, at the top of the list of these subverters is our President.  Does he not care what kind of country he is creating for his daughters?  Does he not respect the legacy of achievement that the 43 Presidents who preceded him had constructed?  He can charm the world with his effacing smiles and his teleprompter eloquence, but behind the scenes he and his minions are subverting our Constitution and even destroying our way of life.  To get elected Barack Obama had promised "change" and, it seems, his regime is spending all their waking hours pursuing this agenda ... primarily through creeping corruption.

I am rapidly losing that thing called hope.

Afterward: Even Ralph Nader agrees with me (at least in concept, but not in detail) ... see: Newsbusters Story