Shirts and skins, on every play

"Going forward this month, we will have Tulsi, Bobby Jr. and Kash all up for total Senate confirmation. The socialists and progressives in the Senate hate each one of these picks. Well, tough toenails. The betting pools in Las Vegas are giving over 90% probability of confirmation to each of them." 

Here we are on Super Bowl weekend, and I am using a sports analogy. I would like to say it was original from me, but hey - this has been used for years. I only recently heard it used in politics when a senator told one of Trump's cabinet picks, "Don't worry about the other side - this vote will once again come down to shirts and skins." Fortunately, the Republicans have more "skins" in the game this time around than the Democrats do. 

If I were shallower, I would go on a diatribe on how petty, childish and churlish the Democrats are. But I won't. I hate to state the obvious, and my readers hate when I do it. Suffice it to say, the Republicans were once again played for chumps, as when Biden paraded his freak show in front of the Senate to get approval for cabinet picks, many Republicans voted Aye. Democrats on the other hand, stick to their monolithic nature and not only vote Nay on just about every Trump pick, but also do the best to slow the train down. Lessons learned. Now that we know how to play the game, should the Democrats ever get back in power, we will know what to do.

And this Elon Musk and the tribe he has working for him - what a stir they are causing. Seems like the disinfectant called truth is not going over well. Some things in the USAID are better to remain hidden. Even the local paper was caterwauling this morning about ALL the farmers in this state who will be hurt if USAID goes away. Not true. USAID, the corrupt cancer that it is, needs to be killed and quickly. It will be replaced by a viable organization within the State Department, which is corruption free, and works for everybody (even our farmers).

Going forward this month, we will have Tulsi, Bobby Jr. and Kash all up for total Senate confirmation. The socialists and progressives in the Senate hate each one of these picks. Well, tough toenails. The betting pools in Las Vegas are giving over 90% probability of confirmation to each of them. So far, the ones who have been confirmed and sworn in are doing very well. Especially Pam Bondi. Ladies and gentlemen - this is what a REAL AG looks and acts like. Enjoy the ride.

After seeing the Democrats take to the streets and threaten war on the Republicans (again), I was reminded of my former prediction. With hatred this strong, with vitriol this clear to so many, we can't live with each other anymore. Maybe we need a national divorce. Maybe we can't stand each other anymore. Maybe the western part of our country (except for the coastal states) and western Canada need to form a new country called "Normal America". And then the rest of the US and eastern Canada can form a new country called "Not-normal America". Just a thought. 

   

From a town without pity...

 

"The public teat. Man, oh man, has that thing ever been though a workout as of late. But now it is time to teach the takers how to join the makers. How to be solvent and self-sufficient. Our government was never intended to be the nanny state. Never. That is NOT how Democracy works. Or in our case, NOT how a representative republic works." 

Oh, cry me a river! It seems the soon to out of work Democrats have found a new boogie man. I never thought they could possibly find someone they hated more than Donald Trump - but they have. Elon Musk, one of the richest men in the world, the best innovator of our time, who does not need a nickel of government money - is at the center of the storm. Why? Because DOGE has been given the keys to the lockbox. The book of secrets. What has he found? The Democrats private slush fund, better known as USAID. 

Yesterday, you could hear the Democrat caterwauling all the way from the Potomac to the Golden Gate Bridge. "How dare he!", if I can paraphrase the words of Gretta. I mean, Elon was not even elected! Well, guess what? When the Democrats were in power, and many of the regulations were formulated which handcuffed American businesses, were promulgated by unelected aides. Turnabout is usually fair play, except when you are playing with the Democrats. In that case, if they did not have a double standard, there would be no standards at all.

As the Titanic's first mate said, "No worries, Captain, - I think that was just the tip of the iceberg". In other words, we are just getting started. Trump is not going away. Elon Musk is not going away. The citizens and patriots who voted for Trump are not going away. Party time is over - now it is time to pay the piper. Government workers are going to get let go, either voluntary or otherwise. Slush funds will be eviscerated or evaporated. The Democrats will continue to take it to the streets in protest, and the Republicans will continue to pass meaningful legislation. 

Want to really hear the howl of howls coming up from the left? Just wait until the Department of Education gets defunded and eliminated. "Oh, the children!", we will hear from the left. Meanwhile, the fact checkers will be reminding the taxpayers our education system has gone from first to worst - except in funding. It is time to cut the cord and watch that patient die. Even way back in Reagan's time, the Gipper knew the DOE was nothing but a canard - and an expensive one at that! 

The public teat. Man, oh man, has that thing ever been though a workout as of late. But now it is time to teach the takers how to join the makers. How to be solvent and self-sufficient. Our government was never intended to be the nanny state. Never. That is NOT how democracy works. Or in our case, NOT how a representative republic works. 

Buckle up kiddos. This ride is far from over. The moaning and groaning on the left is being drown out by the cheering on the right. Why? This course correction is LONG, LONG overdue. 

    

He has them spinning like tops

 

"How do you like this ride so far on the Trump Train? Those of us who have waited for Trump 47 are loving it. Every minute of it. Those on the left have a huge case of the whirlies and can't wait to get off. Well, buckle up folks! This train has barely left the station."       

Ever been to a gathering, or even a party where most of the folks were shy or introverted and did not know what to say or how to say it? What you end up with is a whole bunch of "dead air", and very uncomfortable "dead air" at that! Now picture what we have ever since Donald Trump has been sworn in. Okay - ever since Donald Trump won the election. With Donald Trump, there is no "dead air". Something is always in the works. Sometimes little things, sometimes big things, sometimes both. So much is going on right now, it has those on the left (as well as the lap dog media), spinning like tops.

Yesterday, shortly after Trump told Iran if they finished a nuclear bomb, they would cease to exist, after he told Linda McMahon he expects her to "work her way out of a job by closing the Department of Education", Trump had his biggest "mic drop" of the day. When he and Bibi held their presser, and the subject of Gaza came up, Trump was very clear. "Gaza is a mess - a war zone. It needs to be re-built. It could be another Rivera. The Gazans need to be relocated so work can start. Maybe the United States will do it. We can take care of it and own it." BOOM!!!

This was the "Mother of All Bombs" (MOAB) going off right over the heads of the left. Already, the left was all spun up over Musk poking around in Treasury looking for more corruption. All of a sudden, that looked like child's play compared to what Donald Trump wants to do now! Taking over Greenland? That was nothing compared to taking over Gaza! Little does the left know they have once again fallen into the "Trump Trap". All we had yesterday, was the opening salvo from our new president.

Trump loves to show people a forced choice. Here is fact number one - the Gazans cannot rule themselves, as they let the terrorists like Hamas run freely in their country. If we did rebuild Gaza and let Hamas corrupt that city again, it would be wash, rinse, repeat. Soon, there would be another October 7th type attack on Israel. How do I know? Because Hamas already has promised there would be. 

If Gaza cannot rule themselves, and they don't want Israel governing them - then who? Who is going to rebuild Gaza, who will govern them, and who will ensure they don't terrorize Israel anymore? If not the United States, then who? The oh so corrupt UN? Not hardly. No, the Gazans cooked their own goose when they let Hamas be their overlords. Right now, Gaza is nothing but a terror infested labyrinth of tunnels and traps. Because of that, now it lies in ruins. It is a waste of some of the most valuable real state on Mother Earth.

How do you like this ride so far on the Trump Train? Those of us who have waited for Trump 47 are loving it. Every minute of it. Those on the left have a huge case of the whirlies and can't wait to get off. Well, buckle up folks! This train has barely left the station.       

This is what winning feels like

"Anyhow, this is what winning looks like. Don't blink, or you might miss something important. Now it is up to the Dems in the Senate to quit stalling and let's get the rest of Trump's cabinet confirmed. Time to let the adults in the room get to their new jobs."  

Remind me never to play poker with Donald Trump. He does not bluff much, but sure knows how to play his cards. And he always knows where the cards are on the table. What does that have to do with today? As soon as Trump informed the Mexicans and Canadians that he was going to slap a 25% tariff on each of them for allowing illegals as well as fentanyl to cross our borders, the US Democrats were about wetting their pants. YOU CAN'T TO THAT! (they screamed and wallowed). You were supposed to reduce our costs, not increase them! But our president knew exactly what he was doing. 

This is what winning feels like. How so? Let me list a few items:

• Rubio goes down to Panama to meet with President Mulino. Explains to him that signing the "Belt and Roads" agreement with China was a violation of our agreement. Next thing you know, Mulino rips up the China agreement, and things are much better with us.
• Trump talks with President Sheinbaum of Mexico. Explains to her that the 25% tariff on Mexico is due to a drug war, and not a trade war. All of a sudden, Mexico agrees to send 10,000 Mexican troops to their side of our border. The 25% was then put on hold for 30 days.
• Later in the day, Trump talks to Trudeau. He also agrees to bolster this enforcement on his side of the border. The talk was good enough for Trump to put the Candian 25% tariff on hold for 30 days. 
• Musk was allowed to look at the disbursements in the Treasury Department. He found out the USAID was nothing more than a huge money laundering organization. $50 B of our tax dollars - wasted. Musk talked to Trump, and Trump agreed it was time for the USAID group to go. Another scalp for DOGE.
• The number of illegals coming over either border right now has gone from a flood on the southern border, to less than a trickle. Tom Homan's group continues to use ICE to round up the bad ones first and get them out of here. Slowly for now, quicker in the future, the purge continues.

I know it was very painful to have four years of Biden. I know he almost wrecked the country. But those days are over. The four-year hiatus that Trump had away from the White House were not wasted years. Not a bit. He used those four years to really take the temperature of the country. Look at everything. What was broken, and how to fix it. By the time he was sworn in two weeks ago, he was ready. He knew where the easy wins were, and how to tackle the hard ones. He hit the ground running and has not slowed down one bit since then. 

Today, Donald Trump is meeting with his good friend and our best Middle Eastern ally, Bibi Netanyahu. The purpose of the meeting is to craft out how the second phase of the "agreement" with Hamas will play out. Phase 1 of this agreement has been rocky, and Phase 2 might be worse. The road ahead will not be easy - the agreement might end up dying after only the first phase is over.

Anyhow, this is what winning looks like. Don't blink, or you might miss something important. Now it is up to the Dems in the Senate to quit stalling and let's get the rest of Trump's cabinet confirmed. Time to let the adults in the room get to their new jobs.  

Unneighborly squabbles

"Dr. Trump can fix our neighborhood issues, but there might be a smidgen of pain and discomfort to deal with. Or as Chucky Schumer said yesterday - Trump is going to screw up our Super Bowl parties. Our Modero Beer and avocados might cost a bit more this year. Oh, Chuck - cry me a river!"  

This weekend it became "game on" with the major residents of North America. Yes, we are having a squabble. About what? Three things, actually. First, what is up with our most current trade agreement? We are showing big trade deficits with both Canada and Mexico. That needs to be fixed. Next, unchecked immigration. All these foreigners from ALL OVER THE WORLD are getting into our country some way. It seems our southern and northern border are the main culprits. Finally - fentanyl. Mostly a Mexican (and China) issue. Bottom line is Trump wants it stopped, as it is killing thousands of our young people. 

Donald Trump could do one of two things. First, he could follow Biden's status quo and just let all these things happen. Second, he could use some gentle financial warfare against our North American neighbors. Like, a 25% tariff. But wait! What if they retaliate and respond with their own tariffs against us? Go ahead. See how that works out for your countries. Tariffs are a wonderful yet gentle way to get our point across. This "trade war" won't last long. Trust me, Canada will be the first to cave and comply.

Why do I say Canada will be the first? As Trump states, there is nothing Canada has to trade that we also don't have. That is issue one. Issue two is simply this - why are we paying more for Canadian stuff than they are? That is NOT free trade (as in our latest agreement). Canada will feel the pain first and beg to fix what needs to be fixed. Will it come down to Canada becoming our 51st state? Oh, don't I wish.

Canada and Mexico are now dealing with the main actor in the "Art of the Deal". They are no longer dealing with the man who played in the "Art of the Nap". Trump is sharp, experienced and crafty. He knows when a deal is not a good deal, and how to fix that bad deal. What does Trump really want for his legacy? For America to be treated fairly in our trade agreements. Hang on EU - you are next. Plus - he wants these "forever wars" to end. Peace and prosperity. Finally.

Like I said - Canada will be the first to come to terms. Mexico? This will take some more work. Why? How Mexico will react to how we take down the cartels. That might violate this sovereignty issue. We can't fix the fentanyl issue unless we also fix the cartel issue. Sorry, but that is just the way it goes.

When you go to the doctor with something that ails you, and the doctor tells you he can fix it, but there will be some pain and discomfort involved, that is where we are right now. Dr. Trump can fix our neighborhood issues, but there might be a smidgen of pain and discomfort to deal with. Or as Chucky Schumer said yesterday - Trump is going to screw up our Super Bowl parties. Our Modero Beer and avocados might cost a bit more this year. Oh, Chuck - cry me a river!  

  

When is education not the same as learning?

"Kids do know how to learn - they have been doing it for generations. But we have forgotten how to teach. And forgotten how to parent. With the three-legged barstool being the student, the teacher and the parent, two of the bar stool legs need to be fixed. Until that happens, expect more bad news and bad stats."  

Much has changed since I was a schoolboy many decades ago. For one thing, our education system taught us how to learn. And that was long before the days of the internet, Google, AI, or whatever. It was the days of the school or public library, books, and study. One would think that today, with almost all of the world's knowledge at the fingertips, today's kids would be sharper than tacks. But they are not. In fact, many, way too many - are failing.

The new national stats are out, and they are grim. Actually, almost inexplicable. The math scores did not decline anymore - but they are way too low to start with. But reading? Reading is as easy as falling off a log. And it went down EVEN FURTHER! How in the world?

I remember back when I was a defense contractor, we needed to make our tech manuals easy enough to read so an 8th grader could read them. I thought - wait - what?  There are no 8th graders who will be using this equipment. Why the 8th grade level? Because even back then, kids were not as sharp at reading as kids were during my era. I could not even imagine what grade level tech manuals would need to be written at today.

What will help our kids get back on track? Is there any help or hope? First off, get rid of the federal and state department of educations. They are not helping - if anything, they are hurting. They are a waste of space and money. Next, parents need to really be parents once again. Reading is a practiced skill. Math is a learned skill. After school, no screen time until homework is done. Homework needs to be a must. Parents need to enforce that. The only screentime which should be allowed is computer-based learning. Period. Full stop. Computer games and such should be the reward for 100% completion of homework and learning.

Finally (and this one is going to leave a bruise) - our school systems need a reclama. Start over. The current way we teach does not promote learning. How do I know? I don't. I just look at the statistics. Are kids capable of learning today? Absolutely. As the saying goes, when you find yourself in a ditch - stop driving. You will only stay in the ditch longer. We need to get out of the ditch we are in and stop our schools from becoming failure factories. 

Kids do know how to learn - they have been doing it for generations. But we have forgotten how to teach. And forgotten how to parent. With the three-legged barstool being the student, the teacher and the parent, two of the bar stool legs need to be fixed. Until that happens, expect more bad news and bad stats.  

   

Rendezvous in Venezuela

"What is the 'Trump factor'? Look around - you can see it every day. But pay close attention, as so much is going on, some of Trump's 'wins' might go un-noticed. But they are there. Each and every day." 

When Donald Trump is president, you dare not blink nor doze off. Why? More stuff happens in one day under Trump than happened under four years of Sleepy Joe. I do try and stay abreast of everything which is going on under Trump 47, but it is hard! Plus, we have had the unfortunate events of this week - two plane crashes. The one last night was just as horrific as the one at Reagan airport, only in a different way. The old saying is that plane crashes always happen in threes - I sure hope this time it is wrong.

For example, what is happening today? Or happened yesterday? We have the first American hostage released from Gaza. I saw it on the news, and he did not look very well. He was gaunt and appeared as if he had just spent over 400 days in some kind of hell. Doug Burgum, the former North Dakota governor, was sworn in as the new Interior Secretary. Thank goodness, as the one they had under Biden was a true nut ball. Plus today is the first day the Canada/Mexico/China tariffs take effect.

But the story which almost fell off the news cycle was indeed a peach. Donald Trump sent Rick Granell down to Venezuela to bring some American prisoner's home. Wait - what American prisoners? They ones we had not heard of when Sleepy Joe was president. Why did Trump send Granell? Because Rick Granell is tried and tested. He is Trump's right-hand man on the real tough stuff. That is why Trump gave Rick Granell the title of Special Presidental Envoy for Special Missions.

Wow! To get six American released from this tyrant in Venezuela! I bet Granell had to go down with a boat load of cash to exchange for them. Nope - not a cent. How about a prisoner exchange? Nope - nada. He went down there and had a meeting with Maduro to discuss the issue of getting our people back. He also told Maduro we would be returning his people shortly (Tren de Aragua gang members). The specifics which were discussed between Granell and Maduro is not known at this time. All we know is when Rick left the meeting, he told Maduro, "I will be in my plane for an hour. Then we are leaving." 

Before the hour was up, a car pulled up by Granell's plane and the six Americans got out. Just like that. No laborious and time-consuming negotiations, no prisoner exchange, no money, just the "Trump factor". Chalk up another win for Donald Trump. Another win for America. 

Meanwhile, back in Mexico, the socialist president is still trying to convince Google to rename the United States on their maps to pay us back for renaming the Gulf of America. Sorry Mexico - you are late to the party. Donald Trump already got the win on the renaming issue.

What is the "Trump factor"? Look around - you can see it every day. But pay close attention, as so much is going on, some of his "wins" might go un-noticed. But they are there. Each and every day.