The common vernacular

"Every time Donald Trump sticks his finger in the eye of the Washington establishment, his base cheers with glee."

Oh that common vernacular! Or should we called it (as some do), "the common man's vernacular"? Our 45th President got caught yesterday using a common gutter word to describe some countries around the world. The word he used to describe these countries is the same word many of us would use. Why? Because in the eye of many, they are. But wait a minute! That is not very PC! In case you have not as yet noticed, this President hates PC.

Do you mean to tell me our President swears? Yes he does. And he is the first in recorded history that does so. Okay - that was a joke. Most Presidents have used salty language at one time or another. Let's just for a minute, pretend Donald Trump uses the same language that LBJ did while he was in the Oval Office. How LBJ seldom referred to black folks as African-Americans. How LBJ often used the "N" word. And yet, that never made the front page of the Star Tribune like Trump's "shit-hole" comment. If Trump used the "N" words like LBJ did, he would be impeached, and his base would desert him. 

When John McCain was running for President, his tag line was "straight talk". I can tell you with certainty, the straight talk out of John McCain was nothing compared to the straight talk out of Donald Trump. President Trump speaks his mind. True, sometimes it might be better if he adjusted his filter. But I am a fine one to talk. My wife tells me every year my filter gets looser - based on some things that blurt out of my mouth.

Like everything else this President has done, the Loony Left will hate him for besmirching those poor countries by calling them that name. He did it of course, because those countries are a hot mess. With our lotto immigration, many of those people have come over here. Many have no working skills, and no English language skills. Then they become our problem. 

What did Trump's base think about the "shit-hole" comment? They loved it! Every time Donald Trump sticks his finger in the eye of the Washington establishment, his base cheers with glee. As I have said many times before, Trump is the "ying" to Obama's "yang". After eight years of Obama parsing every word out of his mouth, for many of us Donald Trump is a refreshing breath of pure American man.

Will this be the last time Donald Trump "tells it like it is" from the Oval Office? Probably not. All Joe Six Pack cares about in 2018 is that every day the economy is getting better, and our military is becoming stronger. That is it. Make enough money to live on and enjoy life while not having to worry about some tin horned dictator pushing us around. 

And if Joe Six Pack had to grade Donald Trump right now just using those metrics, he would probably get an "A". My opinion? We could do a lot worse than Donald Trump. How do I know? For the past eight years before Trump we did a lot worse.

Constitutional Carry

"I learned a long time ago that the Second Amendment was our most precious amendment. Why? Because without the second to protect the rest of the amendments, they are nothing more than just words on paper." 

Do you want to become an advocate of Constitutional Carry? Then apply for a carry permit in just about any state. True - some states are more sane than others. But the B.S. you learn about with the differences (yes, some as small as angels dancing on the head of a pin) between states is maddening. And this - is why so many are clamoring to go back to the good old days, where no permit was required to carry a firearm.

Five years ago I took my gun training from a friend named "A". He is Mr. Gun Rights in Minnesota. He is quite often in the press. He was very good, and I learned quite a bit from what I had forgotten from my Navy days. In any event, I paid "A" for the course, and then took my paperwork to my Sheriff's office. I then had to pay the Sheriff's office for my permit. More money.The permit lasts five years in MN.

After the five years is up, it is like I never took the course before. I was never a vet. I never had ribbons which showed I was an expert with the piston as well as rifle.  I had to pay another $99 for the course, a $15 range fee, and then a $75 permit fee, just to renew my permit for another five years. 

All this to get a permit to carry a weapon which our Constitution already gives me the right to carry. And it seems like every state has some nuance (some bigger than a nuance) which makes that state different than the other states. For example, in Texas all you need do is show your military or veterans ID. No more training is required. You just receive your permit. 

Florida has different rules, but rules which are recognized in many states. And the nanny states like CA and NY have strange rules. Intrusive rules. Plus Illinois has rules which don't apply in their murder capital called of Chicago.

I want Constitutional Carry. And I want it now. It is my right to buy, own, and carry. That right shall not be infringed - heavy on the word infringed. I want to be able to carry my 9 mm, or my .357 in any state, at any time. I am responsible. I don't drink while I carry. I keep my weapons locked up while not in use. I know about the Castle Doctrine. I know about Stand Your Ground doctrine. I know, I know. I also know how to read. I know when to use my weapon, and when not to. And I am a dead shot when I need to be.

I learned a long time ago that the Second Amendment was our most precious amendment. Why? Because without the second to protect the rest of the amendments, they are nothing more than just words on paper. Our Founders believed the Second was so very important, it is the ONLY one which has the words, "shall not be infringed". Think about that and let it sink in. Those four words meant and still mean so much for our freedom.

Yes, I am good to go now for another five years of carry. When we go to Florida, I will also spend MORE money to get a FL non-resident license. That is good for seven years. Why the difference? Who knows. Reason number 134 why we need Constitutional Carry in the United States. Do you want to debate the Second Amendment some time? Bring it on! 

Liberal Woes

"Like California, we can fight the President and give Washington the middle finger while we slowly go down the drain."

Lady Thatcher is quoted as saying that Socialism works great until you run out of other people's money. It is hard to believe that a state as big as California, and housing the industry it does, is running out of money. Does it not have enough money? Oh, it has plenty of dough. However, just like a person with a spending addiction, California spends more than it takes in.

How bad is it right now in California? Today on the news, there was talk of some of the municipal pensions running short on funds. Where some pensions might have to be cut back. By the way - California is not the only state with this issue. Other states (mostly blue) have similar issues. Promise more than can be delivered. Page one out of the liberal play book. 

The appetite in Washington right now is to cut, cut, cut. And drive down costs into the states where possible. Decentralization. Why? Many of the costs that the federal government have picked up should have never been put there in the first place. And boy, oh boy - is California Junior (that be the Once Great State of Minnesota) going to be in for a rough ride. The gravy train is about over. This out of control Marx Dayton (and his DFL henchmen) tax and spend orgy is about to have a huge hangover.

Now we can stay a liberal state like California, and soon we will start to stew in our own juice. But guess what? Help is not on the way. It is not coming. Uncle Sugar no longer lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Now we have a business man who understands a P/L statement and bottom lines. Like California, we can fight the President and give Washington the middle finger while we slowly go down the drain. Or - starting on February 20th, 2018, we tell our elected representatives to get with the program. 

For reasons which escape me, we elected a dunce to be our Governor for the past two terms. I believe one of the reasons is that many of the newer people who have arrived in this state, have guzzled the DFL kool-aid. They fell for the "chicken in every pot" story the DFL was peddling. Now the money is gone, and many of the DFL promises are going to go (once again), unfulfilled.

There is no doubt about it. 2018 is going to be a pivotal year for Minnesota. First off, our House and Senate need to fix our high SALT issue when they first convene next month. This is imperative. They also need to set the table for a TOTAL elimination of the Social Security tax on seniors. Both of those fixes will result in the state not taking in as much money. That is a good thing. We need to starve the beast. At the same time, our spending needs to be reduced from somewhere above the troposphere down to at least the stratosphere. And trust me - we have PLENTY of areas which are ripe for cutting.

But the big whammy in 2018 needs to happen in November. For the first time in just about forever, we need sanity running our state Government. And that starts at the top. We need a conservative (not just a Republican - a conservative) Governor with each of the state constitutional offices also being held by conservatives. Plus (and this is also a big one) - we need to keep the Minnesota House.

The choice is ours to make. Look like a donkey state like we have under Dayton, or be the pride of the Midwest, showing our neighboring states how prosperity really looks. If we want to stay looking like "California Junior", we too, will start to sink slowly into the west. I think we are better than that. In fact - I know we are better than that.

It's all easy, until it's not...

"That is my take. Any negotiation, as any negotiator will tell you, is always easy until it is not. And the 'not' part of a negotiation usually happens sooner rather than later."     

Today I would like to address the stunning, live and in color, negotiation session which took place in the White House cabinet room yesterday. For those of us who thought this would be a famous "sausage making session" which frequently happens behind closed doors, it was not. It was a 55 minute "puff piece" which signified very little to nothing.

Why do I say that? As a former negotiator, I have been through many tough negotiations. None were easy nor high level. They were always down in the data and the nitty gritty. For sure, none ever took 55 minutes.

For a man who has as much negotiation experience under his belt as the President does, I was amazed to see the Occam's Razor approach used in this most difficult topic. If anything, a permanent fix on our immigration mess might be as tough to figure out as a fix for ObamaCare. Why? Just like ObamaCare, we have let the torting and twisting of our de facto immigration policy run deep within the roots of our society and culture. 

Seeing this group of esteemed bipartisan, bicameral lawmakers get together to basically express opinions did nothing for me. Why? What was agreed to? A wall in exchange for the DACA fix? Really? And when the President said, "We might not need all the money right now", what did that mean? A half wall? A technology wall? What? And how will chain migration as well as the "lotto" program be part of this? The devil is ALWAYS in the details.

Speaking of which, the art of negotiation is not like the art of playing Liar's Poker. Negotiations are fraught with data and details. Lots and lots of them. And when agreement is reached on an important detail, it is then memorialized in some kind of Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Why? Memories can be very short, and very "selective". Most negotiators have heard at some time in their career once a negotiation is over, "I don't remember it that way". With an important agreement memorialized, foggy memories are never an issue. 

I am not saying yesterday's meeting was a complete waste of time. I will say it was only step one to solving a very complex issue. And if we can keep these butt headed Left Coast judges out of the mix by ordering injunctions, progress can be made. However, one caveat to the President and the Republicans. This immigration fix cannot look anything like amnesty. If it does, I don't care if the President said he would "take the heat". That fallout from the base will be beyond heat. It will be an excrement storm which will cover everyone involved. 

That is my take. Any negotiation, as any negotiator will tell you, is always easy until it is not. And the "not" part of a negotiation usually happens sooner rather than later.     

An easy immigration fix

"Until the illegals start to vote Republican, this issue will continue to be part of our great divide."

This past weekend, we had the pleasure to spend some time with our Congressman and his lovely wife. We talked a lot of family stuff, plus a bit of politics. One of the topics which came up was immigration. How this has turned into a sticky wicket with the continuation of funding for the government. On the way home, I thought about our talk. When did immigration become such a divisive issue in our country? After all, we have had immigration for years.

The answer really, is quite simple. It is when we had to put the word "illegal" in front of immigration. With legal immigration our system works just fine, thank you. That is with one caveat. We might need to expand our I-9 Visa program to accommodate more high skilled workers. The kinds of workers we cannot produce quickly enough to meet the demands of our exploding economy.

But then we have the 10 million or so illegals floating around. Most are not high skilled. In fact, many have limited skills and unlimited needs. Democrats on one hand, want to grant all these folks blanket amnesty. And keep the "chain migration" going at top speed. Why would they want this, instead of a orderly system of legal migration? One word which we all know - votes.

What would be an instant fix for this problem? Have the illegal immigrants decide it is better to vote Republican than Democrat. The Democrats would drop them like hot potatoes. The Democrats would be clamoring for more ICE resources, a 90 foot wall on our southern border, and stricter prison sentencing for trying to sneak into this country.

The DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) is going to be fixed. That is a given. It will be fixed before March. Why? First off, these kids are innocent. They had no choice in the path their parents took. Second, which politician wants to vote against innocent children? None that I know. 

Chain migration on the other hand, should be killed. Same with lottery visas. Bad policies, bad results. And build the damn wall for crying out loud! If the Democrats want to shut down the government over the wall, chain migration and lottery visas, let them. Once the government is shut down, we will see if anyone (save the lap dog media), notices.

Until the illegals start to vote Republican, this issue will continue to be part of our great divide. And because of stubborn archaic politics and policies, I don't see a near term fix for this - not even a little bit.    

Star Wars, revisited

"If you thought 9/11 or Super Storm Sandy brought the northeast corridor to a stand still, imagine what a nuke in the center of Manhattan would do." 

Sorry folks. This is not a movie review. Although I did see the new Star Wars sequel, prequel, or whatever it was. No, this is about Ronald Reagan's Star Wars. Now a history buff might be saying, "What? That ruse?" And I would respond to that in the affirmative. It was a ruse. But a good one at that. It helped force the Soviets into submission and then dissolution.

Truthfully speaking - I never stayed awake at night worrying about a surprise nuclear attack from the Soviets. An accidental launch is quite another matter. Why did I not worry that much about a deliberate nuclear attack? Because the Soviets believed in the concept of MAD as much as we did. It was the great balancing act which kept the world safe from nuclear annihilation for decades. 

But that was then and this is now. We have found out we cannot keep the world from germinating nut balls like the ones in North Korea or Iran. Nut balls who don't believe in MAD. Nut balls who think a nuclear war is winnable. Nut balls who just for the heck of it, might want to launch a nuke at one of our cities.

What can we do to stop this madness? Nothing. It will be what it will be. The nuclear genie has been out of the bottle since 1945, and there is no going back inside. So what do we do? Wait for the first strike and hope against hope it is either not our city or one we are downwind from? No and no. Using our technology and science, we come up with a Star Wars program which is not a ruse. One that is fail safe and fool proof. In other words, one which really works.

I know that not a day goes by where our wizards of smart are not trying to make our BMD (Ballistic Missile Defense) more robust and reliable. That gives me some solace. However, I want this nation to be enveloped by a net of impenetrable defenses. I want the ability to take out any enemy missile from wave-top to apogee and back again. One that will work each time, every time, against a rogue launch or a saturation attack. 

In the news today, it was reported that our intelligence officials were caught a bit "flat footed" by the Norks. They went from telling the President we had four years before the Norks were a threat to our homeland, to they are a threat right now. It is time for President Trump to go in front of Congress and ask for emergency funding to launch our new Star Wars program.

If you thought 9/11 or Super Storm Sandy brought the northeast corridor to a stand still, imagine what a nuke in the center of Manhattan would do. It would take decades and trillions of dollars to recover, if at all. If we have not taken this threat seriously in the past, it is time to do so now.    

If it is 2018, it must be go time!

"When the caucus meetings take place next month, just remember how things could have been - and then how they will be with Jeff Johnson as our next Governor. The future is ours to take."   

Two of the more frequent questions I get asked about Jeff Johnson are the following: 1) Why not Matt Dehn instead, and 2) What happened last time around? By the way, I am not the only one who gets asked these questions. Many on Jeff's campaign team also do, including Jeff himself. So, since it is early in 2018, that means it is now "go time". The engine is revved, and Team Jeff is ready to go!

First, let me address Matt Dean. Matt is a friend of mine, as well as many on Jeff's team. He is also a friend of Jeff's. Representative Dean is a fine man, a very smart and capable man - Minnesota is lucky to have him. I just wish this time around he was running for Secretary of State or State Auditor so I could support him. And by the way, please do not take this that Matt would not make an excellent Governor - he would. I just happen to think Jeff would make a much better one.

I am now going to talk about the last statewide election cycle. As it started out, I was on the Thompson/Benson team. Because I was a state delegate, Jeff called me once or twice to ask if he received the endorsement instead of Dave Thompson, would I be part of his team. I told him I would. Truthfully, both times I talked to Jeff, his views on every issue I brought up were clearly thought out and cogent. As much as I supported Dave Thompson, I knew I would have no problem being a member of Team Jeff should Jeff get the endorsement. 

When Jeff and I had coffee a year ago November to discuss the possibility of another run, I laid it on the table to him. He is one of the nicest and most modest men I have met in my life. The nice part of Jeff can't be changed - nor would I want to ever see it changed. Jeff will be Jeff until he walks into Heaven. The modest thing however, I can help him with. I can be very braggadocios about the wonderful things Jeff has done while serving in the Minnesota House as well as a Commissioner in Hennepin County.

It is never easy going up against an incumbent. By the time Jeff got the endorsement, Dayton had most of his first term under his belt. Plus, he was also a former Minnesota Senator (albeit a lousy one) for a short time. What did that give Dayton? Almost 100% name recognition within the state. Jeff was well known in a good part of the metro, but not as well as Dayton in other parts of the state. Even with that, Jeff closed that gap quite a bit by the general election. 

We can't change history. What is done is done. But we can learn from history - and that is what Jeff and his team have done. That being said, consider how this state would look right now if Jeff had won last time around. To start with, there would be no dysfunctional mess like we have right now between Dayton and the legislature. The size of our state government would have shrunk under Jeff. We would be able to do more with less. Our state taxes would have also shrunk, including the commerce killing corporate tax. And (this is the big one) - 100% of Social Security (just like in Wisconsin) would have been excluded from state taxation.

Well, Jeff did not win. But he can now. We can have a noticeably smaller and more efficient state government. We can have smaller taxes. We can stop driving our seniors out of state due to cruel Social Security taxation. We can reign in the out of control Met Council, and eliminate it. We can fix our highly inefficient and expensive MNSure. Heck, we might even be able to get our license tabs on time. The list goes on and on. 

One final thing about Jeff being nice. When it comes to fighting for Minnesotans to get the most out of every tax dollar, Jeff can be as tough as he is nice. Jeff can make Minnesota Great Again. Make Minnesota hospitable to businesses and seniors once again.

When the caucus meetings take place next month, just remember how things could have been - and then how they will be with Jeff Johnson as our next Governor. The future is ours to take.