Our Cuba Dilemma

"It is geographically part of North America. Culturally, it is part of Latin America. It is a land which has much to offer in trade and tourism." 

The other day there was an article in the newspaper about our Congressman. That he was somewhat at odds with his Party in how he felt about normalizing relations with Cuba. I read the article with a bit of bemusement. As a former Cold Warrior, I fully understand the history of Cuba since the Communist Revolution. But we are long past the time just to move on. Throw what has happened in the bone yard of history.

Earlier this week, I was at an event with our Congressman. I told him face to face that I stand with him on the issue of normalizing relations with Cuba. I told him here we are, dancing with an evil regime like Iran, in bed with Communist China on just about every aspect of trade, and yet some of us are still worried about Cuba? This country has been suffering under the rule of the Castro Brothers for decades. They are ripe for democracy. They are ripe for trade. For a change. And they are ripe for our friendship.

Last November on our way down to Aruba, we had to alter our course due to a developing storm. We had to skirt the coast of Cuba. I was amazed on how big that country is. It seemed like it took forever to get from one end to the other. And considering this huge island is only 90 miles away from the United States, we should be acting like BFFs. 

Many who have had a chance to travel to the Caribbean, South America or Central America have learned something about the people who live there. They are colorful, they are nice, they are happy, and for the most part, they like us. I would expect the same to be true of the people in Cuba. We have patched up old wounds with Viet Nam and are now visiting and trading with them. And we had a hot war with them - not a cold war like we had with Cuba. And just like Cuba, Viet Nam is a communist state.

I have joked that someday I would like to legally sit in my back yard and smoke a Cuban cigar. Okay, not a joke - I would like to do that. But more than that, I would like to see this relationship fixed. I think through our embargo, we have punished these poor people enough. The leaders (who we should have been punishing) are doing fine. The people are not. As I have said, I think these folks are ripe for democracy. Just like Nicaragua was before they threw out the Sandinista government.

So bravo to Congressman Emmer for being clear headed and bold on this decision. Normalizing relations is the right thing to do. It is right for Cuba, and it is right for us. Let's do this sooner rather than later. 

Another Whopper Please!

"It is lunchtime and some are thinking about having a whopper. But this whopper is another tale of spending money we don't have."

Just when you thought this guy had run out of ways to spend money, along comes this. And it is a whopper. And dare I say it is DOA (Dead On Arrival) before it even gets traction? Nobody ever asks him where the money will come from for these hair brained ideas. Oh yes - the money tree. I almost forgot.

Now the President wants to change out unemployment benefits. Call them "re-employment" benefits. And in order to do that, he needs to correct a wrong that his economy has visited upon our land. Many today when they lose their job, end up taking a job with lower pay and reduced benefits. Happens all the time. Back when I was working, it was common to leave one job and take another with higher pay. These days, not so much.

Under the President's new plan, should you be let go from a job and have to take another job for reduced pay, the government (the owner of the ever giving money tree), will pay you up to $10,000/year for up to two years. Sweet!

People I know who ended up taking a job for less pay knew one thing for certain. That new job was only a "B" job to pay some bills with until that "A" job came along. What is the incentive for looking for that "A" job which pays $10,000/year more, when the government will give that much money for nothing?

Oh yes, there are the usual caveats. The new job must pay less than $50,000/year. And you needed to be at you old job for at least 3 years before being let go. 

Here is a better idea. Let's fix the economy. Reduce our corporate income tax so more companies worldwide would like to do business here. Reduce the cost of unnecessary regulations. Any barriers which are making our companies unable to compete fairly on the world stage should be eliminated. All of a sudden, we would see companies coming here looking for skilled workers to fill job billets. And when the number of jobs outstrips the available workforce - bingo - wages go up due to supply and demand.

I only bring up this goofy idea as I don't we will hear much about it in the future. Zero traction. And by the way - it is Congress that is supposed to write the bills and fund these things. Not the President.  

The Same Festering Wounds

"Many wounds don't heal if left untreated. And we still have some whoppers in this country."

Okay. I am going to have to hop up on a higher branch and start to chip again today. Trying to be upbeat this week, but with things going on in Washington the way they are, I just can't. Here we are, in the last year of this Administration, and we are holding on just by a thread. Trying to make it to a new beginning. Rather than hope and change, we can only hope for a change.

We still have the same festering wounds. And here are just a few:

• Article 1 of the Constitution - Last night our Congressman addressed this issue. The most important thing that Congress needs to do right now is follow the Constitution - in everything. He went on to say our government was never intended to have three co-equal parts of government. The Legislative Branch was supposed to be the 600 pound gorilla. Hold the power of the purse. The President and the SCOTUS were NEVER designed to have the power they now do. 
• The VA - The Congressman also addressed the VA issue. Remember that? The discovery of how bad it has become started down in Arizona. Even though there was a big "shake up" at the top, not much has changed. And our veterans continue to be short changed. The woman in charge of the St. Paul VA was caught with her hand in the cookie jar (so to speak). Did she get fired? Nope. Just transferred. Only in the world of government can stuff like his happen.
• Benghazi - After seeing the movie "13 Hours" yesterday, I am more amazed than ever that heads have not rolled on this tragedy. In fact, as much as some on the Left have tried to sweep this under the rug, it is still there. Festering. Until there is absolute and total accountability by EVERYONE in the chain of command who allowed our four brave Americans to die, nobody in this country should rest easy.
• The IRS - My biggest fear is this. After being caught red handed in the misuse and abuse of their power, I am afraid the IRS is going to be allow to skate. And that is a sin. Lois Lerner is still walking around, a free woman, collecting a huge pension. That smug little man with the big smirk is still running the joint. Whether you support the flat tax or the fair tax, we need to have tax reform, up to and including the abolition of the IRS.

There are more, but I have addressed them many times. To me, the most important of these is the first bullet listed above. We need to follow the Constitution. Totally. In our governance, in our everything. And I mean all of the Constitution. States rights, gun rights, freedom of association, the power of Congress, the whole enchilada. 

In fact to be honest, let me share what I am hearing more and more from folks I talk with. They are not blaming the Administration as much as they once did. They are blaming Congress. They have let this President act somewhere between a petulant child and a dog whose master skipped obedience training. In other words, of course where there is no checks and balances, of course where there is a dereliction of duties by any one of the three branches in government, abuse is ripe to fester.

Between now and November, we all of us need to be at the top of our game. Learn, talk, read. Become as educated and informed as possible. About what? About every issue which affects our daily lives. Just like I blame Congress for not doing their Constitutional job, I will also blame us citizens for not watching the watchdogs. It seems that festering wound is the one we should treat first.   

A Benghazi Cluster

"A must see movie. Put politics aside just for a moment to reflect on the bravery of our nation's best. After that, focus on the betrayal our country gave these brave men in their greatest time of need."

I just got home from seeing 13 Hours. I have a few observations to make about this film. The good news is that I don't have to worry about being a spoiler. This story is based on facts, and by now most of us know them. And not to sound like a movie critic, but this is a "must see" movie. For everyone. Regardless of how you lean politically. Regardless of how you feel about Hillary Clinton. Or Barack Obama. A must see.

As far as I am concerned, 13 Hours is a tale of bravery as well as betrayal. Just as in the movies Lone Survivor and American Sniper, our Special Forces, (now called Special Operators) are portrayed as some of our country's finest. And bravest. Brave beyond brave.

As our Special Forces have been trained to do, they run towards explosions, not away from them. When Ambassador Stevens was in danger, they ran towards his compound. They did not have to. They were assigned to the CIA annex. But that is not how they are cut. How they roll. They disobeyed a direct order from the CIA Section Chief to try to save the Ambassador at his compound.

There was probably 150 different things our government could have done to help our citizens. And yet, na-da. Nothing. We watched the whole thing live and in color via one of our drones. But as far as F-16 or any other air support? Forget about it. Troops on the ground? Nope. No, they were on their own against a sea of bad guys. And I was amazed that only four Americans (including of course, our Ambassador) were killed. Dozens of "Tangos" (bad guys) were taken out. Another example that going up against our nation's finest is not a good idea.

The movie did a good job in keeping this "cluster" at Benghazi away from politics. But I won't. In fact, I am going to let it rip. Of all the shady, the crumby, the inept things this Administration has done, this was by far the worse. HEADS SHOULD ROLL!  And by the way, heads should have rolled months, years ago. And the fact one of the biggest "perps" is running for President, is even more troubling. 

I will give Michael Bay props on one more thing. He did not go into detail on how Ambassador Stevens was killed. In fact, it was underplayed to the point it was almost a non-event. And yet it was the first time in 33 years one of our Ambassadors was killed. I have discussed in the past how the Ambassador was mutilated than dragged through the streets. I won't go into that again. One of the biggest regrets these former Special Forces had was not only not saving their own dead, but also not being able to save the Ambassador and Sean Smith.

See this movie? Yes. Why? It could happen again. Any time a narrative becomes more important than human life, it is a big story. And the narrative in Benghazi was important. The War on Terror was over. How dare these people attack our consulate on 9/11? Ignore it, and it will go away. We will make up a video that agitated people. A video which was pure BS. And then put Susan Rice on all channels telling the American people the video is what caused this mess. 

Hillary is as dirty on this issue as pig in mud. And so is her boss. As a retired Naval Officer, this makes me sick. Our troops deserve so much better. They need to know we have their "sixes". We have their backs. Right now, that is a huge question. We need to change that in November.

The mess in Flint

"It has been said that success has many fathers and failure is always an orphan. In Flint, Michigan, with the government involved, it is just the opposite."

My heart goes out to Michigan. It is such a beautiful state, and yet it has so many problems. It is bad enough that Detroit looks like a ghost town which had first been fire bombed. But now this mess in Flint on top of that. And the reasons for Flint having the kind of problems it has right now? Well they don't hold water (so to speak).

How in the world could this have happened? Flint, Michigan is a city with a population of almost 100,000. Not a huge city, but not a small town either. Some bureaucrat in state government decided that to save money, the city should have another source of drinking water. Keep in mind, the water source Flint had been using was working fine, thank you. 

For years, the City of Flint had been getting their water from one of the largest fresh water lakes in the world - Lake Huron. The water was good and there was plenty of it. Then a cardinal rule of repair or replace was broken - "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". And, the water system was not broken, so the state decided to tinker with it. 

Then rule # 2 was broken. "Before you dive into the pool, make sure it is deep enough". In other words, before the switch to a new water source was made, there were zero studies done to ensure the new source was as good as the existing source. And it was not. And they did not find out until the switch happened.

The new water (much cheaper) water source came from the Flint River. The water in the Flint River is very corrosive on lead pipes. And there are plenty of lead pipes in the Flint water system. The citizens were the first to notice something was wrong with their new water source. The water coming out of the tap was brown. And it had an odor. But that was not the worst of it. Subsequent testing showed it had an unsafe lead content. And the citizens (including their children) had been drinking this stuff believing it was safe to drink. 

So now this has developed into yet another hot mess that the State of Michigan did not need. A state of emergency has been declared for Flint. Bottled water by the truckloads is being delivered to the city. The people are up in arms and calling for heads to roll. To fix this mess, it will cost a heck of a lot more than the small amount which was going to be saved by switching the water source in the first place. 

Some of my big government friends get on my case when I am too critical on how government (at all levels) operates. Trust me - I have worked with the government, and for the government for years. Of this I know what I speak.

And what is the fallout going to be? First off, I think the Governor is toast. Gone. Good-bye. Next the state appointed emergency manager who flipped the switch on the water source will be canned. In fact, he should have been fired yesterday. And who is going to pick up a good part of the bill to fix this mess? Go to the mirror and take a long look.

As I may have scorn for the lousy government in Michigan which let this happen, I also have nothing but sympathy for the good people of Flint left holding the bag. There is much to learn from this, starting with accountability and oversight. The people we elect to serve us need constant accountability and oversight. And that needs to come from us. Lesson learned.  

Feeling Berned Up

"I get a kick out of this guy. He is a self professed secular Jew and a Socialist. Two things we have never had in a President"

I received an interesting question from of one of my friends recently when we were discussion politics. The question was, "Is there any difference between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders?" My answer - yes, there is. At least with Bernie, he will tell you exactly what he is, and what he is going to do to you. With Hillary, well, she can make a chameleon look pale and ordinary.

Another friend, who is a pastor in the area, put on social media after the debate last night something I am sure many of us believe. This election will be a stark difference between the two parties. The Republicans want to get control of government back by shrinking it. The two leading Democrats however, are in a foot race to see how much they can grow government. The difference between the two parties is like night and day.

Bernie Sanders is the gift that keeps on giving. And if things keep spinning out of control with the Clinton campaign, he might still be around this November. Yesterday, before the Democratic debate, he released his position on health care. Whereas the Republicans see ObamaCare as an unmitigated disaster which is bankrupting families, the "Bern" wants to double down and go right to single payer. And it is going to be expensive beyond belief.

The "Bern" however, does not give a rat's butt if it is expensive or not. He has a plan. Raise taxes. AND, come up with a new rate for people making over $10,000,000 a year. 51% will be the new top rate. Can we say the word "confiscatory"? Here is what Democrats and Socialists don't understand. People who make that much money usually make a good part of it on investments. So all the investment gains would have to be taxed at the new ordinary income rate of 51%, instead of the reduced capital gains rate. Net result - people will stop investing. And then will come the crash.

The best thing the Republicans can do right now to defeat the Democrats is stay out of the way and let them self-destruct. If anyone has not seen what ObamaCare has done to our country, well, they must have been living on Mars the past few years. The visible failure of ObamaCare is the best recruiting tool the Republicans have for this election. And Ms. Clinton? Between the sexual dalliances of Mr. Clinton, classified e-mails on her non-secure server, her State Department failures and of course - Benghazi, it is doubtful she will make it to November. Bernie? Just let him keep running his yap.

Using the words from Lenka's hit song, I think the Republicans just need to "sit back and enjoy the show". The Democrats will continue to outspend each other with campaign promises all the way up to their convention. And all the Republicans need do is stay on message. Equal opportunity, not equal outcome. It is as simple as that.   

The Welfare Check

"As the saying goes, many of us are one illness, one major expense, one life event from ending up on the street."

Whenever I think of the welfare check, I think of my youngest daughter. Don't get me wrong - she is not receiving a welfare check. She is doing welfare checks on folks who are currently down on their luck. Folks who are homeless, folks who are living on the street. Some in makeshift shelters. Others in the back seat of a car. Anywhere. And wherever it is, it is very, very dangerous to do so. 

My wife and I have done some work with the homeless in the county in which we live. Like many when we first started, I had no clue on how or why people became homeless. So my wife and I got "schooled" by some folks who knew quite about about this subject. People who have worked extensively with the homeless. Also people who have been homeless themselves. It was quite a life lesson, to say the least.

We stopped in to see my daughter at work last week. She is now working at a different location than we had seen before. She works at an organization who does outreach in Minneapolis. The people we met there were just like my daughter - dedicated to helping those who need to be housed. Those who were in need. The folks at that organization are trying to ensure those who are outside on dangerously cold nights are found and bought to some kind of shelter. 

Talking to some of the folks at my daughter's organization, we heard what we have heard before. We heard that many who are homeless had no intention of becoming so. Many of those have had good jobs. Some have had good educations. One client they worked with even had a Ivy League education. He was from out east. And life was going very good for him before the bottom fell out. So here is the real deal - life circumstances which cause homeless are as varied as one can imagine.

If you happen to see someone out on cold, or even not so cold night looking for the homeless, know this. And I am saying this without my daughter knowing it. These people are heroes. They are people who care more for the hurting than they care for their own comfort on these cold nights. 

Welfare checks. Once was a term for money given to someone who was downtrodden, is also a term for people who just need to be cared for. People who need to be checked up on.

Many I have talked to have asked what they can do is help. The answer is plenty. Funds, as well as hands on assistance. And if they cannot help, they can seek to understand. Understanding the people on the street are no different than the rest of us. They are not different at all - they are us.