Such Disrespect

Classless response to Lindsey Graham's passing. The Portland Tribune, an online adventure in leftist ranting, not that the first word “Portland” would have given you a clue, ran with “Good Riddance” as a parting gesture to an Air Force veteran who raised and cared for his young sister after his parents' demise. Not nice. And the first comment after a Washington Post article on how Graham's absence will “complicate” the Republican agenda was “whatever it takes to end the Republican grip,” followed by a slew of comments blaming Trump for the rise of socialism. So let me get this straight, to all of you apparently educated by the teachers' union: your response to conservatives and a return to constitutional rule of law is to embrace the most destructive, oppressive form of government ever devised, with no examples of prosperity in history?  With an estimated 85 percent of 18-to-34-year-olds choosing to get their news from TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, rating patriotism and pride in America at under 29 percent, and being the recipients of substandard public school education, is it any wonder that we find ourselves at this juncture?  We have failed our youth and allowed them to be swayed by a leftist media empowered by the internet and the promise of free stuff without the inconvenience of work. 

America Under Siege

This wave of democratic socialists winning primaries in deep blue districts, and thus assured of winning in the general election, is almost as alarming as the complacency and willingness of the centrist bulk of the Democrat party to move farther left in an attempt to save their own skins rather than rebuke the candidates for their anti-American, communist rants. Jeffries and Schumer are hearing footsteps. And isn’t it ironic that this wave of socialists, many of whom are well-off children of immigrants, are going to prompt an immigration of their own: an exodus of businesses, the wealthy, and middle-class taxpayers to more tax-friendly locales, presumably in the South. Their destructive policies will inevitably result in increased crime, higher taxes, punitive financial burdens on success, and a net migration out of the cities. Of course the resulting fiscal shortfall after the cities lose their tax base will result in a trickle down affect of increased taxation into lower earnings thresholds and taxpayers statewide picking up the tab, a phenomenon we are seeing play out in New York already where governor Hochul, another vintage Democrat in survival mode, has committed state funds to Mamdani’s utopian disaster unfolding in New York City. When suburban and rural taxpayers inevitably rebel against funding city policies, if they can’t overcome the population advantage the city has at the ballot box, they have no other alternative than to get out. Property values fall, the tax base erodes, and the tax-and-spend cycle bankrupts the state. Services are prioritized, and program budgets are slashed. The first victims will be those who are politically unpopular with the socialists.  Law enforcement is always the first to go with these leftists. Exactly how abolishing prisons, laughably explained because they shouldn’t have been sentenced in the first place, in conjunction with decreased police presence on the street, sounds like a vacuum destined to be filled with drug use, theft, and gang violence. Good luck with that. So is this actually a movement to provide equity and affordability to the masses, or is it actually a step to destroy Western culture, or in this case, destroy America? Listening to Darializa Chevalier, the unhinged winner of New York’s 13th district congressional primary, might make you think so. She has called for the abolition of ICE, the minimal threshold for a DSA candidate of course, but also referred to the US as “a f—-ing disgrace” and claimed she would wipe her dirty hands on the American flag. She also stated that Israel “doesn’t exist” and naturally calls for support for Hamas and a world without borders, prisons or police. She even called Joe Biden, senile perhaps but staunchly positioned on the left, a “rapist” and a “war criminal.”  Seriously, they need to start doing mental health assessments on these DEI lunatics. AOC and the Squad may have started the pendulum swinging, and Barack Obama set the stage with his promise to “fundamentally change America,” but I don’t think any one of them thought the pendulum would swing quite this far. Gird your lions, America; it’s going to be a bumpy ride to socialism. If we even make it there intact. 

How Can This Happen

These three Mamdani-endorsed Democratic Socialist candidates in NYC not only won their primaries but also unseated Democratic incumbents, including Dan Goldman, a leading voice in the Trump impeachment movement. Their laundry list of campaign promises reads like the communist manifesto. Medicare for all, free childcare, guaranteed basic income, a 32-hour work week with no reduction in pay or benefits, rent and utility freezes, wealth tax, open borders, no deportations, abolish ICE, no support for Israel, yadayadayada. In other words, free stuff for everyone and the destruction of the work ethic and New York’s economy. But what exactly did you expect in a city where 42% of the population are Medicaid recipients? Our Founders anticipated this, and the farther we deviate from the Constitution, is this what we have to look forward to on our 250th Birthday

California Adrift

No surprise in California: As the votes trickle in and the counting is dragged out, the Republican candidates, Pratt for Mayor of LA and Hilton in the governor's race, are falling in the standings to qualify for the two-candidate runoff. And we are just supposed to swallow the explanation that democrats are more likely to vote late and use mail-in ballots. Sure. Or maybe Californians just like watching their state burn, their tax dollars squandered, and paying a dollar more for gas than the rest of the country. Or maybe the state is just irredeemably corrupt.

Jefferson’s Prophesy

Another Democrat-appointed federal judge, this time from Providence, RI, shot down yet another Trump Administration policy on immigration. Why do we bother to go through the hassle of electing a President when their policies are subject to the political whims of judges appointed by Presidents long gone from office?  The left bemoans the lifetime appointments of Supreme Court justices, and there are only nine of them. And they’re all in Washington. Meanwhile, there are some 700 federal judges spread across the country, requiring plaintiffs to merely shop around for one who will place partisan politics above the law in deciding cases. Jefferson warned us that it would come to this. 

New York Blues

Tax depression this morning. A frantic New York acquaintance of mine, nearing retirement, advised: "I stumbled across a couple of articles detailing the tax burden I am subjected to in NY as compared to other states." He was plunged into deep despair. Between state income and property taxes, he can't see how he can afford to stay in upstate New York in retirement. He plugged numbers into a state-by-state comparison based on his current salary and property valuation, and claims the difference is staggering. Given the same value home, he could be saving $15K a year on property taxes compared to states like SC, FL, or TN. Income tax is even more egregious, especially compared to no-tax states, with those figures reaching another $50-60K on top. Even with projected income reductions in retirement, he projected a total of $30K in savings in more tax-friendly locales. In retirement, that is real money! He angsts over leaving his hard-earned family homestead, his dispersed children and friends in the vicinity, but New York makes it difficult to stay.

His plight rings true for all of us who live in Blue States, who are similarly taxed to the point of considering migration.

Are You Listening America

Democrat preview of coming attractions: Packing SCOTUS, adding DC and PR as states, punishing officials for not telling their version of the truth, keeping red states in check, coming from none other than Kamala Harris, the self-appointed defender of our democracy. She of consummate inadequacy, delusional, posturing intellectually superior, worthy of holding court to express her opinions on the governing of our republic, but what is most frightening is that she is leading in the polls to be the Democrats' 2028 candidate for the presidency.