Friends, these are tough times to sport the last name "Cuomo". After being feted by the press and by people-in-the-know for most of 2020, Andy is now hanging on for dear life. Interesting wrinkle, though: New Yorkers are hardly unanimous in demanding his resignation. Cuomo's enemies may have to sustain a long siege of Albany if they want to browbeat "America's Governor" into retirement.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/cuomo-approval-rating-harassment-scandal/2021/03/15/id/1013862/
Linda brought to my attention the outrageous and thoroughly unprofessional attacks that senior members of the U.S. military are mounting against Tucker Carlson. Now Ted Cruz is taking up Tucker's cause. Actually, it's not Tucker's so much as America's. Whatever you might think about Tucker Carlson, we simply cannot have the military taking sides in political debates. We're flirting with banana republicanism here, folks!
https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-ted-cruz-demands-us-marines-stop-attacking-tucker-carlson
You won't be shocked to hear that fewer young Americans are going to college these days. After all, dorms have become holding cells, and classes are hardly ever being offered in the classroom. The question is: will recent enrollment declines be sustained even after COVID recedes? There's reason to think they might. The practical value of a college education is not what it once was, and the expense has skyrocketed. Of course, since the Dems are throwing money at higher ed, it may not matter. Who needs students when you've got federal subsidies?
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/14/fewer-kids-going-to-college-because-of-cost.html
Things are getting interesting in the Golden State, where Yours Truly was born in the Year of Our Lord 1974. Governor Newsom will almost certainly be subject to a recall election, and polls indicate that it could be a close contest. The national and even the state GOP have so far put virtually no resources into this effort, but sooner or later Republicans will have to decide whether to go all-out in an attempt to win back control of the Governor's mansion in Sacramento. Maybe Arnie would like to reoccupy it? He wouldn't be my first choice, ideologically speaking, but I wouldn't say "Hasta la vista, baby" to his face, either.
Getting another Republican back in the governorship of California is going to be rough and tough, to say the least. As you know, California is our most populous state, and has the most Members of The House of Representatives (53)in The U.S. Congress, most of whom are Republicans.
ReplyDeleteI'm no expert on California politics. but I suspect that the tendency to lean to The Left in that state is in large part (or certainly a significant part) due to the film industry. No doubt that "Hollywood" (most of the studios except Paramount are not over there but in Burbank), has always moved to The Left, generally if not specifically.
In any event, big cities there are in one hell of a mess. Comments on downtown Sacramento often describe it as smelling of urine and feces with large homeless populations. Crime of course is rampant, much of it connected with drugs.
Of course California is the home of Silicon Valley, and we all know in what political direction that industry moves. Even if a Republican becomes Governor of California, he/she will be in a hard position to change the Left mindset in the state.
One thing for sure, California, Oregon and Washington certainly present a LEFT COAST, although Eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington tend to be conservative, although with much fewer people than the western part of those states.
One thing for sure (geographically speaking that is) Our three West Coast states are China's "Far East:. Think about it.
Sorry, I meant that most of California's Members of Congress in The House in DC are DEMOCRATS. I wish they were Republicans.
ReplyDeleteOne thing for sure, even before the pandemic circus, colleges and universities across the nation were way too expensive. Generally speaking, two year community colleges (technical and other) were doing a lot better.
ReplyDeleteI suspect, that unless college becomes FREE that most of higher education in the future could be limited to the "elite". But no matter what, colleges and universities are mostly heavily Left. I graduated from a college out on The Left Coast "back in the day" when it was religiously affiliated, but now is almost totally POLITICALLY CORRECT in every way. Go there and you get the full spectrum of Critical Race Theory, and Woke Culture and Cancel Culture, you name it, and there is even a club devoted to women's menstruation and the acute need to provide free sanitary napkins. SERIOUSLY, I am not making this up.
So, colleges for some time now (with few exceptions) are mostly brain-washing centers for The Left. Many of the majors offered by colleges are also guaranteed to NOT get you much of a job anywhere. My advice is to learn plumbing or electricity, to make a living and then do sustainable green hobbies on the side.
Sorry, Dr. Nick (I taught college too) but a lot of it is a racket, except for OUR history classes of course.
No matter what political directions our Armed Forces goes, the test of its effectiveness will come when China starts to move on Taiwan, plus whatever else some country has planned for us. The ultimate test is COMBAT! Plain and simple. Some other country kicks your ass, or you kick their ass harder. Nothing complicated about this. World War 2 is an excellent example of this. The Japanese were kicking our ass in The Pacific for quite some time, until we "regrouped and recovered" from Pearl Harbor. And that was NOT really political. Go figure!
ReplyDeleteCertainly one solution in making our Armed Forces more progressive in every way, would be to prohibit the enlistment of straight, white, conservative males (and females). Don't laugh, I see that coming down the road. I foresee an Armed Forces dominated by "people of color", bisexuals, transexuals, you name it, but straight, white, and male will be gone for ever, possible to be seen in Armed Forces museums as "relics of the past". In addition, people who are overweight (formerly known as fat) will be allowed to enlist. After all, we can't "body shame people" can we. I'm sure that after The Chinese and Russians see how progressive we are, that both of those countries will model their Armed Forces on ours. I look forward to a really bright future for all of our Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines, and Coast Guard too.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy et al from Jack: The picture of Cuomo was scandalously misleading; it showed him with his cavernous maw shut! Most aptypical! Actually, tis a consummation devoutly to be wished to see our state finally acquitted of his onerous reign. How wonderful it would be to have the kind of state governor (after all) who has not the imperial mien of what the Dems routinely force on us;someone down to earth even!Most of all, it will be redeeming to know Cuomo is at last bereft of significance or influence, except as an onerous exemplar of leftist totalitarian overreach.America must rejoice that he no longer has national prospects and President Trump, light one up for us!
ReplyDeleteDr.Waddy et al from Jack: Ray: your prediction of politically correct tests for all prospective armed forces recruits is VERY plausible. Should presently dominant trends continue we may expect conservative males being shunted to the back of the line;0h they may get in but on the "deck force or the grounds crew but. . .) a typical question: "U.S. power has been most destructively directed because: 1. Those who mistakenly believe that America is humane are wrong. 2. The world groans under the weight of U.S. oppression ,are you willing to relieve it? 3. Why, all of the above! OK you pass! Do I exaggerate? Not much at all!
ReplyDeleteDr.Waddy et al:I agree; the liberal arts are irredemably lost. The only solution is to surround their advocates, as does the oyster its invaders, with impenetrable barriers! How? Emphasize through modern PR tactics directed at the real America, INCESSANTLY, the totalitarian intent of the left!
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy et al from Jack: In a vein similar to indoctrination and correction of the military, the Feds have announced that their standardized mandatory exam on"The Living Environment" will, despite Covid concerns which have cwncelled most such tests for school students,be held! One can well imagine the anti America,anti free enterprise, human generated global warming certain preparatory curriculum for this one.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy et al from Jack: In commenting as I did above on the liberal arts I must add my agreement with Ray. The now illiberal arts are captured by the completely bigoted left, both in education and "intellectual" dialogue. It may well be that such a degree will he seen as prima facie evidence of politically correct closedc minding indoctrination rather than productive exercise of rigorous reasoning. And that perception, increasingly widespread, may result in the shunning of such graduates by those who motivate the real world of practical enterprise.
ReplyDeleteRay: you're certainly right that California is pretty far gone politically. Electing a Republican Governor would be no easy task. A "jungle primary" would make it feasible, though. There could be hundreds of candidates. Ours just needs to finish slightly ahead.
ReplyDeleteRay, I couldn't agree more about higher ed: it's culturally and ideologically odious, and all too often a giant waste of money in the sense that a degree in English lit is only marginally more useful than a degree in Sanskrit poetry. Your qualifier, "unless college becomes FREE", is the key here: the Dems intend to subsidize heavily tertiary education and subject it, ultimately, to government control, which already obtains in elementary and secondary ed -- with splendid results for students, as we all know.
I agree that the ultimate test of any military is combat...but that's only relevant if the country in question is willing to fight. I have no doubt that we're willing to fight Afghan tribesmen and Shiite militias, but I very much doubt we have the cajones to fight the Chinese.
White males probably won't be banned from the military, but conservatives may be. I think we can safely assume that Trumpers will be as welcome in the woke military as they are in every other major institution in this country, i.e. not at all. At best, they will be surveilled and cashiered at the least sign of misbehavior (also known as independent thought).
Sure, Jack -- the demise of Cuomo would be pleasing to behold. I predict we'll see the Left eat its own on countless occasions, before, during, and after its digestion of deplorables like you and me. Schadenfreude isn't ALWAYS a sin, surely.
Good point: a willingness to acknowledge the allegedly shameful history of the U.S. and its military will probably become a job requirement for military officers, if it isn't already.
Agreed, Jack: the only antidote for leftist indoctrination in education, popular culture, and beyond is a corresponding propaganda campaign launched from the right. It's underway, all right, but will it be enough???
And I'm afraid I DON'T agree with your last point, Jack. You predict that, as higher ed becomes politicized, industry will spurn its graduates. Ah, that assumes that the purpose of corporate H.R. departments is to hire employees who are capable, hard-working, and self-disciplined. Ha! The purpose of H.R. departments is to construct workforces that check every box in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation specified by the Left, and which render unthinking obedience to the orthodoxy of neo-Marxism. Consider the alternative: any corporation that doesn't comply will be protested, harassed, and boycotted, AT BEST, and confiscated or obliterated, at worst. Under these circumstances, I think we can safely assume that higher ed will prosper in the Age of Aquarius, insofar as anything can be said to "prosper" under socialism, that is.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: But might not the corporate response be to erect a screen of political correctness in PR positions while employing competent managers in actual executive roles?
ReplyDeleteLet's hope so! It's possible that the corporate world's "wokeness" is all a front, but I doubt it. I mean, where do these corporate bigwigs spend their formative years???
ReplyDelete