Friends, poor Mike Johnson probably should have gotten a job herding literal cats. It would have been easier and less stressful than serving as Speaker of the House. Nonetheless, efforts are underway to find a spending formula that can stave off a government shutdown. We've been here before, after all, and the sky has never fallen. I'm confident that any shutdown, if it even happens, will be brief and easily survivable. Heck, maybe it would even be a good start, from a DOGE perspective, to shut down everything that isn't "necessary"?
Meanwhile, Trump's cabinet nominees are making the rounds, and surprisingly little focus has so far been on RFK, Jr., who you would think every Democrat would be clamoring to vote against. Not so, but neither is every Republican brimming with enthusiasm for his candidacy. At the end of the day, the betting markets like his chances, and so do I, which is an amazing thing to say given the contempt that the establishment has for the man.
https://polymarket.com/event/which-trump-picks-will-be-confirmed?tid=1734714007018
Finally, Mexico's attitude to illegal immigration has always been ambivalent, at best. Once in a while the country makes sympathetic noises about border control, but realistically Mexico will only crack down when its own interests are at stake and/or it is forced into line by a proactive American administration. Thus, there's no doubt that Mexico will "play ball", to some extent, while Trump is president, but what's to stop there from being another record-setting avalanche of border crossers once a Democrat takes office again? Not much. Thus, there's only one way to secure the border permanently: ensure that no Democrat ever is president again, or force the Democratic Party to change its spots and become a centrist, rather than a leftist, organization. The former feat might be easier to accomplish than the second! All we have to do is make the Dems unviable as an opposition party. They're doing their best to make it happen on their own, needless to say. All they need is a little "push"...
Dr. Waddy from Jack: Yes, we've been through "government shutdowns" before and I think Presidents and Congress are more fearful of them than are most citizens. Makes 'em look bad.
ReplyDeleteHowever, we are probably in for an unprecedented and prolonged period of fiscal confrontation as DJT carries out his intent to suppress the pork state. In doing so he will have to mathematically cut spending but also to convince the cynical "business as usual, spend, spend , spend" culture that its day is done. And that leftist led culture will fight a ferocious rear guard action employing all the very many disruptive and anarchic means it has heretofore viciously directed against any who dare to doubt or thwart it. Prolix legislative manuvering; employment of all manner of public relations humbug; lawfare; "taking to the streets"; personal onslaught on the integrity of the stalwarts of this now nigh historic campaign to install financial and visionary sanity in government (eg. Musk, a private citizen insolently invading the structure and usurping the power of government to tax, waste or act responsibly; they are already giving him "da business"). We may well experience very painful government disruptions, which the far left will of course make haste to represent as incompetence and insensitivity on the part of an administration bound to break their presumptuous addiction to taxpayer largesse and resignation. And of course we may expect reflexive massive barrages of accusations of civil rights violations and of frantic prediction of restoration of long since expunged official discrimination against any who the antiamerican left designate as still unrelentingly "oppressed".
For my own pet peeve: the National Endowment for the Arts, which is blithe to finance works of "artists"who sneer at the tax paying America which they expect to obsequiously support them - for these presumptuous effete snobs - I suggest that if they wish to be paid for their works, then start executing "art" which people can CHOOSE to pay for or discriminate against privately. This institution's portion of taxpayer funds is RELATIVELY small but it is nonetheless an exemplar of the kind of presumptuous thinking which inspires our tax and spend "betters"
Let's fasten our seat belts; this is going to be one hell of a ride! The antiamerican left, suffused with contempt and hatred for any opposition to its" unimpeachable " and "undeniable", justice, wisdom and inevitability, will fight to the finish! Their very incomes depend on it. And we must take heart from the possibility that this is the final battle with these incipient neomarxist dictators. If we win, they may be consigned to the "ash heap of history" to which President Reagan condemned the tyrannical Marxist power of the Soviet Union . Oh how he was excoriated by the "know it alls" for this prediction and how very right he was!
Nick, Dems will be back in 2026 when Mump starts driving the economy into the toilet with tariffs and ill-conceived tax and trade policies. The House will flip and the Senate will get closer, especially if President Musk and VP Trump follow through on their threats to primary those who did not bend the knee on the bill to prevent the government shutdown.
ReplyDeleteTrump can't run in 2028, and Vance is hardly inspiring. None of the GOP contenders from 2024 did well enough to generate confidence. Meanwhile, the Dems have at least two governors with lots of appeal (Moore from MD and Shapiro from PA) and who are more moderate than Harris.
So, Dems are not disappearing anytime soon. Rod
Dr. Waddy from Jack: This simple maxim must from now on govern government expenditures: "Is it NECESSARY!?" If not then leave it to the private sector to consider its worth or lack thereof . It is routine in spendthrift regimes like the Feds or NY to fund items or efforts which may be creditable but are certainly not indispensable. Let that presumptuousness become anathema.
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