2022 YEAR END RECAP
IT ONLY TOOK 15 VOTES TO CHOOSE A SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE!
Kevin McCarthy was the candidate that not enough people wanted, but too many people preferred. The narrowly divided GOP House majority finally came together enough—216 of them at 12:45 AM last night. Through it all, the 212 Dems showed unity by voting for their little known candidate, Hakeem Jeffries, all 15 votes.
UNITY IS KEY TO SUCCCESS: Good or bad, the Dems proved one thing during Nancy Pelosi’s reign. If you want to get things done, stick together—even if you disagree on the details. Trying to pass anything in a “house divided” will be nearly impossible. The Dems still hold the narrown 51-49 edge in the Senate and the White House (The GOP proved one thing, stubbornness and holding out for individual narrowly held agendas, does work—somewhat—however many people are irritated by it.)
THIS CONGRESS SHOWS THE CLEAR PARTISAN DISAGREEMENT ABOUT HOW AMERICA SHOULD BE GOVERNED.
The details of “how" vary even within parties. Can someone please show a bumbling, dithering Joe Biden and his inept (laughing) VP Kamala Harris, where the US Southern true border (chaos) is located? They are misrepresenting America to the world as a country unsure of its path forward. One thing is certain—CHANGES ARE NEEDED— but which changes, and how?
I TRY TO WRITE ABOUT BUSINESS & GENERAL ECONOMIC/SOCIETAL ISSUES.
THIS DIVIDED GOVERNMENT MAKES IT HARD TO DECIDE WHAT TO CHANGE IN “HOW AMERICA WORKS.”
The list is simple; the solutions are not. Here’s where changes must be made!!
- Economic Growth—Tax policy, big government/welfare state & regulations vs. right-to-work, and free-market capitalism, etc.
- Inflation—High but dropping, still impacting millions, middle/lower classes hit hardest
- Recession—Caused by Fed efforts to curtail inflation (caused by excess spending), hurts middle/lower income classes most
- Immigration—Chaos and lack of any organization—illegal entry uncontrolled, no path to legitimacy
- Education—Charter Schools, Teaching Facts vs. Biases, indoctrination is not education.
- Fiscal Policy—Massive Debt and Deficit Spending—Entitlements (unstoppable) fueling continuous (runaway) spending
- Foreign Policy—China/Taiwan, Russia/Ukraine, North Korea, Middle East, (even parts of Europe) = trouble/
- Energy—Independence vs. bogus media & Dem Climate issues
- Demographic Destiny—Too few workers: an aging population, with birth rate below replacement, is a workforce in decline—welfare vs. work is winning, and America is losing. WE NEED TO CHANGE HOW AMERICA WORKS.
- Abortion—especially after Roe v. Wade was overturned
- Gender confusion—LGBTQ etc., Gender “identity" vs. Biology, and “WOKE’s” excessive, misguided attention to societal facts and issues (e.g., racial and social justice, language, etc.)
Recent Headlines give us some clues to what MUST CHANGE—a lot!
IF THE GOP HAS ANY INTEGRITY, IT SHOULD NOT HAVE SEATED GEORGE SANTOS, AND SHOULD REMOVE HIM ASAP..
I’m well aware of how narrow the GOP edge is in the House, but his entire resume & campaign was built on flagrant fabrications—lies—and he shows little or no remorse. No matter how narrow the GOP margin is in the House, seating this man, and leaving him there, would be a travesty & inexcusable!
THE WORST EXAMPLE OF THIS TYPE OF MISBEHAVIOR—TOO LATE—BUT STILL TERRIBLE—spans 40+ years, DURING WHICH Joe Biden built an equally outrageous record of background fabrications—all excused by “mis-remembering” or “confusion.” That’s a commentary on the lack of integrity of both Biden and Democrat Party who allowed it and re-elected him anyway. Son Hunter Biden is now following in his father’s footsteps—outrageous! Both are dangerously aligned with China amidst Joe’s cognitive decline.
BIDEN’ TITLE 42 CATASTROPHE Blindly reversing a political opponent’s (Trump) policies—that were working — is the worst form of regression! The border chaos is startling evidence. However, IF the GOP has better ideas, it must choose electable candidates (not Trump loyalists) and regain control of American borders.
EDUCATION AS A BATTLEGROUND Students & teachers numbers grew by about 8% over the past two decades—Administrators grew by TEN+ TIMES as much—88%. That’s what’s wrong with education. Administrators dominate, aided and abetted by teacher’s unions, to decide what’s right to teach—while parents are either pushed aside—or choose to abdicate their role.
CHARTER SCHOOLS SUCCESS MAKES THEM A POLITICAL TARGET. Charter schools work, which make them a big political target! Teacher’s unions don’t work for better education! It’s as simple as that. Upcoming SCOTUS rulings can have a big impact to help. Educating children does not mean Indoctrinating them. Facts matter, not biased opinions.
US POPULATION GROWTH STAGNATES Whether by choice (Covid, abortion or social changes) a smaller population can’t grow the US economy. When the big govt. Nanny State makes it more lucrative to sit home than to work, the US (American) work ethic suffers and dies. Only if the wave of illegal immigrants can be funneled into a job-filling, value-creating population boost this get fixed. Otherwise demographics are destiny.
WHITE HOUSE AIMS TO BOOST THE WORKFORCE, but is doing it by more welfare/deficit spending even on elder care and child care, is not the solution. Making work noble, patriotic and rewarding is the way to progress. The White House occupant and his party advisors don’t get that. They believe in big Government, financial payments (bribes), and not the competitive free enterprise system that supported American prosperity and growth!
THE BATTLE OVER WORK AND WELFARE HAS States fighting back against the Biden drive to Increase dependency. The falling labor participation rate is the clue and metric that reveals the policy flaws. The Biden administration is hindering states whose policies work.
FINALLY, CHINA MAY BE RUNNING OUT OF MONEY. PUTIN MAY BE RUNNING OUT OF AMMO. Everything the US can do to worsen their problems is good. Unfortunately, the President's family is beholden to China. Finally he’s come around to helping Ukraine. If only Biden would resume American energy independence policies (Trump's) that he reversed, and quit chasing the impossible dreams of "all renewables," it would quickly rejuvenate America.
HIDDEN INFLATION (NOT IN THE NUMBERS). Theft via shrink in retail is rampant, costing millions. Like unpunished crime in American big cities (catch & release), it needs to be reined in. Marketing deception via package contents reduction should require (at least) a prominent package banner— NEW, REDUCED CONTENT PACKAGE! That’s aa crude idea but may be the only way to thwart “inflation via deception” in packaging.
GOP MUST UNIFY, START FIGHTING (DEMS) TOGETHER, INSTEAD OF EACH OTHER. Do the right things for American prosperity. Take advantage of EARLY VOTING to counter Dems, stop their “ballot harvesting” and bring generation of GOP leaders—not Trump and his cronies. Trump cannot win in 2024, and IF he outspends to get a GOP nomination to run (against an even older, more impaired version of Biden) American voters (& GOP, Senatorial hopefuls) will face a terrible choice in 2024!
That’s as blunt a year-end “shopping list of Changing How America Works” as I can give—in hopes of a truly Happy New Year for all Americans. If our elected representatives work together for the good of America and Americans—it can be fixed.
But will they? Doubtful! Here’s hoping for the best, and a whole new generation of leaders.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
John
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