Washington Nobodies

Just a brief note, a comment or two on the denizens of Washington, D.C., specifically members of Congress and the media. 

The vast majority of these people have never had to run a business or be responsible for the successful operation of an organization staffed by other human beings. In other words, they’ve never had to manage anything of any consequence, to lead people in pursuit of a common goal, to have to deal with the results of their actions, and to accept responsibility for achieving success (e.g., making a profit). Of course, some have done these things, and done them well, but too many don’t realize that Calvin Coolidge spoke the truth a century ago: “The chief business of the American people is business.”  

As for our members of Congress, We elect lawyers and bean-counters and small-time politicians and turn them into big-time politicians. And because they are paid very well indeed, are smothered with perks galore, and can apparently add substantially to their net worth through “timely” investments, they focus most of their energy on ensuring their reelection. The rule, “Follow the money!”, sadly applies far too often. 

As for the media, too many citizens believe the mainstream media are motivated solely by political or ideological beliefs. You hear it all the time: “The leftist media distort the news and despise the people.” There’s likely a grain of truth in this, because liberals tend to hire in their own image, preferring to keep the organization “pure.” But that’s not their prime motivator. You might not want to believe this, but I don’t care. Over the years, I’ve dealt with media folks at all levels. Most are wonderful, especially the local media. But the others, particularly the big-time media, are among the most self-absorbed people I have ever met. They seek only the approval of their peers, and are so locked into their “stories” they cannot admit that they were either mistaken or, more likely, simply lied. Why do they lie? Because they are all worker bees in the same hive and cannot jeopardize their bond with their peers. Moreover to confess the truth would force them to admit they are living a lie, that their work essentially means nothing. 

Most politicians and media types, then, lack a basic understanding of how things work in a society that survives only by the success of its free markets. Too many today are convinced that government is the source of all societal good, a belief that is essentially Marxist. Of course, most don’t realize they espouse Marxist ideology because they are too ignorant and too thoroughly brainwashed to understand the roots of their convictions.

So, I suggest that you listen cautiously to whatever politicians say and pay far more attention to what they do, how they vote. As for the media, I tend to ignore the mainstream and go right to the source. That’s the nice thing about communication today: the internet gives us access to original sources, so we can see exactly what they say and do. Don’t pay much attention to the “somebodies” because most are just nobodies,

More important, though, pray for our Church and for our country, asking God to shed His blessings on both in abundance. We certainly need it.

Mr. Speaker?

First of all, politically I’m a conservative, and I’m likely far more conservative than Matt Gaetz or any of the other Republican reps who voted against Kevin McCarthy in today’s first and second votes for Speaker of the House. From what I can tell, these men and women simply despise Kevin McCarthy and are conservative simply because their constituents are conservative. I’ve heard nothing from them that addresses exactly what they seek in a Speaker, exactly what they want as members of Congress. When they address policy issues, they speak in gross generalities but their words tell us only one thing: they simply don’t want McCarthy. Their hatred for Kevin McCarthy drives their votes for Speaker. It has little to do with policy but everything to do with personality. 

Who are these guys and gals? Trying to describe them isn’t easy, but then I recalled one of my favorite movies, One Eyed Jacks, starring Marlon Brando. At one point in the film Brando’s character, Rio, turned to a guy even more evil than himself, and used a rather descriptive epithet. He called him a “scum-sucking pig” which I will now refer to as an SSP. Although remarkably nasty, it was neither obscene nor profane, but simply a wonderfully vulgar descriptive. I must admit, although I’ve always liked it, i’ve never used it…until now. 

Don’t these elected representatives realize what the American people want from the Congress they have elected? They want action, not a soap opera of personal vendettas. McCarthy even helped several of the these SSPs in their recent elections, providing both funds and personal support. The SSPs are also making the Republican Party look remarkably foolish. Note that the Democrats are solid in their support for Hakeem Jeffries (NY) while more than a few Republicans seem to enjoy the Congressional chaos they have created. One can only hope enough of them come to their senses so our government can move forward in the direction the people want. 

We live in strange times, folks. Even the good guys despise each other.

Just Stuff

Sometimes I just feel the need to pass along a few thoughts to my blog’s highly selective cadre of readers. Nothing very astonishing, just experiences or ideas that strike me and seem worth sharing. 

To Mask or Not To Mask. For example, earlier this afternoon dear Diane said she would really like a pizza — specifically, a pepper and onion pizza — from one of our local vendors, NYPD Pizza. Now, I eat neither peppers nor onions (Were I ordering for myself, I would choose a sausage and pepperoni pizza), but because I love Diane more than life itself, I called, ordered the pizza, and was told it would be ready in 15 minutes. When I arrived the pizza was not quite ready (I was a few minutes early), so I simply stood off to the side and waited. There were perhaps a dozen or so people seated at tables enjoying their meals. Of course, none wore masks, but neither did any of the employees. The cooks in the kitchen weren’t masked and neither was the one waitress. How refreshing! 

But then a man entered and approached the take-out counter. He looked to be in his 50s or 60s, but it was hard to tell since his facial features were disguised by a mask. Standing there, he glanced around the room and then uttered, presumably to himself, but loud enough for me to hear, “How come no one’s wearing a mask in here?” Assuming he wanted an answer, I just said, “Maybe like me they’re all vaccinated and know they’re immune.” It seems I was wrong and he wasn’t looking for an answer, at least from me, because he turned and said, “Vaccination means nothing. And why aren’t you wearing a mask?” At this point, I said something very un-pastoral and certainly un-deaconlike, but it just rolled off my uncontrolled tongue before I could stop it: “Because I’m not an idiot.” Fortunately, two seconds later my pizza was ready. I took it and left before he could respond either verbally or physically. I’m not proud of what I said to this confused man, but I won’t apologize for speaking the truth. Let’s get back to normal... now!

Congressional Masks. Other than the content of the president’s speech, the most obvious absurdity witnessed by the nation last night was the masking of everyone in the House chamber. Every person in the room (just 200 people in a space designed to hold 1,600) had been vaccinated. They were all masked and separated by more than six feet. They were also immune from COVID-19, so why the charade? Do you get the feeling that maybe Nancy Pelosi and her friends want to ensure Americans remain afraid and psychologically dependent on government? What other reason could they have?

Georgia On My Mind. President Biden today made a surprise trip to “racist” Georgia and visited an aging President Jimmy Carter, presumably to pick up a few pointers on how to become one of the least effective presidents in American history. Jimmy certainly wrote the script for how not to deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and if you’re old enough you’ll never forget how miserable the economy was on his watch. Remember the “misery index” — the sum of inflation and unemployment — that reached over 20% in 1980? More than anything else, I believe that number put Ronald Reagan in the White House. If the federal government continues to spend the trillions Biden wants to spend, it might well break the Carter record. Assuming he’s still in office in 2024 (and still alive), I think the 2023 economy will make him a one-term president.

Attend Mass, Go To Jail. Did you know (probably not, since you won’t read about this in the mainstream media) that in the Republic of Ireland it’s now against the law to attend Mass. Yes, indeed, on April 16, I suppose in the midst of another lockdown, the Irish Health Minister, Stephen Donnelly, signed a “Statutory Instrument” (presumably an official document) that makes attendance at Mass a criminal offense. Now, for all you Irish-Catholic Americans out there, who still believe Ireland is a Catholic country...believe me, it’s not. Like most of Europe, Ireland has devolved into a secular, materialistic, largely agnostic society in which all those formerly Catholic folks and the generations behind them no longer believe in much of anything, leaving the Church with little, if any, influence. Who’s to blame? Sadly, the primary culprit is the Church itself. Like too many of the bishops of our country, the bishops of Ireland slouched into political correctness and ordained a lot of questionable priests, including homosexuals, pedophiles, Marxists, and sadly, even some tacit agnostics, whose subsequent activities destroyed any credibility the Church once had. So now, the few remaining faithful, if they want to participate at Mass, must watch it on TV or prepare for a fine or a stay in the local slammer. Lest you chuckle too much at the expense of the Irish, this has also happened in some states in this country where the First Amendment of our Constitution has been overruled by certain state governors. As my late brother used to say, “Keep your powder dry.”

Whose Racism Is It, Anyway? The president believes we are essentially a racist nation, despite the fact that every conceivable indicator shows tremendous progress since the days when Senator Joe Biden was bosom buddies with the Senate’s old segregationists, especially Senator Robert Byrd (D, WV) the Ku Klux Klan’s “Exalted Cyclops.” Probably the best indicator of who actually are today’s real racists is abortion. The population of African Americans would be double its current level were it not for abortion. Indeed, abortion is the leading cause of death among black Americans. And, of course, Margaret Sanger, the founder of a Planned Parenthood, hoped to decrease birth rates among all those “less desirable” races by means of artificial contraception and abortion. Who supports abortion? Why, the Democrat Party, the party of racism, the party of the KKK, the party that filibustered the Civil Rights Act of 1964 until Republicans forced a cloture vote. And nothing’s changed. This was apparent today when the leftist knives were unsheathed and thrown at Senator Tim Scott who gave the Republican rebuttal to the president’s speech. The racist slurs and other comments by Democrats were despicable, but what else can we expect from those whose intent is to keep African Americans on the Democrat plantation. More and more black Americans are starting to recognize their real enemy.

Catholics and Big Tech. I won’t write about this since someone else has done a far better job than I ever could. But if you’re still enamored of Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and all the rest, follow this link to the National Catholic Register:

Catholics in the Crosshairs of Big Tech.

That’s enough for today. God’s peace...Pray for our nation.

Throw the Bums Out!

In one of my recent posts — Congress Sets a Record — I addressed how the public views the ethical behavior of our federal legislators: Congress earned an abysmal 8% rating. Given what’s happened in the past few days, our legislators just might find themselves a lot closer to zero.  

I begin by stating that the majority of the long-term members of Congress deserves as much respect as they have for the nation's citizens, and I include members of both parties, Democrats and Republicans. These men and women are apparently addicted to spending our money on frivolous things that reward those who fund their reelection campaigns. The recent pandemic relief bill was packed with legislative pork that had absolutely nothing to do with helping those whose health and finances have been jeopardized by the pandemic. Indeed, a huge amount of the funds included in this legislation was pure pork, with much of it heading overseas while far too many Americans are suffering. The president signed the bill, almost under duress, largely because he had little if any support from legislators of his own party. He then asked Congress to revisit the legislation, remove the pork, and increase the individual relief payment from $600 to $2,000. Congress might agree to raise the relief payment, because they love to spend our money, but there’s no way they would ever remove the pork. That’s just not something they do.

Following the lead of their Congressional mentors, too many governors and mayors, mostly Democrats but even a few Republicans, have shut down their economies, forcing millions of Americans out of their jobs and destroying tens of thousands of small businesses. (Note that these so-called public servants didn't close down the big businesses -- the Walmarts, Targets, Home Depots, supermarkets, and all the rest -- the corporations more than willing to provide the funds to finance election campaigns. Nor did they cut the pay or eliminate any jobs of government employees.) And they did all this despite the science that increasingly tells us that business shut-downs are largely ineffective when it comes to protecting folks from the virus but very effective at destroying the small businesses that keep our economy going. Testing has shown that less than 2% of infections come from restaurants while more than 70% begin at home. With everything else shut down, people tend to gather with others in their homes. Given the numbers, forcing folks to remain in their homes probably isn’t the wisest move. 

It’s a challenge to name the worst of the worst, but if forced to do so, I’d choose Speaker Nancy Pelosi. For months she delayed providing additional stimulus funds because she believed doing so before the election would increase President Trump’s approval ratings and ensure his re-election. a fact she admitted publicly. In other words, she willfully placed political expediency above the dire needs of the people she represents, those whose lives her policies have devastated.

Speaker Pelosi is, of course, not alone in her corruption. She is joined by all those legislators who supported the current pork-laden bill. Admittedly the legislation does some good things like providing additional weekly assistance to the unemployed. But the stimulus amount of $600 will do very little to help those who have been hammered by this pandemic and the government’s authoritarian response. The idea of universal relief might gain the support of voters who think only of themselves, but any relief should really focus on those who have been hurt most by the pandemic, those who have lost their jobs, their homes, their businesses. That, however, would require legislators and their staffs to do some work. It would also force them to explain why some deserve assistance while others don’t. And few legislators want to do that, to actually do the courageous thing.

A few years ago, on a visit to Savannah, Georgia, I came across a street corner with a unique juxtaposition of signs — Congress as a one-way street, pointing of course to the left. I couldn’t resist taking the photo.

Yes, indeed, Congress is broken. I suppose about the only thing to say — something which far too many voters will ignore — are the words I used to hear when I was a kid and the adult discussion got around to things political: Throw the bums out! And then hope you don’t just elect a new crop of bums.

Non-Essential Work

One of my sons was just informed he will be laid off this week, and will be out of work until at least the end of June. His company had already laid off the vast majority of its employees because its primary business could not continue given the Cononavirus restrictions imposed by our government. In other words, his job, along with the jobs of thousands of his colleagues, is considered by the "experts" to be non-essential. As a result, none of those employees will be paid. 

Interestingly, though, some highly paid non-essential workers have continued to receive every nickel of their pay, even though they are performing no useful work. Yes, indeed, the members of the United States Congress, both senators and representatives, haven't done a lick of legislative work in weeks, but you and I keep paying them. Okay, the Senate finally returned to work this past week, but not the House. Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House -- a woman, by the way, who speaks entirely too much -- apparently agrees that she and her House colleagues are completely non-essential since she has stated it would be unhealthy for them to return to work. In this, however, she's mistaken. It's not our legislators who will have to worry about their health. No, it's the people -- that's you and me -- who will suffer when House members return to what they euphemistically call work. When Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler, and the rest of Madam Speaker's fawning toadies return to the Capitol, everything you have, including what remains of your health and wealth, will be at greater risk.

Do you think they'll continue to stay home until January 3? Perhaps that's the question we should be asking. Would it be worse if our House legislators returned to Washington or just stayed away? 

What the heck! We already know they're non-essential, and it's only eight months until January.

Veteran Statistics

Our federal government's failure to address the health needs of veterans might well have something to do with the fact that a growing number of Representatives and Senators never served in the military and have no first-hand knowledge of the challenges faced by veterans.  The below graph (courtesy of the Pew Research Center) clearly shows how the number of veterans in Congress has decreased from 75% to 20% over the past 40-50 years.


This apparent lack of concern for veterans' issues on the part of politicians might also be influenced by the fact that the number of veterans is steadily decreasing. Veterans today make up less than 7% of our nation's population (estimated at 317 million) and as the below graph shows, that percentage will continue to decrease. (The graph can be found on the VA's website.)