2020 American Elections as Seen from Israel

 

The consensus here, from those we meet and greet daily, is that President Trump will win reelection. There are but two questions on which there is a fair bit of leeway in the opinions. The first is by how much with the range being anything from a squeaker to President Trump moving the bar even higher than President Ronald Reagan has set it. The other is about the cheating which is widely seen as inevitable but still unable to alter the final results. What the main disagreement over the cheating is less about the amount of cheating but more about whether those conducting the campaign to potentially steal the election by fudging the numbers in numerous battleground states will be caught and spend any jail time. Here at BTC we believe that in the areas where the cheating could occur are regions where nobody working for the predominant party would ever be charged with tampering so nobody is going to jail. Some we talk with believe that so much cheating will be attempted in order to sway the elections that it will be beyond the abilities of anyone to ignore and people will be held as responsible and face trial and jail time. Most everyone believes that those at the top, the Obamas and Clintons, will escape without as much as a scratch just as they have always done and will continue into the future unless somebody with iron-tight security decides they need to answer to the American people. So, why even discuss the elections if it appears from here across half the globe that President Trump will be reelected and everything else will be pretty much exactly as it has been in the past? Because there are rumblings which some over here are worried for the America they thought they knew, as what they are reading now depicts some massive changes and many not for the better.

 

The thought of a civil war in the United States, something which a number of editorialists have written, is a definitive possibility or even an inevitability. This type of information does not sit well with the average Israeli’s view of the United States. Partly this is the fault of Israelis who have this idealist view of the United States while others have this 1950’s or 1960’s view where people line their lawns with white picket fences and everyone cooks out on their bar-b-ques every Sunday afternoon in the summer and wave to one another while shoveling snow in the winter. They were not born during these times and grew up listening to their parents rave about the greatness of America and how it almost became the Promised Land. Most Americans know the old tales about the streets are lined in gold and anybody can make it if they just work smart and hard. These old, tall tales are actually believed by some and trying to tell them that things are no longer like that is not an easy row to hoe. It is definitely an uphill struggle to break many Israelis of such beliefs just as it is near impossible to get them to understand that the United States will not be there for Israel in the not too distant future. It is difficult to even prove that the United States aid to Israel did not begin in earnest until the 1970’s and President Nixon was the man who started the aid resupplying Israel over the protestations and advice of many of his advisors. The shocked reaction we receive when we warn that the United States aid to Israel is not going to last forever is as fascinating as it is frustrating. The only thing which Israelis love, respect and expect more from than the United States is their beloved Israel. This may just be what will be necessary to do without United States aid as that will be a day of panic here in Israel despite the reality that Israel should be capable of not only surviving that day and what comes afterwards but will very likely thrive in that future. Currently, Israel is holding up her end of the deal and not producing combat or other aircraft in exchange for the United States taking care of that area. This promise started when Israel shut down her plans for production of the Lavi fighter jet. This deal will end when the United States decides that Israel is just that much of too expensive a friend to continue the relationship. But there is more to the coming break-up, and it has to do with the new additions to the Democrat Party who, along with numerous members of the Black Congressional Caucus and those behind and driving Black Lives Matter, Antifa, CAIR, BDS and numerous other leftist NGO’s and activist organizations. Israelis are having a rough time figuring out where these groups came from unless they are simply in denial that these groups exist.

 

Many Israelis reacted with a degree of shock over the statements made by Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez when these items became more well known. True, the Tel Aviv region is more worldly and mostly ignore much of what they learn because they are the heart of the Democrat Party support in Israel. These are largely the former supporters of the Labor Party in Israel and who are now the main support for the Blue-White Party of General Ganz and Yair Lapid. But even a number of these left-wing Israelis are appalled at the reports about Rashida Tlaib and even more perturbed over the antics and statements of Ilhan Omar which were widely reported before their recent visit. There was a degree of overreaction to their visit. This was largely due to the simple fact that everyone knew why these two came to the Promised Land, and it was about as far from a goodwill mission as any can get. Further, with the way these three with little other support have all but taken over the Democrat Party which has been evidenced by the statements against Israel made by virtually all of the Democrat Party Presidential hopefuls. This brings us to the Democrat Party Presidential hopefuls and their apparent potential for posing any challenge to President Trump. Well, at least this is the general feeling over here. What is frightening is the potential that serious violence could break out after the elections should President Trump be reelected. Of course, we in Israel, who are seemingly unable to elect a government as the nation is so evenly divided, we have little room to talk, at least the United States has a system which almost rules out such troubles. We just had to take the worst ideas of all the European, mostly western European, parliaments and added our own twist just to make everything dysfunctional.

 

Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

 

Probably the worst, and thus the most challenging, problem which could erupt after a Trump victory would be rioting in the cities led by BLM and Antifa. Of course, any reaction to the election will be blamed on President Trump, doubly should he prove victorious as we predict. What will complicate many of such situations is that the President cannot intervene unless invited by the governor or potentially the mayor of the city. So, we can see the situation where the rioting is in cities where their mayors and their state’s governors are all democrats seeking to blacken President Trump for winning his reelection bid. The President cannot act without either his assistance being requested by the Mayor or Governor or President Trump declares the city a national disaster area which would also blow-up in his face. No matter what President Trump attempts to accomplish, he will be called racist or fascist as we explained here a while back. If he waits for the city or state to make a request, they can stall while the mainstream media attempt to blame President Trump for his obvious inaction and lack of caring for these cities in distress. Should President Trump declare any of the areas a federal disaster zone in order to intervene, he will be cast as uncaring for these cities because they did not support him and they are people of color. He will be in a damned if you do, damned if you don’t type of situation where whatever you do is wrong according to the New York Times, Washington Post and the rest of the plethora of leftist media. But a civil war will not break out even should President Trump win reelection and especially if he should not prove victorious. Nobody who makes such decisions desires to see a civil war break out as they have far too much to lose and the risk of losing everything would be far too great. The powers that exist on both sides of the isle, Democrat or Republican, Leftist or Conservative, Capitalist or Socialist; any way you slice the pie, any war, especially a civil war, runs a very high risk of destroying the pie or largely diminishes what pie is left to cut.

 

Unrest is a completely different problem. There are two very different kinds of unrest, that which was called for by an organizer and that which just rose literally from grassroots. The first can get beyond the organizer’s ability to control which then transforms the unrest into a warped version of the grassroots unrest. The grassroots unrest is the more difficult to put out as it had different leaders throughout the separate breakouts of unrest. Grassroots unrest lacks a single leader which makes negotiations next to impossible. The only way to restore peace in a city torn apart by social unrest is through superior force deployed either by the police or National Guard if required. The trouble is finding the sufficient but least amount of force required to end the unrest and restore peace to the community. This is likely the aftermath of the coming 2020 elections. But the United States will continue as the world super power and a wealth producing country which a mostly capitalist economy. While, for the time being, in Israel the September election in Israel, our second one this year, where we, if the polls prove correct (they rarely do), the coming elections will once again fail to provide either Likud or Blue-White the capability of forming a governing coalition as the Arab parties refuse to join any government and this makes reaching the necessary sixty-one mandates, as with the approximately thirteen Mandates which are not going to join any coalition, impossible. This requires that to make a ruling coalition, one requires reaching sixty-one mandates out of the remaining one-hundred-seven available after subtracting the Mandates of the Arab parties. This makes it necessary to claim instead of just over fifty-percent to needing slightly over fifty-seven-percent, almost ten-percent more than was the original plan when the system was implemented. Then either Israel will have to hold another election and continue doing so until somebody proves victorious and the Knesset forms around one side or the other. Hopefully, Israel will reach and form a government before the United States election results are known in November of 2020. The American election which should worry Israelis is the 2024 elections when the Democrat Party top tier people will vie for the nomination and the Republican Party will no longer have Trump or anybody even remotely similar and much of their base could end up returning to their hibernating position simply working and doing so despite any and everything. Then Israel might find herself on the wrong end of American foreign policy, and even more likely should people like Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez still hold any power. One need remember that Ilhan Omar received posting to the Foreign Affairs Committee, a very high and powerful position which is seldom if ever given to an entering Congressperson. Ilhan Omar is being groomed for higher office once the Democrat Party takes the White House. This future is what Israel should rely upon and why Israel must finally break free from dependence on the United States and learn to stand on her own two feet. The two graphs below show that American aid to Israel has remained level at approximately three billion dollars while Israeli GDP has grown from almost nothing back in the early 1969’s when Israel was struggling and when United States aid to Israel started in earnest, Israeli GDP had reached approximately thirty-five-billion dollars, which means that American aid was equal or just under one third of the total Israeli gross domestic product for that year. Currently, Israeli GDP stands at three-hundred-plus-billion-dollars making the current percentage the American aid presents is barely over one percent. That is right, a mere 1.02% of GDP, such an amount by comparison means that Israel will survive just fine without American aid monies and will be cut free from her dependence and subordination to the United States.

 

United States Israel Aid (Military)

 

 

 

But there is another bonus which will come when the day arrives that the United States cuts from Israel leaving Israel to fend for herself. Israel could benefit from the end of our mutually beneficial relations and Israel will continue to treat America as an ally and friend until such is made untenable. Further, Israel would then be required to design and produce her own aircraft just as she manufactures her own Merkava tanks. While Israel has to start to design her own aircraft, she should do the same for their infantry rifle and change to a heavier and more powerful round which still has extreme range, designed for desert warfare but equally adaptable to urban warfare. The development, production, assembly and other various necessary jobs will be created and these will be well paying jobs producing taxes which will increase the GDP and the general wealth of the country. Israel might even decide to construct a launching facility for rockets into space. The facility would be largely underground protecting the rocket and launch facility. The possibilities are virtually endless and developing these weapons and aircraft along with the Merkava, and if Israeli aircraft are as well adapted to the needs Israeli missions call for, it would be a desired aircraft on the open arms market. This will be the Israeli future simply because the United States, despite protestations, will break relations with Israel. The writing is on the wall already written there by none other than President Barack Obama and how he treated Israel and especially his drafting and permitting to pass United Nations Security Council Chapter Six Resolution 2334. The next Democrat President is very likely to build on that reputation and attitude against Israel. Even former Vice President Joe Biden was forced to step back from offering ironclad backing at the United Nations and claiming they will need to be fair to both sides, often the code that means Israel is going to be called on to sacrifice for peace and then all promises will be broken and Israel will have gifted something to the Arabs for nothing in return and no longer even have a reliable friend in the United Nations and the Security Council in particular. But very few ever heed our warnings and most believe we are simply overly concerned about things which could never happen. Maybe we should take bets that what we claim will happen by 2033 after the 2032 elections. But first the September Israeli elections and hopefully a government which is at the very least strongly Zionist and then the 2020 American elections which will probably reelect President Trump and then the 2024 elections when everything will be completely up in the air as the Republican Party has no candidate who could and would do as President Trump has done either as a candidate and as President. It will be interesting to see who the Republicans choose for 2024 and beyond as the United States reaches into the future.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

Elizabeth Warren Sounding Warning for the Future of Israel

 

From amongst the leading contenders for the Democrat candidacy to run for President in 2020 is Elizabeth Warren. Recently she was approached by one of the sad plethora of anti-Israel young American Jews about her stand and whether she plans to force the Israeli government to surrender the “occupied Palestinian (Arab) lands” should she win and enter the White House. The conversation went as below:

Becca Lubow, a student and a member of the IfNotNow Jewish anti-occupation movement approached Ms. Warren with their exchange,
“Hi, we are American Jews and we really love the way that you are fighting corruption and we would really love it if you also push the Israeli government to end the occupation,” Lubow said.
“Yes, yes,” Warren said.
“Excellent,” Lubow said.
“So, I’m there,” Warren said.

The encounter was captured in a video that IfNotNow soon posted on social media and can be viewed at the link given above. Bernie Sanders, another of the leading contenders for the Democrat candidacy and a Jew, by birth only, has also stated his support for the Palestinian Arab cause and stated his opposition to the Netanyahu government, something which appears as it will continue for the next three to four years after the September election. Other than Joe Biden, the rest of the Democrat candidates mostly take an anti-Israel position and many would do everything they were able to end all United States aid to Israel. This is something we have stated before as the main thing which we see as frightening. Allow us to explain.

 

We have absolutely no doubt that losing the aid provided by the United States once would have sounded a death knell for Israel. That is no longer the reality as we will show using the graphs below. The top graph shows Israeli GDP while the bottom graph shows United States aid to Israel. The United States aid began in the early 1970’s and by the 1980’s reached approximately three billion dollars and leveled out at this level from there forward. When this aid originally reached this three-billion-dollar rate it was between ten to twenty percent of Israeli GDP and as such was a significant percentage making it vital to Israel. Israeli GDP has increase steadily since the late 1980’s and in its own way never looked back. Currently that three-billion-dollars of United States aid makes up in the one-percent range against current Israeli GDP. Israel should present President Trump with a three-billion-dollar present and simply decrease the amount of United States aid to the maintenance promised for the new F-35 JSF being incorporated into the Israeli Air Force and a sliding scale as Israel takes over production of her own military needs. This United States aid was initiated when the United States basically bribed Israel with F-15’s and F-16’s in exchange Israel would not pursue production of the Lavi fighter jet which would have been a direct competitor on the international market for the F-16. This was a deal by which the United States gained sales of her own fighters without Israeli competition. With the United States preparing to provide Egypt and Saudi Arabia with F-35 JSF the promise of air superiority has now been broken and thus Israel should plan on producing from scratch her own sixth generation fighter. Once the new Israel fighter is produced, which would likely take a decade, Israel would no longer be dependent upon the United States for her air defense fighters. This three-billion-dollars of United States aid could be utilized by the United States and no longer be a drain on the over-bloated United States budget. But there are more reasons why this is becoming a necessity for Israel.

 

Israeli GDP Billions $

 

 

United States Israel Aid (Military)

 

Israel should also begin to produce every weapon used by the IDF. This includes the weapons, bullets, artillery, aircraft, and these could join the Merkava Tanks as proudly produced Israeli defensive weapons, which unfortunately have a habit of appearing to be identical to offensive weaponry. These weapons are only exactly what they are utilized in the military and this decides whether or not they are offensive or defensive. Israel has yet to instigate a war and all her wars have been in response to attacks by her neighbors or by terrorist organizations. This is why Israeli weapons are of a defensive nature. When reading about the wonder weapons which Israel has developed, the mainstay have been interceptor missiles such as Arrow 1, 2, and 3; Iron Dome and David’s Sling, all interceptors of rockets, missiles, ballistic missiles, mortars and other weapons used to try and destroy Israel. The main Israeli activity has been the new barrier being installed around Gaza which is being driven meters underground to prevent tunneling as well as above ground having a strong and reinforced fence which will be resistant to the attempts to destroy the current border barriers which are proving inadequate. In northern Israel a similar border barrier is being considered in order to prevent further tunnel activity by Hezballah in Lebanon. The IDF has also developed a means of detecting these tunnels to a significant depth which has already found dozens of tunnels out of Gaza and Lebanon. There are more advance interceptors being designed and tested which are kept as secretive as proves possible. There have been rumors of laser interceptor to augment the Iron Dome and could possibly be adapted for use against ballistic missiles. But we are not here to guess what the future will bring as we would just as soon be pleasantly surprised and amazed when these systems come on-line and the world marvels with us.

 

The reason for Israel to become self-dependent for her military needs is something which could provide more than not being overly dependent upon foreign providers. Looking at the majority of what appears as the future of the Democrat Party and one sees a growing number of candidates, Representatives and Senators who are sporting anti-Israel positions. Their antagonism against Israel almost comes seething from their lips. The vast percentage of the current Democrat Presidential candidates are pro-Palestinian Arab and only mouth support for Israel before specific audiences. It should act as a warning to Israel when all of the Democrat Presidential hopefuls refused to address AIPAC, the largest pro-Israel Jewish organization. They also refused to appear at the CUNI convention which is the leading Christian pro-Israel organization. Add to this the seeming constant flow of quotes and Tweets coming from a select group of freshman Congress-critters, namely Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. We would like to believe that these young representatives were not an indication of the future, but that would be attempting to blind ourselves to reality. Supporting Israel, one of the longest running nonpartisan politics but is becoming a partisan political issue with the Republicans supporting Israel and the Democrats attempting to force Israel into committing acts which would challenge her continued existence.

 

We realize that President Trump is a controversial President if the media is any indication. In Israel he divides people as well but the main area where this divide exists is from the Americans who have recently made Aliyah and who still identify with their United States party affiliations. The vast majority of Israelis are favorable in their views of President Trump as he has been good for Israel. We are also very aware that President Trump may only have a mere year and a half in office if he is defeated in 2020 or five and half years should he win in 2020. Either way, Israel must prepare for the United States post President Trump. It is even difficult to predict who or where the Republicans will find their candidate for 2024. There is but a slight chance that the Republican will win the 2024 Presidential race and even should they win, the odds of their continuing post 2028 are remote if electoral history is any indicator. The United States rarely keeps the same party in the White House for over twelve years in a row in recent times. This means that Israel will be facing potentially an anti-Israel President within the next decade. This is an eventuality which Israel had best be prepared to survive. The Israeli government and particularly its leadership must face facts that counting on the United States to be a close ally and provider of military hardware is approaching its use-by-date after which things could become very dicey.

 

The problem is that this partnership where Israeli technical aid working with the United States on weapons development and then dependent upon the United States for production of these self-same weapons systems is about to come to an abrupt halt. This will not be a slow estrangement where events will unfold slowly over a decade or more. This will be much closer to having the United States as a close ally on January 19th and then the next day a new President is sworn in and on January 20th Israel will find they no longer have a close ally in the United States. When this happens, all aid from the United States will either completely dry up within a year or will start to come with demands that Israel withdraw from lands presenting them to the Palestinian Arabs to govern themselves. We have already witnessed what this entails. We have one example in Gaza where they would just as soon burn Israel completely to the ground because they love the land so very much. Then with the Palestinian Authority we have Mahmoud Abbas explaining that if he had only one shekel, he would use it to pay one of the terrorists who has murdered Jews. He just as often says Jews as he does Israelis as to him, they are the same. Abbas is so invested in his investing in terrorism and the murder of Israelis, preferably Jews, which comes before paying the workers because the number one occupation is terrorism as far as the ruling elites care. What kind of threat the Palestinian Arabs can pose if they were to become provided for by the United States is something frightening and for which Israel had best have a plan in the works.

 

Finally, there is another side to this which Israel also need consider. Designing and producing a fighter jet and other support aircraft and air-frames along with all the other requirements for the IDF including weapons and bullets and every other weapons system would provide thousands of higher than average paying jobs. Further, these kinds of production could be placed in the Negev and used to build entire cities around these production facilities providing more jobs and new metropolitan regions for the future growth of Israel. We would like to envision Israel building a spaceport from which Israel and other nations who wish to launch satellites can use which could provide Israel with new friends and benefit her older friends as well. This spaceport could be the central hub for these industries plus Israel could develop systems which are capable of placing satellites in orbit and even emulate another Israeli, Elon Musk, and also develop boosters and even second stages which land back on earth for repeated use. The time has come for Israel to become completely, or as much as she is capable of performing, dependent upon only her own talents and production facilities. Israel could build an entire new passenger airline frame along with her military air-frames and develop the most efficient engines and avionics breaking into this multi-trillion-dollar international market. Once Israel incorporates her economy with an outward look as to how her resources and brain-trusts can best be invested and utilized in order to make Israel a vital nation to the world as a whole, the faster many of the groups fighting her will fail and Israel will have some peace. This is what a spaceport, passenger aircraft production, her own lines of military hardware and a multitude of other vital production businesses such that Israel becomes an asset to all instead of a target for hatred and spite. And, as we stated, the Negev just begs for a spaceport to be built in its center and to use as a hub for a futuristic region.

 

Israel Space Port Launch Facility

 

Instead, many Israelis are of the notion that the United States will always be there as our friend and staunch ally. We would like to remind them that early in the nation’s history the United States was neutral at best and a hindrance too often and has not been our ally and military partner for the first thirty-five years of our history. Israel used to fly French Mirage interceptors which. though designed as a bomber interceptor to be used should the USSR invade Europe, Israel made do using it as their first line fighter aircraft. This was part of the reason why Israel was developing the Lavi fighter. For those stuck on the United States as providing Israel with aircraft out of any purely altruistic means need to remember that Israel had to forgo producing fighters while this arrangement lasts and this denied Israelis with thousands of jobs and the country with an even healthier GDP. Israelis need to come to grips with the unfortunate fact that the United States is going to become estranged in the not too distant future and guaranteed earlier than Israel will be prepared if certain steps are not taken and taken immediately. Some truths are difficult for people to get their arms around as they have this comfort level of which any new idea which pulls the rug out from under their understanding is met with disbelief. Such disbelief always leads to facing a crisis which should have been foreseen and planned for. One such belief is that the United States will always be there, a belief which will inevitably become false and lead to great panic if not prepared for now rather than waiting to be blindsided. There really is nothing else to add beyond the old set of the six “P’s” which means, Prior Planning Prevents Poor Panicky Performance.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

The Divide and the Wall

 

There is no more perfect measuring tape depicting the divide between those who desire government as usual and those tired of the monster in Washington D.C. which has been named the “Deep State” which envisions minions of the state huddled in their offices and cubicles making rules for the rest of the nation without any recourse by the people to select or remove these bureaucrats. This has been an existing threat to the freedoms and liberties of every American for decades. Some ask where did this “Deep State” originate and how did they gain so much power and influence over even everyday life? That is an interesting question which brings to light the bad attitude many lawmakers really have for their constituents. This story starts as a result of gross mismanagement of the economic front combined with the demands of World War II imposed atop the former problem. The first person to go on the record and warn the people of this growing threat was, from an unsuspected person, President Dwight David Eisenhower. President Eisenhower had probably one of the deepest understandings of how the government functioned and how the unchecked growth in the Federal Governmental Powers would eventually lead to an oppressive state where the rules had become so complex and often contradictory that anybody could be arrested for even the most casual and daily activity. Between his serving as the Commander of all Allied Forces in the European Theater, he learned the tact needed to work with the political; and as President, he came to envision the potential that the Federal Government could grow to threaten the people and the nation. He referred to this threat as the “Military Industrial Complex” but he saw deeper as mentioned in his parting speech given as he prepared to leave office and retire from public life, which we have included below. This additional threat he foresaw was for a technological elite who through computing power, money and control over information would hold the power to control much of life and even potentially take dictatorial control enslaving even the governance of the country reducing the people to pawns they moved as they desired. This short speech is well worth watching as President Eisenhower hits the nail on the head explaining the potential problem which has slowly come into focus and we are witnessing today.

 

 

Today, we have as President a non-politician Donald J. Trump, a figure who has proven to be divisive unlike any before him. He managed, as has every Republican from Eisenhower forward, to alienate the Democrat base and their far left set. Trump has also managed to distress the elite Republican guard, also known as the Country Club Republicans who mostly reside in New England but run for office in states such as Texas, Utah or anywhere else they may have a second or third vacation home. Then the far right has become disenchanted with Trump, as he has not turned out to be the hateful White Supremacist they had desired. This is one group which President Trump gladly refuses to give cover as their actions for hating others is repugnant to him. We realize that there are a fair number of people who like to believe that President Trump is aligned with those hate filled people of the far right, but President Trump has nothing for those hate-filled people on the far right any more or less than he feels about hate-filled people on the far left. There have been a few actions by President Trump which have been for the betterment of the American public, though some will deny this with every ounce of their energy. These liberating actions, though, will only prove helpful if the people actually observe, learn and then act upon what they have learned and observed. The biggest item on this list is the revelation of the “Deep State” which is the fulfillment of America ignoring the warnings from President Eisenhower. His warning of a military industrial complex taking control of the governance and using the government to their benefit without concern for the betterment of the people was likely ignored and soon forgotten and the monster grew to the point where it has enveloped much of industry and all of government. Their claim is that when they gain, the people gain, but from what we have witnessed, the people do not gain as much nor as fast thus allowing the elite from the industrial techno-military and dark programs complex to have also engulfed the media and academic worlds into a shadow government. This has been further enhanced by the machinations by the full array of management of numerous bureaucracies, virtual independent or mutually dependent fiefdoms, with their eternal demands for more financing to solve the problem they caused with their previous solutions leading to their never-ending cycles of demands. This has permitted the government to grow to the point where control became difficult and very soon thereafter moved far beyond any point where control was even remotely conceivable. This was greatly aided by the Congress being remiss in performing their Constitutionally defined duties and consecutive White Houses which permitted such delinquency in regard of the Constitution and singing incomplete legislation leading to an ever-growing government bureaucracy.

 

 

The problem arose when the issues became more complicated, complex, technical and beyond the ability for the average member of Congress to get their arms around. This led to the forming and passing of legislation which did not set laws but rather set vague and generalized goals with the notation for the actual laws, in the form of regulations which Congress has assigned to have equal weight as a law, to be filled in by certain chosen departments within the government and often ending stating any other departments, as determined to be necessary. This permitted virtually every department within the government to make regulations and then set up the enforcement requirements within the agencies leading to the perpetual growth of the departments which for the bureaucracy which is the swamp President Trump alluded to draining. The unavoidable result of this system are the web of regulations which have already become almost innumerable in scope leading to regulations both requiring on one hand and forbidding on the other hand of acts, reportings, and other requirements such that nobody can comply with the entirety without potentially transgressing another regulation when complying with an original regulation. This is the perfect storm required for the government to be weaponized against the very people it was designed to protect. Anyone who owned a small business or even a Mom & Pop store realizes day in and day out trying to meet the regulations they know or have been advised to follow. When they are fortunate, the government leaves things at that, but should somebody decide to target such operations, they simply seek out some regulations, or some group of regulations, which can be applied to their business forcing them to attempt to keep abreast of these demands which can and likely will become overwhelming and often results in their business falling victim to over-regulation forcing them out of business. Moneyed interests can even twist laws to the point of breaking in order to gain their desired results. Such appeared to be the case in the “Kelo v. City of New London” which involved use of eminent domain to transfer land from one private owner to another private owner to further economic development. The Supreme Court decided five to four that the city had the right to force owners of private residences in an area where the city desired to place high-rise condos and a shopping mall had the right under eminent domain to force out the owners of homes, some had been family residences for generations, simply because the new development would provide greater revenue through taxes remitted and thus the development was in the best interest of the people which outweighed the property rights of individuals. Many were very upset with this decision as it put monetary concerns ahead of the individual and their rights. Now, any governing body can decide to take over any neighborhood if the planned replacement will be more profitable for the governing body, individual rights be damned. We hold out hope that in some future this decision will be overturned.

 

This brings us to the Trump Wall along the Mexico-American border. The present fight, some might even say war, between President Trump and Congress over funding the wall reached a new plateau this week with the House of Representatives and the Senate both passing legislation voiding the State of Emergency declared by the President by which he could get the funding despite Congress. As should have been expected, President Trump used his veto and sent the legislation back to the House of Representatives so the Congress could work on procuring an override to the Presidential veto. It is almost a given that the proponents of this legislation will never be able to get the two-thirds vote necessary in both houses. Yes, there were twelve Senate Republicans who voted for this legislation yet it still only passed the Senate by a vote of 59-41, well short of the sixty-seven required for an override. The mere fact that twelve Senators from presumably Trump’s own party would cross over to rebuke him so flagrantly is simply further proof that the President is not supported by the mainstream of either party. President Trump is honestly the President without a party, he just borrowed one for the time being and many of those Republicans who see their control threatened are quite put out, one might even say they are furious. This veto will soon become another Trump derangement where it will advance their precious “Impeachment Clock” one more tic closer to toc. Thusfar, the “Impeachment Clock” has had an operational problem in that it continues to tic but cannot advance, as it is unable to find the required toc to complete the cycle and move ahead. Thus, the “Impeachment Clock” will forever be stuck at just under three minutes to eleven and never count on to high noon and an actual impeachment trial in the Senate.

 

 

The wall along the border will possibly begin in fits and starts but will not be completed even should President Trump be reelected. The only way the wall gets built is if the United States can elect a new President who shares the vision of controlling the border but is at least measurably less contentious. As any Republican elected for the foreseeable future will be treated exactly as President Trump has been treated, the wall would require a Democrat to build it. Any Democrat attempting to build the wall will not see a second term as he will have alienated his entire base as “intersectionality” has a required position in favor of open borders, and as long as the left demands rigid obedience to their chosen mantras which include but are not limited to, open borders, Israel is racist, renewable energy over fossil fuels, free college, free healthcare, Israel committing genocide, Zionism is racism, global warming-climate change will destroy the world and a host of other items approved by the Social Democrat Party. The people behind these far left positions have taken control of the Democrat Party with the old-school Democrats hanging on for dear life hoping not to fall within the sights of these leftists and face a primary challenge. The new left has proven their ability to unseat even long-sitting representatives such as when Representative Joseph Crowley of New York, once seen as a possible successor to Nancy Pelosi as Democratic leader of the House, lost to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a primary race. The Democrat Party will be facing an inevitable and inexorable slide to the far left and demands for making the United States into their idea of a socialist utopia. Unfortunately, there has never been a socialist utopia which incorporated a group larger than a community as socialism depends on the ability to shame those who demands more free things without toting their own share of the work required. Pure socialism worked in the Israeli Kibbutzim but Israel herself necessitated moving from a largely socialist governance to a more capitalistic governance where even the healthcare system, which covers everybody with a set minimal level of care, has four companies which offer the basic required plans as demanded by government and each adds their own flavor to that package plus offer higher degrees of care for additional process. Then there is the other story about the ills caused by collectivism in the Plymouth Colony and the “Third Thanksgiving” and how injecting a little ability for self-gain increased their work levels and productivity. We have often held that man is not a perfect being and some amount of greed is to be found in all people. This makes a system based on needs over production will always lead to an ever increasing list of demands over an ever shrinking productivity, which deems socialism to failure whenever people, and not ants or bees, are concerned. Meanwhile, in a more capitalist system those who have needs simply have to work smarter, harder or both in order to gain those needs. Not as obvious, if one can find the means for having others work and produce for them, they will gain even greater rewards. But socialism aside, since only a Republican President will favor building the Mexico Wall, and any Republican will face the level of hatred which President Trump faces, this may doom the wall to failure. Those who desire claiming that President Trump is being treated differently than other Republicans must have missed out on Bush Derangement Syndrome during George W. Bush’s Presidency or have not been born or was not old enough to remember the taunts and insults hurled vindictively at President Ronald Reagan whose movie poster of him with the chimpanzee “Bonzo” claiming that he was second fiddle to a monkey, and they were not referring to the film. The wall is not going to be completed no matter the steps taken by the President and the swamp cannot be drained as it has reached a size beyond the human capacity to take down any faster than it was built, which is now approaching three-quarters of a century if we take President Eisenhower’s warning as the beginning of the problem. We can only hope that the swamp can be contained, then we can work at draining it. Until them, Americans can assist draining the swamp or enlarging the swamp, there is no neutral on this issue.

Beyond the Cusp