By Guest Columnist – Michael Ceremello – January 28, 2019 –
So the longest government shutdown is now temporarily over. I must live under a rock because I noticed nothing different.
Some have said this just proves that government is too big and wasteful. I will admit I didn’t take a flight during this time, not that I believe the TSA does anything worthwhile with their politically correct non-profiling of those who belong to the offending perversion which is jihadist Islam.
Others say “Boo Hoo … Eight hundred thousand people were under financial hardship”. Shuffling paper and creating road blocks for productive people who actually provide useful products is hardly high on my list of honor.
The President again took heat from both sides and the complicit media. The big question put forth after Trump reopened the government was “Who Won?” Now you didn’t really expect to get an honest answer from either side with a stake in this dog and pony show? Let me see if I can sort this out for you.
You had Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer celebrating like they had won a substantive victory. Nancy said she wouldn’t appropriate a single dollar for a wall. Both she and Schumer had voted to build a wall in 2006 with some of it already constructed. Guess she forgot that part. So it really isn’t a wall she opposes as much as the guy who wants to finish it to protect our citizens.
Pelosi also said she didn’t want Trump to give the State of the Union speech until the government was reopened. Now that it is, she still doesn’t want it to happen on Tuesday. Evidently Nancy is confused as to who is president and what office she holds in her semi-lucid moments.
Do you remember when Reagan gave amnesty to two million illegal aliens with the Democrats saying they would secure the border under that condition? For those of you who didn’t know or have forgotten, lying and being in the Democrat party seem to go hand in hand. Now Nancy is caught in yet another lie.
Let’s admit that Nancy and Chuck did not alter their position and they forced the President to back down, even if only temporarily. This is a modest victory if only for the next three weeks. Gloating may become choking before this is over.
Speaking of liars, Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader of the House, couldn’t seem to recall that this shutdown was Trump’s and that Trump was more than willing to call it that. I will give him kudos in not backing down while on Meet the Press but really dude, get a clue.
Ann Coulter was attributed with calling Trump “a wimp” and Laura Ingraham also expressed her disapppointment. Coulter can hardly be taken seriously since she felt Mitt Romney was a solid Republican presidential candidate. Ann probably thinks Gavin Newsom falls into the same category based on looks instead of substance.
Of course the media loved all of this because they could add to the spin and make this all about Trump losing. The addition of Roger Stone’s indictment was just the cherry on top of the sundae. We should probably look at that briefly to see if finally a scintilla of evidence has been found validating the Mueller Russian collusion investigation.
Once again, Mueller has chosen to indict someone for lying to Congress but only those on the right side of the aisle. However this is a far cry from proving election rigging collusion. The whole predicate of this situation has been laughable and ludicrous from its inception as the American public wasn’t swayed to Trump by any Russian propaganda and the Russians did not physically change any votes.
Julian Assange of Wikileaks stated on Sean Hannity’s show that the Russians did not give him emails from the DNC. So accusing Stone of asking Assange if there was going to be more leaks detrimental to Hillary has nothing to do with Russia. As dirty as politics is, I have a hard time believing anyone can be naive enough to think that political opponents never sling personal mud.
The final piece of this puzzle is the Donald himself. He has stated he doesn’t see himself as having capitulated. Trump didn’t win as he didn’t get the $5.7 or $7.1 billion for his border wall from Congress. Trump didn’t lose as the fight isn’t over and a three week deadline has been established. Trump did however expose his hole card.
Trump again handed more rope to Nancy and Chuck. They now have three weeks to come up with an agreement to close our southern border. They won’t do it and it will become even more obvious to those who can still think that border security for them starts at Cape Horn.
When they don’t give Trump the money, Trump will close the government again. He has already found $10 billion which he can redirect using the National Emergency Act of 1976. The Ninth Circuit will add to their legacy of lunacy by finding the Act which others have used as not valid for Trump. Trump should keep the 25% shutdown going until he has the funding either through the Act or by congressional action but I wouldn’t be egotistical enough to think I can surmise his strategies before hand.
All of this is very entertaining but not what kept me up at night. My worry, and I have relatively few, is that the progressive communist Left which seems to have taken over my parent’s Democrat party will continue on their destructive path to the ruin of our Nation.
The hate underlying the topics I have just discussed is poisonous. I have likened their increased taxation to theft which it truly is. There is no free education or free Medicare for all. Theft under the imposition of jail time is hardly charitable, fair, or right. It is tyranny.
Now we have the spawn of Bernie Sanders along with Pocahontas Warren both promoting marginal tax rates of 70% or higher just to fund their view of what is “fair” or “moral”. Others are now pointing out what I have observed and reported for years, that these supposed leaders will feather their nests while the rest of us plebeians have to settle for less because, after all, we aren’t the beautiful people.
We see what has happened to Venezuela thanks to Hugo Chavez and his version of Marxist central government rule. Excuse me but how many of us attempt to migrate to Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, mainland China, or other People’s Utopian Republics? If Bernie Sanders thinks Russia is a great place to get married, why does he stay in America attempting to bring the US standard of living down to communist levels?
The more I thought about this subject, the more I have to wonder why these countries haven’t improved their quality of life. Why hasn’t any socialist or communist country surpassed America in industry or economically? Education seems to be about the only area the US has failed and that would be for two reasons: 1) the communist infection of our teacher ranks with the goal of dumbing down students, 2) so the US can’t compete.
There use to be a phrase in the 1940’s that however General Motors goes, so goes the economy of America. I believe however Donald Trump’s presidency goes, so goes the fate of America. This Nation is sick and those in charge are proving to not only be the swamp, but the inmates running the asylum. The rest of us our pawns here only to be milked or stolen from to suit their purposes.
My parents survived the Great Depression which was caused by the Federal Reserve and those in government who just like today believed they are so much smarter than the rest of us. The Depression is what the progressives think is utopia because we can each share each other’s equality of misery.
No one has won or lost … yet. If Trump loses, we all lose and America will continue down its path to extinction.
As usual, only those in power will live as we all desire to live. The rest of us get table scraps …
I feel plenty successful. I have 2 grand in the bank. The average American has less than $4000 and a far larger mortgage and car payment. Over 57% of Americans have less than $1,000. Overall, I am doing better than 72% of the Country, how are you doing Sam (feel like I put out some capital of sorts that you do not put on the table).
Wow,Jack, You are indeed the portrait of success. Probably much better off than most of the citizens of Cuba as well. Kind of makes me wonder just why you can’t seem to find a doctor? Which is it, you have $2,000 in the bank, or you don’t? You own a car or you don’t, and owe $10,000 on it. You have five TV’s that you don’t use and have what? Credit card debt? I guess most people can’t watch 5 TV’s anyway, but they know that if they have 5 TV’s they just might have credit card debt. Yes, Jack, you just might have more TV’s than I do, but that’s about it. Like I say Jack, this country gives every one the opportunity to be successful, but how you go about it is up to you. If you are not happy with your current situation in life here in this country, no one is forcing you to stay here, or continue in your current “successful” state. There are too many successes by people in this country who come from far less than your current situation. Like I said it is on you to get to where ever it is you want to be.
Police state? Let the people here tell you, we won that war. We have more people per capita in jail than any nation on earth. I have been to jail when I did not get a flower residue out of my waste stream in time for laboratory analysis (used to be, not-free nations just checked your papers but now they check your pee hole and pee, too). Do you read, or..? We are the police state and jail here sucks and sucks in people that do not create victims. Go to jail first, then tell me what you think about our police state. I dare you, work a job here and go to jail, you will have experience which great opinions, which are kind of like the feelings you share.
Babies are 50% more likely to die here than in Cuba.. true. Even reported in Forbes. I have a Bolivian brother in law living there for the last 6 months. Comes down to, look around, I got 5 TVs I don’t use, gifts, I don’t even know. I have little debbie, Mcdonalds, prime rib. Other than that, both I and the Cuban are often at net zero. Sometimes I really am in debt. Like my car, I owe $10,000 and don’t even have $2000 in the bank. I have minus $8000 then less credit card debt. The cuban just has nothing or net maybe $5 in a stash. But we both need doctors, I don’t have one, but Cubans do. All of these TVs and debt and really we just wanted food, security, and a frickin doctor. Watch Rick Steves Cuban episode, heck, watch his Iran episode. He was (you know Rick Steves Europe) asked by the UN to go under Obama when they felt the worlds second largest oil reserves were under threat from us. So Steves went and humanized the situation a bit. What ever ones views, no war to get them. Stay out of other nations business. Use democracy and then make math the formula for figuring out who won. This is not a democrat or republican thing, the desire to invade and secure for US dollars all of the worlds resources is documented. Golden rule stuff. Stay capitalist but go to heaven and do not touch other nations stuff and then shoot them when they don’t like it, god watches.
And there is the blood stains of seven decades, the price of capitalism. The willingness to invade opposing political ideology for treasure and pride. My kids will not fight all of the wars you will need to wage to assure enough crap is bought in US dollars. You will have to invade mars soon. Better start screaming socialism and regime and lie to feed the thirst for the blood of innocent.
Looks like you have never lived in a Socialist country. Sorry you haven’t taken the opportunity to be successful in the US. I guess that would have to be on you.
Sanctions, the whip of the devil (the USA and you). Just because the robber has a gun, does not make him virtuous, just victorious and a thief. 7500 babies die every year in the US that did not have to and would have survived in Cuba.
I guess if you behave like a police state and allow a communist state support you for most of your existence as a communist state cum dictatorship, you probably are going to be treated as a threat and sanctioned. Not much of a surprise there, nor would most nations allow such behavior on their respective door steps. You keep referring to robbery, as if it had much to do with Cuba’s abysmal economy. Every other country through out history that has tried the leftist style economy(socialism, progressives, communism, etc.) has earned the same kind of road to disaster. No one needs to steal from or sanction a country who goes down this road, they do it to themselves. History apparently isn’t your strong suit.
As far as your go to argument about Cuban healthcare, sorry but no one really knows what kind of birthrate or life expectancy that is reality in Cuba. People(Cubans who are healthcare providers who work in the Cuban healthcare system) dispute the government provided numbers as well as the quality of care in Cuba. People from the US who go to Cuba to get a better handle on the kind of healthcare in Cuba get the VIP show, but that is not reality. Because the government places such importance on healthcare, no one can be sure in a police state just how accurate the numbers really are. Abortion is a real thing in Cuba, and often enforced by that benign government, then not reported. Health quotas are enforced by the government which leads to wide scale fraud and false numbers being reported in the system. You get fired by the government in Cuba if your numbers don’t follow the company line.
When you can tell me that you have lived in a socialist country for a period of time and experienced all of the delights of that form of government, then I will take you more seriously. Cuba comes to mind, but I won’t hold you to that. Pick a country, then get back to me. Otherwise, talking about robbing countries just doesn’t do it for me, or any one else for that matter.
I will leave you with this, “A baby is 50% more likely to die in the US than Cuba” is false!
Per capita is a good way to track data, instead of propaganda headlines. A baby is 50% more likely to die in the US than Cuba. The difference between the two is simply non sanctioned and lending (so the American has a car and debt), but they both have 0 in the bank, if the tab has to be balanced now, we are all broker than a Cuban. But he Cuban has stress free health care with 20 home visits during pregnancy and visits with nutritionist and dentist and mental health. In Texas, most moms will not get a prenatal visit to the doctor in the first trimester. Laugh all you want. Numbers don’t lie, just our press. Sorry, I did not read the response you provided.
I suppose when you have Roe v. Wade working in this Country you can make any Country’s birth rates look better than the US. Of course you do realize that each country has different standards for what is termed infant mortality. I suspect the bar is much higher for US babies than in Cuba. Might want to check that out before you start in with the 50% bit. Seems to me that the percentage you are quoting is widely disputed in a number of venues. It’s propaganda man. As I said in my response, the Cuban healthcare system is nothing like you have represented. The Moore propaganda film is just that. Try talking to people who actually work in the Cuban healthcare system and it becomes a very different story. You can “cherry pick” all you want, but $830 a year doesn’t get you very much when it comes to healthcare no matter what country you wish to put up. And it in no way is comparable to spending $15,000 no matter what country you live in.
As far as you trying to compare standards of living between a Cuban and someone living in the US,try this on for size. People are so desperate to come to the US for a better standard of living(ie economic benefit) that they are willing to break the law. I very much doubt that Cuba has any kind of immigration problem, illegal or otherwise. As a police state, their concern is best described as “how to keep productive people” in Cuba. If it wasn’t for a relatively high birth rate, Cuba would be bleeding population greater than California is experiencing.
And lastly,I am not quite sure what the nonsense about lending is meant to be, but not everyone in the US has “0” in the bank and has purchased a car can be considered broke. Most Americans must be “credit worthy” to buy a car with credit. Most Americans also, are significantly better off than most Cubans. It may pain you to learn that most Cubans would not only not be “credit worthy” but would find it very difficult to even purchase an automobile in the US. And that is certainly a more equitable way of looking at things than the contrived way that you have described.
Just to get you up to speed, the Cuban population has remained relatively flat since 2000 and has begun to decline since 2015, due to emigration. Go figure. Must not be the “workers paradise” that you have projected. And where are they going? Oops, mostly to the big old bad USA.
If we take per capita GDP and take out national debt, the Russian does $10,000 better as I explain bellow. Cuba looses the doctors they create like some Countries pump oil. Yes doctors make about $50 a month in Cuba for a doctors salary. Yes, things in socialized nations do not look like what we are used to. Agree. I am claiming that the meek are made that way by us (the containment clause) I am claiming an evil squashes these systems from functioning effectively (though I would much rather be in Cuba for health care) and that the evil is ignorant small minded people doing the bidding of large corporations that divide them. You really don’t believe our economic policies and sanctions do not effect them. I believe that our time is done. That is all we have GDP per capita. And it is 5 times Russias at almost $60,000 a year and guess what, each person owes $64,000 in national debt though. So if we had to adjust for reality right now today and not even account for our dollar collapsing over the next decade or two, the average American would have to come up with $4000 to get square as an American in all things including National debt. So USA per capita GDP less debt is -$4000, while the Russian per capita GDP less national debt is +$6000, so $10,000 more than their USA counterpart. We issue debt our books are cooked. Nobody owns a home here. Most Cubans do. Everything is apples and oranges. Cubans get what would cost us $15,000 or more in health care for free. In fact, a $15,000 policy here would still make you think twice about seeking care with the co-pays.
Sorry for taking so long to respond. It took me awhile to stop laughing. Perhaps I can help you out a bit and ease your mind. First Venezuela had, prior to Hugo Chavez, a relatively stable economic picture and the wealth of the largest confirmed oil reserves in the world. Once Chavez decided that Socialism was to be employed and the functional oil industry was to be nationalized, it didn’t take long for the now government run oil production to decline. Once Chavez lost the oil revenues, socialism in Venezuela took the historical path of socialism to where it is today. You can try to infer that policies from the US government were the cause of the Venezuelan disaster, but it is indisputable that the Chavez government was for the most part responsible. The current Venezuelan government, which ever one you think is in charge, is being propped up by the Russians for future oil deliveries. That may be a problem for the Russians in that the Venezuelans can’t seem to produce enough oil from the world’s largest oil reserves to meet demand. Hence, they can’t buy goods because they haven’t any money(Gold reserves minimal). And they have little in the way of national debt because no one except perhaps the Russians are willing to lend them any money.
Per Capita hides a lot of misinformation and can be used to craft all kinds of fantasy worlds. Cuba has a net population of 1.5 million people. It has, and continues to have a pathetic GDP of less than 1.5 percent, but is more often in negative numbers. If you choose to ignore the fact that Cuba has been subsidized by either Russia or the Chinese for nearly its entire existence, the massive amount it would have had to borrow to equate the subsidies would make the US’s debt look like chump change. Those considered “in Poverty” in the US would be considered moderately wealthy in Cuba. Cubans do not own their own houses, the government owns everything.
As far as the Cuban Health system, it has been clearly and generously described as something that is akin to America’s in the 1960’s, As you have said doctor’s receive about $50/month, some as much as $75/month. Nurses and health care providers $20/month. Doctors can often be found driving taxis or renting rooms in their living quarters to pick up extra income. Hospitals routinely require patients to bring their own bedding and “gifts” given by relatives to doctors can improve the very basic care in hospitals measurably.
Healthcare is not free. Healthcare in Cuba costs each Cuban about $830 per year and it is in no way equivalent to $15,000 worth of care in the US. Not even close. Low income citizens in the US receive far better care. Modern medical technology and pharmaceuticals are non existent. Even most common items for use in US hospitals are in short supply or unavailable. The best doctors are contracted out to foreign governments where the Cuban government receives money in exchange. Slave labor anyone?
Moving on to Russia, about the same as Venezuela. GDP either minimal or in negative numbers. Russia is a large country with massive resources. If they only had a government that was capable of having an economy to match. Cronyism and the Russian Mafia in spades. Unless you live under a rock, I’m sure you can figure out that one.
I am not particularly enamored with any form of government, including what passes for government recently here in the USA. A move to follow in any of your favorites would not be my choice. California has yet to learn and understand the historical lesson from Russia, Cuba, or Venezuela for that matter. If the rest of the Country follows California, we could be in for some real hurt, and I’m not just talking about healthcare. California, like the federal government, is massively in debt. It’s current government will only make it worse. The economics of the Left have consistently produced disasters like Cuba, Russia, Venezuela and now several States in the US. Healthcare, a Universal wage for all, and “free” college tuition are not free.
Conspiracy theories about the US foreign policy tampering with other countries no doubt can be found to be true. Whether or not the US currency will soon crash and burn, and China and India will take up the reins of consumerism, with Russia, Iran and Venezuela as the source of the world’s energy is a stretch. We’ll have to see. My crystal ball doesn’t reach into the future. I’m not sure that the economies’ of China or India would survive if the US started to slow it’s consumerism. Seems like China, in particular, showed considerable weakness in its economy when trade with the US slowed. I don’t know how that is going to translate if the US dollar were to stumble. I suspect China and India would be in a world of hurt.
I’m thinking you might just want to take a hard look at your declaratives and look beyond simple comparisons with Per Capita numbers. It is easy to be misled when you are trying to compare countries by per capita numbers when you are talking about 325 million people to less than 1.5 million.
We have actually taken all of the trees and oil from a frugal people. Then we lucked out in WW2 being the more or less non-attacked. Then we got the nukes! Thats it, that is how we take down other political movements, with money and nukes. Truth is, Venezuela is the world biggest fossil fuel reserves (makes our coup make sense). They have as much gold reserves per capita as us. They have a dept to GDP ratio 1/3 of ours. They cannot get basic goods because they did not diversify away from oil and gold fast enough to beat us to our tactics of blacklisting them from trading their resources with most of the world. We have been counterfeiting bolivar and shipping it in like we did in Iraq in 92 to saturate the currency. They the items like oatmeal (not fruit and rice) come in from allies and are only sold in US dollars. This causes a rip tide on their currencies value, we have done it to every resource rich nation before invading. I would move to Cuba if not for the prohibition of pot there. You can buy a home for $20,000 and the health care and weather is amazing. Russian and North Korea have over 50% more doctors per captia than us. Cuba has 50% more just outside of Cuba, three times total. We need their resources to be traded for our foster currency, we need them to foster our dollar with their future, we have too many dollars. They are used in all of Africa and South America and after Venezuela and Iran, we will have no more victim resource holders to justify our continued over production of dollars. In the end, China, and India take our spot for consumer power and Russia, Iran and Venezuela will be their energy supplier. You give our system of pay for play capitalism the trophy of success but fail to mention our inheritance and the mafia that we are.
I guess if you think things are so bad here in the US you could always relocate to Venezuela, mainland China, or Russia? Any one of those police states must be better than this country, because as you say their economic practices are so much better than they are in the US. I’m quite sure that health care and the weather will live up to your exacting standards in Venezuela, Russia or mainland China maybe not so much. As far as pot, I guess you are pretty much out of luck in those leftist paradises except for small amounts in Russia. Though I can’t recommend the weather.
I am not sure why you choose to compare countries by GDP or per capita as it only distorts realities. Both Venezuela and Cuba for that matter, have terrible economies, very small populations, and what is known as “essential health care”. This might be evidenced by the fact that neither country has an immigration problem, quite the contrary, they have problems keeping the population from immigrating to other countries in large numbers. Kind of similar currently to the great state of California. Of course, Gavin Newsom hasn’t yet destroyed California’s healthcare, but it appears to be in the works.
As far as doctors being in large supply in Cuba, and as you have noticed world wide, it may come as a shock to you, but it is one of the many ways that up and coming Cubans can escape Cuba for a significantly better life style. And some of them even come to the USA where they can locate in a state where pot is legal.
Got your bags packed yet? I hear Russia can be a bit nippy this time of the year so dress warmly. Might want to go armed as I hear that the Russian Mafia has a lot to say about what happens. I know, Venezuela, Cuba, and mainland China are out, no pot. Big disappointment.