There is a lot going on in the world: Obama and Russiagate findings, Middle East powder keg, the Russian/Ukrainian war, Federal government shutdown, etc. But through all this, the American political class continues to constantly deliver its own special brand of insanity, stupidity, wasteful taxpayer spending, and ineffective government programs.
1)One of the more distressing aspects of a distressing Biden Presidency has been his use of government resources to track, spy on, and violate First Amendment rights of Americans. Consider the latest escapade of government abusing the rights and privacy of Americans:
The Biden administration launched a program called “Quiet Skies” to spy on others, not because of suspected criminal activities but because of having a different opinion.
In one case, Republican Congressman from Arizona, Abe Hamadeh, was spied on by Biden.
Congressman Hamadeh reported that he and two other Republican Congressmen were surveilled and tracked under “Quiet Skies.”
This affront to freedom was uncovered in a recent Senate hearing.
Hamadeh's recent comments reminded people that the Biden administration pressured banks to not do business with people associated with the gun industry or who were conservatives.
Biden also forced social media platforms to curtail or block viewpoints that were contrary to the Biden administration.
Tulsi Gabbard, former member of the armed forces and a former Democrat, who is now Trump’s Director Of National Intelligence, was also on the “Quiet Skies” list.
Things got so absurd and paranoid that Gabbard was shadowed on at least five commercial airline flights by Air Marshals after she publicly criticized Biden and Kamala Harris.
At least two dozen Americans were placed on the list simply because they expressed their opinion that covid mask directives were not effective or they had the gall to remove their mask while on a plane flight.
The Senate hearing also found that a Federal Air Marshal’s wife was branded a domestic terrorist after she was falsely associated with the January 6 riot, placed on an FBI terrorist database, and was followed on domestic airline flights by Federal Air Marshals for two years.
When government resources are used to suppress the opinions of other Americans for political reasons, then freedom and democracy die. Another failure and distressing aspect of the Biden Presidency, the worst Presidency in a long, long time.
2)We do not have a lot of respect for the mainstream news media. They have long been a disgrace relative to the tenets of journalism: being unbiased, being thorough, and being mature. Many “personalities” in the mainstream media are biased, are not thorough, and are not mature. A former and disgraced TV CNN personality, Don Lemon, proved our point again:
On a recent podcast, Lemon stated that "white men radicalized to the right” are the most significant threat to America.
Not ISIS terrorists, not violent drug cartels, not nuclear armed Russia and nuclear wannabe Iran, not the crazy guy running North Korea, not Central and South American criminal gangs that Biden allowed into the country, not Antifa riots, in Lemon’s view white American men are the biggest threat.
Of course, like most members of the mainstream media, he presents no analysis or statistics to back up this racist statement.
This is why public opinion polls continue to show how Americans have very little faith in the mainstream media when someone like Lemon puts forth nonsense like this, unfounded, unsubstantiated, and divisive garbage. He is not unbiased, thorough, or mature.
3)So, so many times we have reviewed how politicians at all levels of government have enriched themselves and friends and family members while in office. But it is not just politicians in the executive and legislative government branches that milk the system for their own financial benefit but other elected government bureaucrats sometimes do just as good a job at corruption:
Ricardo Lara is the California Insurance Commissioner.
Keep in mind that the insurance situation for residents and businesses in the state are not good as insurance companies leave the state because of natural disasters and premiums run very costly.
The KGO–7 television station in San Francisco apparently has done some good journalism investigations.
KGO asked for information and details on the 48 trips taken by Lara but the California Department of Insurance could only justify 7 of those trips as being insurance industry related.
However, documents indicate that at least 13 of those trips were paid for with taxpayer money.
Other government records indicate that when he traveled, Lara also was accompanied by government paid security officers.
Records show that some of these trips included an African safari, high end hotel accommodations, and a long stay at a five star resort in Dubai.
A Lara trip to stay at a five star hotel in New York City to attend Pridefest cost taxpayers over $11,600.
There was no record that any insurance related activities were conducted during this four day NYC trip.
Breitbart identified a meeting he had at Bermuda with insurance executives even though the wildfires had recently created havoc on LA homeowners.
Makes you wonder sometimes if there are any people associated with government functions that are not corrupt.
4)Like many Democratic Party operated cities, Baltimore is a basket case of poverty, violence, murders, drug dealers, and other forms of crime. The mayor has refused to accept help from the Trump administration to help stomp down the crime, bringing into question why someone who is supposed to be protecting the lives and property of their citizens would refuse any kind of help from any source.
But apparently the mayor has other more important things to focus his attention on:
Mayor Brandon Scott recently purchased a luxury vehicle valued well over $150,000 with taxpayer money for his duties.
According to Fox Baltimore, the vehicle was a 2025 Jeep Wagoneer that cost taxpayers $163,495 that was equipped with $65,000 in upgrades including police lights and sirens.
Baltimore resident, Christian Heath, when interviewed by Spotlight On Maryland, probably voiced the reaction of most beleaguered Baltimore residents: “Not the taxpayers’ money! If he wants it for himself, yeah. But not with our money. Our money should be for the city, the schools, the kids. Just to ride around? We don’t have cars like that.”
And yet, another tone deaf Baltimore politician, Councilman Zac Blanchard, actually defended this wasteful spending: “I think buying a nicer SUV with relevant safety and communications enhancements twice a decade is pretty reasonable for a large city’s top elected official.”
In responding to residents’ horror over the cost of the vehicle, Scott showed that he really does not get it: “The new vehicle is going to serve the same purpose as the old vehicle – to transport me around. I think the residents of Baltimore will understand that the governor of Maryland, the comptroller of Maryland, the county executives, we all have vehicles.”
As another resident said: “The city is in shambles. People are going through too much in this city for him to be worried about a vehicle.”
Obviously the mayor’s priorities are making sure he has a fine set of wheels to drive him around vs. addressing the myriad of city problems. No one is denying he should have a secure vehicle to get around. But he could be in a police car to get around, a low cost security arrangement that would have shown he is more concerned with resolving the city’s problems including not purchasing a $160,000 vehicle to feed his ego.
Rough insanity for today: bad mayoral priorities in Baltimore, more alleged corruption in California, another stupid statement by a faux journalist, and Biden spied on a lot of folks, violating their rights as American citizens.
**********************
If you agree that we need to deseat every member of Congress for their lack of success and accomplishment, then please consider going to the following petition link to help the cause:
https://www.change.org/p/deseat-congress-reset-freedom
**********************
