Trump’s Line in the Sand

Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer met with President Trump to talk about the budget. They got a couple of surprises in the meeting.

The President had press in the room with the cameras rolling. He made introductory remarks about positive legislation such as Criminal Justice Reform that had support of Republicans and Democrats alike.

He also gave a status on several areas where portions of the border wall were complete. Illegal traffic into the United States was down where the wall was in place.

San Diego dropped 92%. El Paso dropped 75% and then when the wall was up, dropped 95%. Tucsan dropped 92%. Yuma dropped 96%. President Trump pointed out that the only reason it was not 100% was because illegal entrants would go to the unfinished areas and go around.

Normally after a few introductory remarks, the President would excuse the press and continue with a private meeting. This time he did not do that. The cameras kept rolling.

Like a pit bull with a bone, President Trump hunkered down on his position. He made it clear to Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer that border security was non-negotiable.

Nancy Pelosi realized what was going on. She complained that it was unfortunate that the cameras were rolling. Pelosi said, “We came in here in good faith and we are entering into this discussion in the public view.”

President Trump simply replied, “It’s called transparency.”

Both Pelosi and Schumer insisted that they did not want to have a government shutdown. Schumer said that President Trump had called 20 times to shut down the government.

In the past, Republicans have recoiled in fear and retreated when Democrats threaten a government shutdown. Pelosi and Schumer got an unexpected response.

President Trump did not recoil and retreat. On the contrary, he picked up the gauntlet and ferociously charged ahead. When Schumer said that President Trump would be responsible if there was a shut down, President Trump boldly took ownership and leadership.

I’ll take it. You know what I will say? Yes. If we don’t get what we want one way or the other, whether it’s through you, through a military, through anything you want to call, I will shut down the government. And I am proud.

I’ll tell you what, I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Chuck. Because the people of this country don’t want criminals and people that have lots of problems and drugs pouring into our country.

So, I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down. I’m not going to blame you for it. The last time you shut it down it didn’t work. I will take the mantle for shutting it down and I will shut it down for border security.

President Trump drew a line in the sand. Republicans in the House and Senate need to stand up with him. The American people are standing with him.

The only ones who are not standing with him are the mainstream media and some Democrats in Congress. This time they will be the ones who make the compromise.

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President Trump Played the Hand He Was Dealt

I have seen many posts and commentaries critical of the President for signing the Omnibus spending bill into law. I do not think that there was anything more that he could gain by vetoing the bill.

His top priority was to rebuild our nation’s military after nearly a decade of neglect. This bill took a big step in that direction.

Other initiatives such as building the wall, defunding Planned Parenthood, and reforms in the Veteran’s Administration were passed over by Congress. It is neither reasonable nor realistic to believe that Congress would have improved any of these other initiatives.

Republicans control both the House and Senate. It does not appear that they put up much of a fight in the bill that they gave the President. If they did not have his back at the beginning, he certainly could not expect them to have his back to support a veto.

It took a fork lift to deliver the 2200 page bill to the President. When it arrived at the Whitehouse, he looked down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Capitol. All he could see were taxi cabs and Uber cars with members of Congress scrambling to get to the airport.

Congress is supposed to pass a budget and the President sign it before October 1 of each year. When they do not have their act together in time, they merely pass a short term extension.

For this year they extended through December 8, then December 22, then January 19, then February 8, then March 23. I count five times they kicked the can down the road. There is no evidence that anything substantive took place during those temporary extensions.

Here is the real ugly truth. The 2200 pages were churned out by lobbyists and congressional staffers who then packaged it up for a handful of elected members of Congress.

Those few members, from both parties, then push it out to the rest of the members giving little or no time for debate, much less time to read it. This is all under a cloud of imminent disaster if it is not passed by the deadline – which by then is literally hours away.

Georgia Senator David Perdue is on a lonely crusade to change the budget process. Along the way he has built support for his ideas. Congress even established a joint study committee to consider changes in the budget process.

We are now 6 months away from the next budget being due. Maybe I should more correctly say that we are six months away from the next season of kick the can.

Republicans in Congress need to stand up for the agenda on which they have been running and getting elected. Fund the wall, defund Planned Parenthood, and reduce the size of government.

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Finish Your Chores Before You Play

The mini drama plays out every day in thousands of households around the world.  “Mom, can I go to the mall, play, see my friends, watch a movie?  You fill in the blank.  Mother responds, “Sure, but first clean up your room.”

Five or ten minutes later, “Mom, can I go now, my friends are waiting?”  This time the Mother’s response is in the form of a question. “Have you cleaned up your room?”  The answer comes back, “I’m almost done.”  The mother patiently replies, “Finish cleaning up your room.” Continue reading FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

A Fraud Perpetuated on the American People

“A fraud perpetuated on the American people.”  What an irony that Senator David Perdue pointedly addressed his fellow Senators with these words on June 6, the same day that we remembered D-Day 73 years ago.

On June 6, 1944, the United States launched the most massive military undertaking in world history.  It required an unshakable resolve, monumental planning, impeccable execution, and passionate prayer.  It was a time of crisis for our nation and, with God’s care, we rose to meet the crisis.

73 years later our nation is in the midst of another crisis that is even more ominous. It is a crisis that is more sinister and threatening than even the threat of terrorism. Like a cancer on our nation, it is steadily and tenaciously destroying us from the inside.

For 14 minutes, Senator Perdue presented common sense truth to the Senate.  This was not an address filled with partisan flamboyancy. It was not an address in the late night hours to an empty room simply to have footage for campaign commercial.

It was a call for the Senate to simply do its job.  It was a call to seriously address a national debt that has grown to nearly 20 trillion dollars.  It was a call to have an honest budget process. You can watch his message in less time than it takes for a coffee break.

If you feel that you do not have time to watch it, then I’ll give you the reader’s digest version below.  But you need to watch this speech.

This is not a politician pontificating.  It is a plain spoken American exhorting his colleagues to stop serving themselves and serve the American people. Continue reading FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

Comey, Ice Cream, and September

Each day, the mainstream media and the Democrats in Congress display their utter contempt for President Trump.  Over a week ago, President Trump dismissed FBI Director James Comey.

The President has the full authority to dismiss the director along with many other appointed positions in the Executive Branch.  The FBI Director serves at the pleasure of the President.  Yet the squawks keep coming after a full week. Continue reading FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

We Won! Stop Playing Defense!

There has been a visceral reaction from conservatives at the budget bill that will fund the government through the end of the year.  President Trump and Republicans campaigned on several key issues including repeal and replacement of Obamacare, defunding Planned Parenthood, Sanctuary Cities, and building the wall.

The appointment and subsequent confirmation of Judge Gorsuch was a key victory. Executive orders that overturned Obama’s Executive orders were victories.

On the Legislative front, the movement has been slow at best.  The voters who flooded the polling places to vote for Trump and Republicans are losing patience. Continue reading FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

Congressman Sees His Constituents as Helpless

In a recent editorial, Congressman Sanford Bishop decried the 2018 federal budget submitted by President Trump. He wrote that the proposal would be a “recipe for disaster” for the people of the Second Congressional District of Georgia.

Bishop said that his metric for analyzing legislation is whether or not it improves the lives of the people of Southwest Georgia. His editorial reveals his view of the citizens of Southwest Georgia as being helpless and totally dependent on the federal government. Continue reading FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

Professor Perdue Leads Revolt in Senate Nursery

Last week, Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina referred to Freshman Georgia Senator David Perdue as a “Two year old politician.” The context of that reference was a series of speeches on the Senate floor about the budget process.

Senator Perdue has spent months quietly working with his senate colleagues to address the budget process.Then, on September 28, he scheduled the time for the Freshman Senators to join him.

In the fashion of a learned professor, he lectured the seasoned Senators about the budget. He used plain, common sense language. Just a few quotes below:

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The Source of All Government Funding

I saw a posting on Facebook that told of a person on welfare and listed all the benefits that this person received. It added up to a significantly higher dollar amount than the person would make taking a job paying minimum wage.

The initial reaction is anger and resentment toward the individual who is drawing these various payments. While I understand the anger, I think that it is misdirected. Continue reading FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather