This politician presents logical discussion pertaining to 2d Amendment and thus, it will be rejected by Democrats who prefer emotion and resort to lies. This should be required watching. https://www.facebook.com/Why You Can't Argue With A Leftist
It used to be that conservatives and liberals could talk in a civil manner because they ultimately shared common goals - they just had different ideas about how to achieve those goals. What changed? Comedian Owen Benjamin examines why, these days, rational dialogue seems nearly impossible.
Finally :
Why Schultz should run. (See 1 below.
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China Trade Deal showing positive prospects. (See 2 below.)
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Wars start because of weakness on the part of Democracies because of unmet challenges to threats by renegade nations.. (See 3 and 3a below.)
And:
Yesterday I posted an op ed which suggested China was our greatest threat and I added Russia and Iran were next.
Upon reflection, if truth be told, the greatest threat to America actually comes from Americans and their "do gooder" brethren. That is not to say China, Russia and Iran are not external threats, they are. The biggest threat, however, to any nation generally comes from within.
Today, I would say, those who have radicalized the Democrat Party and the accumulated insanity of progressive legislation, politically correct ideas and failed policies have so weakened our nation that we are in the process of being destroyed from within and thus, could become unable to defend against those who seek to do us harm externally.
The rejection of what made us great and powerful is being advanced in subtle ways which are dividing us and thus, weakening us, from within. I have often said Walt Kelly's Pogo was correct, "The Enemy Is Us," nor should we forget the prophesy of Ayn Rand, the warnings of Hayek and Moynihan, the insights of George Orwell.
The radicalization by Democrats of the use of identity politics has come full circle and is now biting them in the hills of Virginny! (See 4 below.)
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Another Rant. (See 5 below.)
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Dick
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1) Howard Schultz, Take Your Shot
The Democrats attacking Mr. Schultz act as if only Republicans have failed the country. Yet in 2009 Democrats held the presidency, a large House majority and, for a time, a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. But Democrats didn’t provide the Dreamers a path to citizenship and did nothing to reduce the debt or control prescription-drug prices.
With U.S. President Donald Trump hinting that there is a "good chance" of a trade deal with China, two days of negotiations involving senior officials ended on a high note this week. China's chief negotiator Liu He made a surprise offer to purchase 5 million tons of U.S soybeans when he met with Trump in the White House on Jan. 31. Meanwhile, officials from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said progress had been made on greater market access and on enforcement of intellectual property rights — two core U.S. concerns. But it wasn't revealed how much overall progress was made or what divisions remain. The details on some core issues — such as China's forced technology transfer and subsidies to strategic industries — were far from clear. Ahead of the talks, China reportedly offered to increase U.S. imports from $155 billion in 2018 to $200 billion in 2019 and to even eliminate its trade surplus with the United States by 2024. And China has taken steps to fast-track domestic legislation that would prohibit forced transfers of technology and open the country's markets more, though implementation will take years and thus fall short of U.S. demands in the short term. READ MORE
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3) Iran warns Europe not to force it to make ‘strategic leap’ on missile range
By AFP and TOI staff
The deputy chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned Europe against forcing the Islamic Republic into boosting the range of its missiles by trying to halt their development.
China Trade Deal showing positive prospects. (See 2 below.)
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Wars start because of weakness on the part of Democracies because of unmet challenges to threats by renegade nations.. (See 3 and 3a below.)
And:
Yesterday I posted an op ed which suggested China was our greatest threat and I added Russia and Iran were next.
Upon reflection, if truth be told, the greatest threat to America actually comes from Americans and their "do gooder" brethren. That is not to say China, Russia and Iran are not external threats, they are. The biggest threat, however, to any nation generally comes from within.
Today, I would say, those who have radicalized the Democrat Party and the accumulated insanity of progressive legislation, politically correct ideas and failed policies have so weakened our nation that we are in the process of being destroyed from within and thus, could become unable to defend against those who seek to do us harm externally.
The rejection of what made us great and powerful is being advanced in subtle ways which are dividing us and thus, weakening us, from within. I have often said Walt Kelly's Pogo was correct, "The Enemy Is Us," nor should we forget the prophesy of Ayn Rand, the warnings of Hayek and Moynihan, the insights of George Orwell.
The radicalization by Democrats of the use of identity politics has come full circle and is now biting them in the hills of Virginny! (See 4 below.)
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Another Rant. (See 5 below.)
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Dick
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1) Howard Schultz, Take Your Shot
If you’re worried he’ll play spoiler, don’t be a bully. Make the case for your candidate instead
Thirty seconds into Howard Schultz’s first campaign event last Monday in New York City, one attendee yelled “Don’t help elect Trump, you egotistical, billionaire a—h—!” The shouter was joined by thousands of vitriolic posts on social media. The mainstream media, which thrives on tribal warfare, added fuel to the fire, urging Mr. Schultz not to run for president.
All this happened before anything was known about Mr. Schultz’s positions or vision for the U.S. Instead, Democrats attacked him for potentially “spoiling” the 2020 election. The media responded in kind, focusing on the horse race, not the horse.
Mr. Schultz has every right to run, and every right to run outside the two major parties. America’s Founding Fathers wanted a republic without political parties. They feared that one day Americans might put party above country, and their fears have come true.
Eighty-one percent of voters are now dissatisfied or angry with Washington. Almost the only political statement on which Americans can agree is that the government, whether in Republican or Democratic hands, is failing.
Americans consistently say they want a third option. But in 2016 many felt forced to choose the lesser of two evils. It’s easy to imagine a similar situation in 2020.
People want their votes to matter. That’s why independent and third-party presidential candidates usually underperform. But in 2016 an average of 76 million Americans tuned in to each of the three general-election debates. If Mr. Schultz is the clear winner on stage in 2020, throw the rulebook for independent candidates out the window. With a credible and well-funded campaign, Mr. Schultz just might assure Americans they finally can vote for a candidate who inspires them instead of voting against a candidate they fear.
It costs a lot of money—at least $266 million, according to campaign consultant Douglas Schoen—to build an independent candidate’s name recognition and support to the point at which he would be invited to the presidential debates. But Mr. Schultz can afford it. He can run to win.
Mr. Schultz’s candidacy also would elevate political discourse. Unable to focus solely on smearing each other, the two major parties would have to spend more time on substantive discussion of the issues to distinguish themselves from the centrist challenger. For example, Mr. Schultz has begun to lay out middle-ground positions on immigration and health care. These will make it tougher for other candidates to oversimplify the issues.
We need to learn more about Mr. Schultz’s policies before he earns our support, but we believe firmly that he has the right to run, and that his candidacy could elevate American politics. Social-media bullies are trying to scare him from running for president, but we doubt it’ll work.
If you are a Democrat worried about Mr. Schultz playing spoiler, don’t insult him; instead, convince voters that another candidate is better. Our government doesn’t belong eternally to Democrats and Republicans, and American voters deserve another choice.
Mr. Schultz, ignore the naysayers. Go for it.
Mr. Simon, a Maryland business executive and community leader, was an independent candidate for U.S. Senate in 2018. Mr. Orman, a Kansas entrepreneur, was an independent candidate for U.S. Senate in 2014 and governor in 2018.
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End on an Up Note
Stratfor
With U.S. President Donald Trump hinting that there is a "good chance" of a trade deal with China, two days of negotiations involving senior officials ended on a high note this week. China's chief negotiator Liu He made a surprise offer to purchase 5 million tons of U.S soybeans when he met with Trump in the White House on Jan. 31. Meanwhile, officials from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said progress had been made on greater market access and on enforcement of intellectual property rights — two core U.S. concerns. But it wasn't revealed how much overall progress was made or what divisions remain. The details on some core issues — such as China's forced technology transfer and subsidies to strategic industries — were far from clear. Ahead of the talks, China reportedly offered to increase U.S. imports from $155 billion in 2018 to $200 billion in 2019 and to even eliminate its trade surplus with the United States by 2024. And China has taken steps to fast-track domestic legislation that would prohibit forced transfers of technology and open the country's markets more, though implementation will take years and thus fall short of U.S. demands in the short term. READ MORE
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3) Iran warns Europe not to force it to make ‘strategic leap’ on missile range
By AFP and TOI staff
Revolutionary Guard’s deputy commander says efforts to curb Tehran’s missile program will only push it forward
The deputy chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned Europe against forcing the Islamic Republic into boosting the range of its missiles by trying to halt their development.
“If the Europeans, or anyone else, want to conspire to disarm Iran of missiles, we will be forced to make a strategic leap,” the guards’ deputy commander Brigadier-General Hossein Salami said on state TV on Saturday.
“All that hear me today, come to terms with the new reality of Iran’s missile might: There are no obstacles or technical limitations to us increasing (their) range,” he added.
The Islamic Republic develops its missile technology according to a “defensive strategy” that changes according to need, he said.
Last week, Salami told a reporter in Tehran that Iran’s strategy was to eventually wipe Israel off the “global political map.” Days later, he warned that Iran is capable of destroying Israel “in three days.”
Earlier Saturday, Iran announced the “successful test” of a new cruise missile with a range of over 1,350 kilometers (840 miles), coinciding with the anniversary of the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Defense Minister Amir Hatami said the Hoveizeh cruise missile had successfully hit its targets, calling it the “long arm of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Iran reined in most of its nuclear program under a landmark 2015 deal with major powers, but has kept up development of its ballistic missile technology.
Washington withdrew from the accord in May and reimposed sanctions against Iran, citing the missile program among its reasons. European governments have stuck by the agreement, although some have demanded a new section to address Iran’s ballistic missile program and its intervention in regional conflicts including Yemen.
Iran has voluntarily limited the range of its missiles to 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles), but that is still enough to hit Israel and US bases in the Middle East.
Washington and its allies have accused Tehran of pursuing enhanced missile capabilities that also threaten Europe.
Tehran denies this, insisting its missile program is “purely defensive.”
The weapon tested Saturday takes its name from a city in the southwestern province of Khuzestan that was devastated in the 1980-1988 war against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.
Salami on Saturday warned world powers “not to seek (new) negotiations or make recommendations or requests on Iran’s missile power.”
“Our enemies only understand the language of force,” he said. “If you cannot talk to them in that language, they will use it to talk to you.”
3a) Iran controls new Lebanese government, Netanyahu tells visiting UN envoys
Before group of 40 ambassadors head to northern border to inspect Hezbollah attack tunnel, PM urges them to ‘vote the truth’
Iran controls the new Lebanese government via its proxy Hezbollah group, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday, in his first public comments on the government formed in Beirut last week.
“Iran has proxies. One of them is Hezbollah. Hezbollah just joined the government of Lebanon. That’s a misnomer; they actually control the government of Lebanon. It means that Iran controls the government of Lebanon,” he told a group of 40 ambassadors to the United Nations.
Netanyahu was briefing the delegation, headed by Israel’s UN envoy Danny Danon, just before they headed to Israel’s northern border to inspect one of Hezbollah’s cross-border attack tunnels.
“It’s important to send this very powerful message just as we stop the terror tunnels coming into Israel: We will stop all the aggression, from Lebanon or from Syria or from Iran itself,” Netanyahu said.
“We are committed to preventing this aggression, and in so doing we’re not only protecting Israel itself, but also protecting our neighbors and world peace.”
On Thursday, political factions in Lebanon ended a nine-month deadlock and agreed on a new government, which saw a strengthening of the Shiite terrorist group.
Hezbollah now holds two ministries and a ministry of state, including for the first time the Health Ministry, which has one of the country’s largest budgets. The Finance Ministry remains in the hands of a Hezbollah ally, Ali Hassan Khalil.
Speaking to the ambassadors outside his Jerusalem residence, Netanyahu lambasted the UN’s perceived anti-Israel bias, urging the diplomats to work toward improving their respective capitals’ voting pattern on Israel.
“The fact that you’re here represents the fairness and integrity of your approach. I wish that this characterized the UN,” he said. In 2018, the UN General Assembly passed 20 resolutions against Israel and only six against the rest of the world.
“It’s obviously absurd,” he said. “But the important thing is not only merely to see the truth, as you will during this visit, but also to speak the truth and, may I say, to vote the truth.”
Netanyahu agreed to host the ambassadors because he has a “non-hidden agenda,” he added.
“We want to see you change your votes. To those of who have already done it, thank you. To those who will do it, thank you in advance,” he said.
Earlier on Sunday, President Reuven Rivlin told the delegation about the importance Israel attaches to the UN, but also lamented the “unfair decisions” some of its agencies make.
“The UN is the most important international forum for us and for the world,” he said. “Some UN bodies take unfair decisions about Israel. Double standards and discrimination must not detract from the UN’s important work.”
It was in the hands of the ambassadors to effect a change in the UN’s attitude toward Israel, the president added. “Please ensure that our good bilateral relations are also how you relate to Israel at the UN.”
The ambassadors hailed from all continents, including countries such as Panama, Ukraine, Hungary, Czech Republic, Liberia and Mongolia.
Also on Sunday, Danon took the ambassadors on a tour through Jerusalem, including a visit at the Western Wall.
Bringing UN envoys to Israel is important, “because some of them continue in their careers and become leaders,” Danon told The Times of Israel.
It was an honor to bring together the Ambassadors' Delegation with Prime Minister @netanyahu. The visit of the Delegation is further proof that #Israel diplomatic ties are flourishing. pic.twitter.com/
Last year, for instance, Danon brought Sierra Leone’s UN ambassador, Adikalie Foday Sumah, to Israel. The visit left such an impression on the diplomat that after his term he returned to his country and established a Sierra Leone friendship organization that hopes to change the West African nation’s voting patterns at the UN and to strengthen bilateral relations.
“Sumah’s initiative is yet another welcome testimony to the enormous contribution of the Ambassadors’ Delegations to the State of Israel,” Danon said.
“These ambassadors return to their positions at the United Nations and to their countries with a positive attitude toward Israel. This is reflected in the voting patterns toward Israel, in ongoing cooperation and, as we see in Sierra Leone, in the establishment of local pro-Israel organizations.”
AP contributed to this report.
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4) Ralph Northam’s Racial
Education
The Virginia Governor and Democrats owe an apology to Ed Gillespie.
By The Editorial Board
Ralph Northam won the Virginia governorship in 2017 in part by wielding race as a weapon unfairly against Republican Ed Gillespie. That the same weapon is now likely to end his career is a case of rough political justice, though he and Democrats still owe an apology to Mr. Gillespie.
Democrats far and wide have rushed to urge Mr. Northam to resign after his page in a 1984 medical college yearbook showed a photo of a man in blackface and another with a KKK costume. Mr. Northam first said he was one of the two men in the photo but wasn’t sure which, though a day later he said he wasn’t either one.
He has apologized to all and sundry though he says he doesn’t know how the photo appeared on his yearbook page 20 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He also disclosed that he had darkened his face while imitating Michael Jackson in a 1984 dance contest, and that he didn’t then understand how offensive that is given black history in America. He is saying he won’t resign.
The truth hardly matters now because Democrats believe they must sacrifice Mr. Northam to preserve the sword they have made of racial politics for routine use against Republicans. That’s what they did in 2017 after Mr. Gillespie’s campaign ran an ad highlighting the risks of the criminal MS-13 gang from Central America that has been active in Virginia and terrorizes mainly poor immigrant communities.
An especially shameful ad by the Latino Victory Fund showed a man in a pickup truck with a Confederate flag and a “Gillespie for governor” bumper sticker attempting to run down minority children. Mr. Northam slip-streamed in this dirty wake, tweeting on Oct. 11, 2017 that “VA is an inclusive and diverse community—we won’t put up with Ed Gillespie’s racist rhetoric and fearmongering.”
For Democrats, racism has become the default charge for any GOP policy they dislike on crime, immigration, education, the environment, you name it. This all-purpose political exploitation of race runs the risk of devaluing outrage against genuine racial affronts. Mr. Northam wants Democrats to show mercy now for errors of his youth, but that isn’t the Democratic Party that made him Governor.
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5)As I have said for a while, make your own decisions about the economy and the stock market, and be careful which pundits and analysts you listen to. After all the talk of recession and the collapse of stock prices in December, and the shutdown, the market is up almost 8% since January 1, and 10% since Christmas. It was the best January in 30 years. If you own a well selected all equity portfolio it should be up around 10% in January. The January jobs report of over 300,000 new jobs in spite of the shutdown, should tell you there is no recession in the near term. While unemployment was up to 4%, that was partially due to the shutdown and will reverse and be under 3.7% as the year goes on. Participation was up to 63.2%, although that is still well below the 67.1% in 1999. The difference now is partly due to the drug epidemic and partly to people retiring at a rapid rate. Wages are rising at over 3.5% and inflation is running around 1.6%, as gas prices and heating oil prices decline. Tax refunds will start to flow in a few weeks, and ramp up as we get to May. A continuation of excellent cash flow increases for the average family. Consumer confidence took a hit in January as to future confidence due to the shutdown and December stock market decline, but that is temporary. Current confidence remained at a near record high for the current period. The ten year is around 2.65%, down from where it had been so mortgage rates will decline further. Keep in mind housing has shifted to much more rental, so total new home construction including multifamily is not really down. Also demand is down. Population growth is now only around .7%, down from 1.2% before the crash. This is the slowest growth since 1937. Builders are being careful this time. The problem is prices are high in many markets, it is not mortgage rates which are low. The other problem, especially in CA, is massive over regulation which runs up costs by tens of thousands of dollars, and now they are adding more costs with solar and other things. Then they wonder why housing in CA is so expensive. Companies are now running major in house training programs for their existing employees because there is nobody left to hire. This is good long term as it means millions will get upgraded skills. All of these things mean 2019 will be a good year for the economy and the market, barring a major black swan event.
It looks like there could possibly be a deal with China, and it will cover IP and cyber issues, as well as trade and ability of US companies to freely do business inside China. It appears clear the continued decline in the Chinese economy is having a good impact on trade talks. We will see what happens over the next few weeks, but signs for a deal are positive. There are still a lot of major issues to deal with. Then there is a real question of will they comply or cheat. Xi still wants to be the dominant world power, and he has aligned with Russia on many geopolitical issues, but with the US rebuilding the military, possibly he realizes a detente with the US is a far better way to have a strong growing economy and long reign, than going to war over N Korea or Taiwan. He is by far now the dominant partner in the relationship with Putin, but that does not mean Putin will not do something stupid in Europe just to remain relevant. It is why it is so important that NATO continue to spend to rebuild its military and the US needs to maintain a strong presence in Europe. If China does do a trade deal with Trump, and complies, then the chance of a war is greatly less, than if not. There is historic change involved in the trade deal, far beyond tariffs which were just a means to the real end point. It likely also means Trump is reelected as it will demonstrate that his approach was right, and he made it happen when the naysayers said he was wrong.
There was a huge good event this week in Brexit. The EU and UK agreed a set of rules to allow the banking and capital markets to function smoothly even in a hard break. That makes a hard break more likely, but removes a huge potential area of trouble. London will remain the center of banking and finance it now is. Nobody knows where Brexit is going, but this makes it possible to have a hard break with much more limited disruption. It is inconceivable there will not be some sort of agreement on farm products and drugs as well. There is no way the French and Dutch farmers are going to sit by and let their exports to the UK rot in the fields while Macron shuts down exports. They would be in the streets of Paris in days. My assumption is there will be a hard break, but with several of these separate deals by industry which will allow finance and certain trade to continue, and avoid a real crisis. It simply is inconceivable the EU can go on just shutting off their main trade partner when the EU is in such bad shape economically, and such dysfunctional politically. After a couple of days of no exports to the UK, the EU would be in real turmoil and political chaos.
I attended a private dinner this week where the head of a small think tank spoke about a new approach to healthcare that he has been working on with Congress. He is a Republican and the approach is private insurers, market based, and universal. I do not have details, but there is apparently a lot of effort on this in Congress out of the spotlight. Trump has supposedly signed off on the general plan, and the White House is behind the effort. Whether it ever gets to reality in Congress in the next two years is doubtful because it goes against everything the far left is pushing in regard to government run programs, and no more private insurance. But expect to hear some version of this free market universal plan from Republicans as the election season ramps up.
The Dems once again demonstrated their stupidity. Now they are proposing to give some money for a barrier of some kind, like a useless vehicle barrier, but to have “local officials (politicians) and not border patrol professionals” decide how the money is spent. My guess on the border is there will be a deal that will say they will give the border patrol a block grant of x dollars to be spent on border security, and how it is spent will be determined by the “experts”, meaning border patrol, not by local officials. They will then build the barrier. That way Pelosi says there was no wall money, but Trump gets his barrier built. This whole thing just further demonstrates how the far left is making conducting government nearly impossible and stupid, just so they can try to stop Trump. If the Dems stay with resist everything, and they demand government run healthcare, high taxes and huge new spending programs, and if the economy stays strong into 2020 with a deal with China and the EU, and new NAFTA gets rejected by the Dems in Congress, and there is a solution to the border crisis, Trump gets reelected, despite the media and Hollywood.
Even if you put aside the terrible things the governor of VA said about birth abortion, just the fact that he was so stupid to say it, disqualifies him from office. If he did not have the brains to realize what would happen, he should not be a governor. He will be gone this week.
Standby for Stacy Abrams to say Trump is terrible and dangerous, taxes are not “fair’ (the top 10% already pays 80% of taxes and 50% pay 0), working class families are suffering (we have record low unemployment for minorities, and rising wages and family income for the first time in ten years, especially for low income workers), there should be no wall, and we need to let all the caravan illegals seek asylum.
Next time you hear we need all electric cars, ask the dealer how long it takes to recharge, then calculate the added cost on your electric bill. Gas cars are cheaper to own. Then ask how much the car costs without taxpayers paying part of the bill in a subsidy. That is your money. Then ask if everyone on your street gets an electric car, can the system handle everyone charging their car at the same time in the evening. There is some speculation the grid cannot handle everyone charging up their electric car. Nobody has calculated the subsidy cost to help everyone buy an electric car as the left demands, since electric cars cost almost twice what a gas car costs for a similar car. I am waiting for someone who knows this stuff to come out with an objective cost and electrical engineering study. CA now requires all new homes to have solar at an added $6,000 per house, and they will be requiring at some future date to get rid of fossil fuel cars, along with universal healthcare, and a guaranteed minimum income. Good luck to everyone living in CA. Maybe Zuckerberg and the boys at Google will pay for all of this when all the real taxpayers have moved out.
It was a sad day for football. 300 million wanted the Patriots to lose- the rest are from Mass.
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