Some Things Seem to be Coming Due, or at Least to Turning Points
Big Brother Is Watching
U.S. Customs and Border Protection published a notice in the Federal Register of a proposed rule for foreign tourists from 42 countries, requiring them to provide their social media histories from the last five years to enter the United States. A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman said the proposal is not final.
Tourism to America is already crashing, as is student applications to study here. This will only increase, to our detriment. And it appears similar barriers are being put in front of international journalists who wish to report on and from the USA.
Data Centers Are Now a Big Issue
Data Centers for AI/Digital Money have become a major issue in communities where they exist or are being proposed. The incredible use of water, electricity, risk of fires is off the charts in surrounding communities, and not much in the way of jobs or taxes in return. These problems will not go away, and data centers will still get built. AI is not going away or slowing down. Time for some creative solutions.
Awww. Your Feelings Are Hurt
Surprise! Congressional Republicans feel slighted by the White House. Similar problems are cropping up for Speaker Johnson as well. One has to wonder why they are surprised. Congress has been a door mat for anything and everything Trump wants, including approval of the worst cabinet in all of US history. In addition, only a handful of Administration people have a clue about how the government should work or interact with Congress. Given the feebleness of this Congress, why would they bother to consult or inform?
Speaking of hurt feelings: Everyone has noted the increasingly crass remarks to the press by Trump, especially to female reporters. This brings up two important points: Is this lack of social fundamentals not a fairly frequent sign of dementia? And why are not these reporters fighting back; why are their colleagues not rallying for them on the spot? A bully only responds to being punched back, at the moment, equally hard.
Ever Notice This?
Why Does Trump Always Sit Down In These Meetings in the White House? Think back at the sessions with the Mayor Elect of NY City and before that with Musk. In other administrations, everyone stood at a podium or everyone sat around the fireplace. I cannot remember another time when only the president sat. Could be some sort of fake power gesture but I’m wondering if he just finds it hard to stand for long these days.
Trump Is On A Loosing Streak
Republicans joined in a discharge petition and then a lopsided vote to override Trump’s union busting executive order purporting to strip thousands of government workers’ bargaining rights. The effort to protect union rights may still die in the Senate, but given Trump’s ratings across the board, Republican senators may wise up yet. A discharge petition on healthcare may come in the House this week. Use of a discharge petition in the House used to be very rare. Now it is becoming the tool of choice by a majority of members of Congress.
Trump’s most humiliating defeat to date came in deep red Indiana, where Trump had huffed and puffed and threatened lawmakers unless they passed a re-re-redistricting plan. All Democrats and a majority of Republican legislators said no. Some of the Republican speeches were downright impressive and inspiring.
And of course the courts are striking down Trump’s excesses almost daily now. Even the Supreme Court may show enough consciousness to rule against the illegal and destructive tariffs. Good luck figuring out how to reimburse those costs.
Voters and Nonvoters
Data worth remembering as midterm elections approach.
Using data from the University of Florida Election Lab, an analysis by the Environmental Voter Project shows that 85.9 million eligible voters skipped the 2024 general election, far surpassing the 76.8 million ballots cast for Donald Trump or the 74.3 million for Kamala Harris.
If “Did Not Vote” had been a presidential candidate, they would have beaten Donald Trump by 9.1 million votes, and they would have won 21 states, earning 265 electoral college votes to Trump’s 175 and Harris’s 98.
This means that about 37% chose not to vote at all. Counting the no votes, Harris votes, and third party candidate votes shows that Trump was elected by about 13% of eligible voters. The question now, of course, is how many of those no vote citizens will show up this time and how many that switched to Trump, especially young men and Latinos, will figure out they were bamboozled and come back to do the right thing in the voter’s booth this time.
A Closing Thought
What Joe Louis said of an opponent applies to the legacy of history:
“You can run, but you can’t hide.”
In the upcoming elections, hold EVERY Republican official who voted for the Big Ugly Bill, voted against saving health care funding, and rubber stamped this bad joke of a cabinet are held accountable and pay the price.
See you next week
Bill Clontz
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