Publisher’s Positions
Priorities Matter
California has been the center of the culture that values “social justice” over the practical mechanisms of running a government. That is precisely why Los Angeles found itself burning to the ground. Mayor Karen Bass had cut the fire department’s funding by millions of dollars while the City of Los Angeles spent more than $1 billion on housing the homeless in hotels, providing them food and phones. Wildfires are nothing new to either Los Angeles or California. The lack of preparation is stunning in its sheer incompetence. Traci Park, a member of the Los Angeles City Council, recently said the fires raging were proof LA had made a “chronic underinvestment in our critical infrastructure.” The fact that there was not enough pressure to get the water out of the fire hydrants boggles the mind.
Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, had told the New York Times she wouldn’t travel internationally should she be elected. The NYT has documented at least five international trips she has taken since taking office, including flying to Paris, France for the Olympics three times. Bass was in Ghana in Africa when the wildfires in Los Angeles raged; she was attending the inauguration of Ghana’s new president, an understandable priority for any American mayor, right? After all, what could be more important? Oh, like having water available in fire hydrants to put out fires. In fact, Karen Bass was attending a cocktail party while her city burned according to newly released photos.
Karen Bass has invested heavily in programs to address homelessness which have largely been unsuccessful. Bass has virtue signaled she would protect illegal aliens. The city has been raising taxes while the hole in the budget continues to grow like Topsy. California, under the guise of its environmental policy, has blocked controlled burns while at the same time allowing the highly flammable brush to proliferate. Bass had cut the budget of the fire department while spending lavishly on providing hotel rooms, phones and amenities for the homeless, more than $1.2 billion dollars. As actor Michael Rappaport stated, Governor Gavin Newsome ought to have spent more time trying to fire-proof California instead of Trump-proofing the state. California is the perfect example of a government run by DEI and woke policies. The bureaucrats are too incompetent to focus on the practicality of keeping citizens safe.
Hegseth Should Be Confirmed
Pete Hegseth was ready for bitter questioning by Democrats on the Senate’s Armed Services Committee. Ari Fleischer, a former White House Press Secretary, wrote on X, “Pete Hegseth is crushing it. It is refreshing to see someone relentlessly focused on warriors and lethality, without playing Washington’s word-salad game of forcing nominees to talk like social workers who run government agencies.”
Hegseth’s message is clear. The secretary of defense nominee proposes America walk away from the policy of woke and achieve deterrence through strength. The claim by Senate Democrats that Hegseth is not qualified to serve is absurd. Look at Biden’s secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin. Which is worse, a secretary of defense gone AWOL, when nobody knows where he is, or the fact nobody noticed he was missing for days?
Bye Bye, Biden, Bye Bye
Joe Biden has given his “farewell” address to the nation and for the majority of Americans it came none too soon. Biden leaves office the same Washington hypocrite as when he assumed it. He talks about the wealthy paying their fair share, something his influence-peddling son did not do. Biden pardoned his son after having lied about it. It was a pathetic minor spectacle of an old pudding-head desperately trying to take credit for having done something good. CNN’s own poll shows 64% of Americans disapprove of the job Biden is doing while only 36% approve.
Joe Biden clinging to the idea he and his administration have finally got the hostages held by Hamas freed is nothing less than pitiful. Those hostages have been held by the terrorists of Hamas for more than a year and Biden has been singularly unsuccessful in trying to broker their freedom. Quite the contrary, Biden and his administration have done more to hurt the efforts of the Israelis in dealing with Hamas than anything else. Biden’s handling of foreign policy has been every bit as terrible as his handling of domestic policy. It is no coincidence Hamas took notice of President-elect Trump’s pronouncement if the hostages are not released there will be hell to pay. Strength usually causes bad actors to begin negotiating in earnest.
It’s becoming ever clearer that Joe Biden is so isolated inside the White House that he lives almost entirely inside what is left of his mind. Biden appears to be bitterly delusional and his legacy will rank as one of the worst in American history.
Better Late Than Never
Mark Zuckerberg, the head honcho at Meta has, after giving it some thought, decided to ‘get back to our roots around free expression on Facebook and Instagram.” That decision comes a bit late in the game. Zuckerberg seemed to have no problem being prodded to censure freedom of speech at the bidding of the Biden administration, nor did he appear to have any problem stifling the dissent of those the Biden administration wanted silenced. The “fact checkers” were paid by Facebook and were apparently anything but experts who were oftentimes just out of college and extremely ideologically biased. It was as far from fair and balanced as can be. The Left, which hates free speech and any dissent to its orthodoxies on illegal immigration, gender, DEI, and other holy of holies, is angry with Zuckerberg while those on the right rightly wonder where his principles were for the last four years. The Biden administration apparently provided funding in the amount of $267 million to filter Facebook and social media to its liking. That happened after Trump’s victory in 2016. Of course, they preferred thinking Donald Trump’s election occurred because of Vladimir Putin because they sure as shooting didn’t want to blame themselves or Hillary Clinton. Zuckerberg jumped on the bandwagon and said Facebook was “working to stop misinformation and false news.”
The stifling of free speech on Facebook played an important role in the outcome of the 2020 election. Hopefully, Mark Zuckerberg has had a genuine regret for aiding in killing off free speech and questioning authority. Time will tell.
