Author: haroldblackphd

You know you are old when 

1. You start calling people “sonny”
2. When little old ladies start opening the door for you 
3. When you are older than the president 
4. When your children start treating you like their child 
5. You wish there were new episodes of NYPD Blue and Homicide
6. You watch no new TV shows 
7. Strange women call you “sweetie”
8. You bristle at being called your first name by telephone solicitors 
9. You haven’t heard of a single grammy nominee
10. You wonder how all those women with nose rings blow their nose 
11. You turn off a basketball game because you hate all the tattoos 
12. You think AI is a steak sauce 
13. You mention George Armstrong Custer and no one has even heard of him 
14. All your living heroes are dead 
15. You have a record player 
16. Your grandparents’ living room furniture was covered with plastic
17. You had a slide rule
18. You needed carbon paper
19. Your grandmother made you crank the ice cream churn
20. There was a clothesline in your backyard
21. Your TV had rabbit ears with aluminum foil on it
22. Phone books appeared on your doorstep
23. You had a camera with film in it
24. You still miss your first dog
25. You had a typewriter and white out
26. You like silence 
27. You make sympathetic clucking noises 
28. You had a rolodex
29. You still think people should dress up for church 
30. You start wearing black socks with Bermuda shorts 
31. You actually know what are Bermuda shorts 
32. You mix plaids and stripes and are not homeless 
33. Your son has a grandson 
34. Your son is retired 
35. You remember green stamps
36. You look for your glasses and they are on top of your head
37. You get up, go into the kitchen and wonder why you are there
38. You seem to run over every pothole and every curb
39. You and your significant other always talk about the gas prices
40. You have no room on your bathroom shelf for another prescription bottle
41. You remember when you really had to dial a phone
42. An album held a record
43. Your grandparents called a refrigerator an icebox (your parents called it a Frigidaire)
44. Google was the Encyclopaedia Britannica
45. You still go to AAA and ask for maps
46. When you tell people you went to AAA they think you are an alcoholic
47. A memory quiz is part of your annual physical exam 
48. You had bomb drills at elementary school where you had to get under your desk 
49. Your desk had inkwells 
50. Students wore coat and tie to SEC football games 
51. Fans waved confederate flags at SEC games 
52. College bands played Dixie
53. No black athletes in the SEC
54. You have more hair in your ears than on your head 
55. Your first TV was black and white 
56. You had a transistor radio 
57. You miss Motown
58. Gladys Knight and the Pips sang at your high school dances
59. You listened to baseball games on the radio
60. You played outside with your friends 
61. You got roller skates for Christmas (and a cap pistol)
62. You remember that Teddy Pendergrass was the lead singer for Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes (and Jeffrey Osborne with LTD)
63. Your university had a typing pool 
64. You remember physical photo albums
65. Housewives on TV wore dresses and high heels 
66. Coeds were not allowed to wear shorts on campus except at gym 
67. You asked your Dad “what’s a colored restroom?”
68. You remember the milkman
69. Kids wrote cursive
70. You remember muscle cars
71. Someone else pumped your gas (and wiped off your windshield)
72. Your cellphone was mounted in your car
73. You know what 75 and 33 rpm mean
74. You mother had a clothes wringer washing machine 
75. You had to use public pay phones
76. You still use your ipod
77. When you finally ask for directions you are already there
78. You know what an analog clock is
79. There was a grease can on the stove
80. There were paper boarding passes
81. There were no remote controls
82. You had to put the key in the ignition
83. You went to drive-in movies
84. Sears Roebuck had a catalog
85. You thought Amazon was a rain forest
86. Friends used to just drop in to visit
87. You saw Jackie Robinson play at Ebbitts Field
88. The Washington baseball team was the Senators
89. Houston‘s was the Colt 45s
90. Atlanta’s was the Crackers
91. Atlanta’s Negro League team was the Black Crackers
92. You thought Shaquille was a funny name
93. Democrats were racists
94. You had a J C Higgins shotgun
95. You walked to school
96. Only girls wore earrings
97. Your weight has shifted from your butt to your stomach
98. You are the same age as old people
99. You are always introduced as “the first”
100. Your grandparents had an outhouse
101. You miss your parents
102. Your grandparents’ parents were slaves 

Pope Don versus Pope Leo

Much has been written about the recent dustup between the president and the Pope. Leo had said that he will continue to call for peace. “I will not shy away from announcing the message of the Gospel and inviting all people to look for ways of building bridges of peace and reconciliation, and looking for ways to avoid war any time that’s possible.” What I found curious was that he also said that he was not afraid of Trump. “I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do.” Now don’t you think it is a bit weird that the Pope would say that? Why would he ever be afraid of the Trump administration? 

Of course, the president took this as a personal attack and again elevated his own self-importance by depicting himself as Jesus. The president tweeted that Leo was chosen because he was an American, and the Catholic Church wanted to curry favor with him. “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy. He talks about “fear” of the Trump Administration, but doesn’t mentionthe FEAR that the Catholic Church, and all other Christian Organizations, had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everybody else, for holding Church Services, even when going outside, and being ten and even twenty feet apart. I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t! I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country. And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History. Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise. He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump. If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican. Unfortunately, Leo’s Weak on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons, does not sit well with me, nor does the fact that he meets with Obama Sympathizers like David Axelrod, a LOSER from the Left, who is one of those who wanted churchgoers and clerics to be arrested. Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church! President DONALD J. TRUMP

Again, Trump is all about Trump. Maybe he really would like to be Pope (except for that celibacy thing). But at least he did not call the Pope a LOSER and having a LOW IQ like he has done to almost everyone that he has a disagreement with. Trump does not like to be criticized – even by the Pope. He likely sees this as a threat to his authority. As to Leo, one Italian of note said “this is just a huge blessing. It’s wonderful for the church, all over the world, that he is the guy who can stand up to Trump.”

What is noteworthy is how the president immediately turned his ire on Italy’s Giorgia Meloni who he placed in an awkward position. As Italy’s prime minister, no one – including the president – would expect her to be silent to the president’s criticisms of the Pope. At first, she faced sharp criticisms for being silent and not defending the Pope or criticizing Trump. Her Italian critics said that she was politically weak and subservient to Trump while claiming the relationship has brought no benefits to the country. Italy is still is hit with a 15 percent tariff and just survived an attempt to place additional tariffs on its pasta exports.

Meloni’s remarks were mild: “The pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal that he calls for peace and condemns every form

of war. When we don’t agree, we must say it. And this time, we do not agree.” Meloni had said that she found Trump’s words to be “unacceptable.” Trump shot back that Meloni was “unacceptable.” Trump also said Meloni “doesn’t care if Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy in two minutes if it had the chance.” “Meloni doesn’t want to help us with NATO, she doesn’t want to help us get rid of the nuclear weapon. She’s very different from what I thought.” So much for your only European friend.

Although it is against his nature, Trump should realize that in Italy the Pope is untouchable – even an American Pope – and Meloni would have to say the appropriate clucking noises in order to keep from being criticized by political friends and foes alike. What did Trump think that Meloni could stay silent or even take his side against the Pope? Trump may have fractured the friendship between the two. But as one Italian politician put it “Closeness to Trump has not benefited Italy, much less the Meloni government.” 

Wait! You mean she is qualified?

The president made an obvious mistake and nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz to head the CDC. Schwartz is that rare Trump appointee in that she is imminently qualified for the job. She was deputy surgeon general in the first Trump administration. She is a board certified doctor of preventive medicine.  She holds degrees in biomedical engineering and medicine from Brown University and has a master’s degree in public health. She has a law degree from the University of Maryland has been admitted to the bar in the District of Columbia and has been described as “wickedly smart.” Schwartz’s father was a career Navy master chief petty officer who joined the Navy at 17. Her three siblings all served in the military. I wonder if some of the MAGA crowd will insist that she is Trump’s DEI hire?

Schwartz spent the bulk of her career in the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, including as the Coast Guard’s preventive medicine chief. She is also a retired rear admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. The CDC has been the subject of controversy with one nominee being withdrawn due to anti-vaccine views and another quitting soon after being named to the job. In contrast to her boss, Robert Kennedy, Jr., Schwartz is not in the anti-vaccine camp. Word is that Trump has told Kennedy to cool it with all the anti-vac rhetoric prior to the upcoming midterms. 

Here is what Trump tweeted on Truth Social: “I am pleased to announce the new leadership of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is my Honor to nominate the incredibly talented Dr. Erica Schwartz, MD, JD, MPH, as my Director of the CDC. Erica graduated from Brown University for College and Medical School, and served a distinguished career as a Doctor of Medicine in the United States Military, the Greatest and Most Powerful Force in the World, and then served as my Deputy Surgeon General during my First Term. She is a STAR!” 

How Schwartz and Kennedy will coexist remains to be seen. However, Schwartz must have reached some accommodation in order to consent to be nominated. Jerome Adams who was Trump’s first surgeon general said Schwartz is “objectively the most qualified health nominee we’ve seen from this administration so far.”  But warned “Recent history tells us if she’s confirmed, she will be under real threat to follow ideology over evidence in what is a vaccine-skeptical HHS.”

This nomination is a home run and should be confirmed unanimously. If the democrats oppose her, it will not be a good look. And one wonders if Pete Hegseth will try to demote her from rear admiral or get her to retire like he has done with so many blacks and women in the military. I wonder if he knows that Schwartz is a black woman?

Half of Virginia votes to disenfranchise the other half

This 1862 map by Civil Engineer E.G. Arnold of Washington, DC encompasses the original District of Columbia as laid out by Andrew Ellicott in 1791-92 as a ten-mile-square diamond straddling the Potomac River. The map itself is of historic interest. The map shows in great detail the network of roads, turnpikes, and railroads, the routes of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal and the nearly-completed Washington Aqueduct. It also shows the ring of forts surrounding the city and the hospitals built north of the city to care for those wounded in the on-going Civil War.

Unfortunately for Arnold the map was too detailed and appeared in early September of 1862 right after the Union defeat at Second Manassas (Bull Run). The War Department deemed the map to have too much detail about the topography and fortifications of the capitol and would be of immense potential value to the Confederacy. The War Department aggressively suppressed the map.The Washington Post reported “…two days after the first copy had been put on sale, the rumor of its existence reached the ears of the War Department, and the officers of the law swooped down on the bookstores and gobbled every copy in stock…. Not only were all the bookstore copies taken, but the names of those who had bought copies of the map were also learned, and those individuals were promptly called upon and given the alternative of surrendering their purchase or of going to the Old Capitol, which was then the political prison of the city. The plate from which the map had been printed was confiscated as well….” (Washington Post, Nov. 6, 1892)

This makes the Arnold map one of the most valuable maps ever produced in this country. What makes it especially interesting now is that it depicts the original layout of Washington, DC. The map shows the District carved out of portions of Maryland and Virginia. But the Virginia portion was retroceded to that state in 1846 because of slavery. That brings up a brilliant suggestion made by Chad Mizelle in Fox News: “Trump has a bold option to counter Virginia’s new gerrymander scheme.”

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/trump-bold-option-counter-virginias-new-gerrymander-scheme

Virginia has just done a Massachusetts and gerrymandered the state to change its congressional delegation from 6 democrats and 5 republicans to 10 democrats and only one republican. The vote shows the tyranny of the majority in that the proposal passed by only 51.5% to 48.5% which is aligned with the current congressional representation. The new delegation will effectively disenfranchise 90 percent of Virginia’s republican voters and will be dominated by the left-leaning northern Virginia counties leaving the more conservative southern counties without an effective voice in Congress. Unlike the Civil War where the western counties seceded from the state to form West Virginia, although many of the southern and western counties would like to join West Virginia, that likelihood is nonexistent. To counter the gerrymander, Mizelle suggests returning the northern Virginia counties that were included in the original plat of Washington, DC back to the nation’s capitol. Virginia was excluded from DC because of slavery – Virginia had it but the capitol and Maryland did not. 

Mizelle suggests that Trump (who is fond of issuing executive orders) issue one bringing northern Virginia back into DC. Mizelle notes that “presidents, including William Howard Taft, have considered retrocession unconstitutional and wanted to reclaim the land for the district, but the Supreme Court has never been asked to weigh in.” He says “President Trump could issue an executive orderdeclaring the slavery-motivated retrocession unconstitutional, triggering certain legal action, and allowing the courts to finally weigh in on whether the county of Arlington and the city of Alexandria in fact properly belong to the District of Columbia.” He notes “As some of the deepest blue areas of the commonwealth – and the country – and loaded with federal government employees, residents of this region should feel right at home as part of D.C.” As to the legality of such an order Mizelle says “This order would be on better legal footing than many of President Joe Biden’s most egregious orders, such as those imposing an eviction moratorium or forgiving billions in student debt with the stroke of an (auto) pen.”

Finally, remember that these are the same people always whining about “fairness.” There is nothing “fair” about disenfranchising half of Virginia’s citizens. President Trump should move quickly to restore northern Virginia to its rightful place as part of the District of Columbia.

Brilliant!

Don Boudreaux on Jason Chaffetz

When I read Jason (ex-congressman current pundit) Chaffetz’s piece in the Washington Examiner “USMA renewal: American manufacturing is a nonnegotiable,” I immediately thought of my friend Professor Don Boudreaux of George Mason University. Don is arguably the leading expert on tariffs and their impact. He along with my old University of Georgia economics tutor, Phil Gramm have contributed many articles (many in the Wall Street Journal) and a recent book “The Triumph of Economic Freedom: Debunking the Seven Great Myths of Capitalism.” In it they debunk many of the protectionist arguments of those such as Chaffetz who favor tariffs. So naturally I sent Don Chaffetz’s article: 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/usmca-renewal-american-manufacturing-is-a-nonnegotiable/ar-AA21f4wm

His response was priceless. It can be found on his blog Cage Hayek:

Protectionist Fallacies Pour Forth

I repost it here with his permission.

Here’s a letter to the Washington Examiner. (I thank Prof. Harold Black for alerting me to this piece by Chaffetz.)

Editor:

Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz’s defense of Trump’s tariffs is a mayhem of misunderstanding (“USMCA renewal: American manufacturing is a nonnegotiable,” April 19).

By writing of “bringing manufacturing back home,” Chaffetz sneaks in the baseless conclusion that manufacturing in the U.S. has gone away or otherwise suffered in the few decades leading up to Trump’s presidency. In fact, manufacturing output in the month before Mr. Trump began his second term was, although 10% lower than the all-time high it hit in December 2007, 9% higher than when China joined the World Trade Organization, 51% higher than when NAFTA took effect, and 164% higher than in 1975, the last year the U.S. ran an annual trade surplus.

Even these numbers don’t adequately convey the strength of U.S. manufacturing. On an absolute basis, the U.S. trails only China in the value created by its manufacturing sector, yet on a per-capita basis U.S. manufacturing value-added is 158% higher than China’s.

And high-value-added manufacturing in the U.S. is expanding, while much of the moderation in the 21^stcentury in the growth of U.S. manufacturing is due to the steep decline in American production of textiles and leather goods – a low-value-added segment of manufacturing that’s typically performed in low-wage countries that are just beginning to industrialize. It’s only because American workers in these industries encountered better opportunities in other occupations that American textile and leather-goods production fell so dramatically. We should be pleased, not perturbed, at this development. (If you doubt this conclusion, ask: How many people do you know who long for their children and grandchildren to spend their lives working in textile mills?)

A final point: By subsidizing their countries’ exports to the U.S., foreign governments compel their citizens to bestow gifts on us Americans. We are enriched by such gifts no less than we are enriched by technological advances that reduce the amount of American labor required to produce manufactured goods. Especially if we take a stance now fashionable in some conservative circles and reject “cosmopolitanism” in favor of what is called ‘putting America first,’ we should welcome rather than reject foreign countries’ self-destructive practice of ‘putting America first’ by selling to us goods at prices below cost.

Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Professor of Economics
and
Martha and Nelson Getchell Chair for the Study of Free Market Capitalism at the Mercatus Center
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030

No diplomats? Haitians still here?

Where are our diplomats?

The president’s disdain for our diplomatic corps is front and center in the Iran “negotiations.” Over 1,500 State Department officials have been fired and 30 diplomats were recalled. A survey revealed that 98 percent of foreign service members indicated low morale. So instead of sending trained diplomats to negotiate with the Iranians he sent a couple of real estate executives, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner along with JD Vance to do a deal with the Iranians. Witkoff and Kushner were Trump’s negotiators with Russia and Ukraine so they obviously have a track record as pretend diplomats. Vance is certainly anything but a diplomat but no mind since apparently no negotiations were intended. 

Iran sent two planeloads of negotiators. They included members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) perhaps to ensure that no gains made in the field were relinquished at the diplomatic table. Iran’s delegation represented the political, legal, security, economic and military factions. The chief Iranian negotiators were Ali Bagheri Kani, the deputy secretary of the supreme national security council who was the chief negotiator in previous nuclear talks, and Abbas Araghchi, the lead negotiator in 2015 and now the foreign minister. But none of the lead US negotiators was a diplomat groomed in negotiations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is certainly no diplomat but then he and the president were attending a UFC match in Miami – no doubt showing the importance of the negotiations with the Iranians. Although talks went on for 20 hours little was accomplished and Vance walked out. The Babylon Bee said that the reason nothing was settled was because the Iranian translator was sick and no one else spoke English leading the Iranians just to nod during the talks.

The president is apparently looking to make impose a deal on the Iranians rather than engage in negotiations. The reports seem to indicate that both sides were entrenched and it was “take it or leave it.” Vance said that the Americans came to see “if we could get to a situation where the Iranians were willing to accept our terms”.  They didn’t. Vance actually said that the proposals were the administration’s best and final offer indication that no negotiations were actually intended. I don’t know why they even went to Islamabad if that were the case.

Actually one wonders of Araghchi had the authority to negotiate in the first place. It was Araghchi who said that the Strait of Hormuz was open during the duration of the 10 day cease fire. The revolutionary guard leadership promptly reversed that statement saying that ships must continue paying Iran a toll, and that Iran was reserving the right to retaliate for the U.S. blockade. The US Navy promptly impounded an Iranian cargo ship imperiling future talks and the ceasefire.

What would it take for Trump to end his war? Would he settle for an opening of the strait if the Iranians promised to freeze their nuclear program? The question is for how long? Trump has repeatedly said that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. Is he still saying that? Also I presume that Trump will also have to agree to unfreeze Iranian assets and let them sell their oil on the open market. If he does that then he will be doing exactly what Obama and Biden did which was roundly criticized by Trump and the republicans.

Let’s recall Trump’s stated objectives. First, “We’re ensuring that the world’s number one sponsor of terror can NEVER obtain a nuclear weapon.” Second, destroying Iran’s missile capabilities. Three, neutralize threats to international shipping and US naval forces in the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Four, ensuring the Iranian regime cannot arm, fund, and direct terrorist armies outside their borders. And perhaps, five – regime change.

Wouldn’t it be interesting that none of these are accomplished and Iran’s assets get unfrozen and they can sell their oil? This would look like an Iranian victory. But some victory. A consequence of Trump’s war is that Iran’s economy is in shambles. Its resources have been battered. Its inflation is close to triple digits. Iran wants reparations to pay for all the damage and to help it rebuild. But that is doubtful. So the outcome of all this may just be that Iran will be too crippled to be a menace for the foreseeable future. Will that be enough?

Maybe if Iran, like Qatar, offered to build a Trump hotel with a golf course and give him a new plane, Trump would declare victory and bring our troops home.

Haitians, Part 2

The House just passed a measure to rescind the expulsion of the Haitians here under the Temporary Protective Status. All the democrats were joined by 11 republicans to reinstate temporary legal protections for the 350,000 Haitian immigrants here under the program. The program shields them from deportation and allows them to have work permits. The bill goes to the Senate and I haven’t a clue what will happen there. But I do know that if it passes, the president will veto it. You may recall that Trump has ranted and raved about the Haitians and even contended that they were eating people’s pets. There is little doubt that Trump wants them gone.

The Mighty Trump

Arguably the greatest contribution made by Donald Trump to the American presidency is to test the boundaries of the executive. Basically, he has adopted the approach of “stop me if you can.” He has attempted to fire and replace presidential nominees who were confirmed by the Senate with fixed terms to “independent” agencies that are technically under the executive branch of government. He successfully fired Gwynne Wilcox of the Labor Relations Board and Cathy Harris of the Merit Systems Protection board. The attempted firings of two FTC commissioners remain in dispute as their cases are still being litigated. At one of my old agencies, the National Credit Union Administration, Trump removed the two democrat members of the board – Todd Harper and Tanya Otsuka – although he had appointed Harper to the board in his first term. They sued and were reinstated but were again removed as another court put their case on hold until the attempted firing of Fed governor Lisa Cook is heard by the Supreme Court. The outcome of the Supreme Court case will have implications going forward on all class of appointees to fixed terms on “independent” boards.

Trump has also sought to rule by edict and take a somewhat expansive view of his designated powers. His first day back in office he issued 26 executive orders soon followed by 226 more. He declared 12 national emergencies, often where obviously none existed just to be able to exercise certain powers – like the imposition of universal tariffs. The republicans with control of both the House and the Senate chose not to counter Trump and essentially let him do what he pleased. Where there was push back it came from the private sector in the form of lawsuit after lawsuit. 

Such an exercise actually is valuable because it allows the courts define the limits of executive power. Trump has pushed those limits. He has sold Venezuelan oil and put the proceeds into an offshore account in Qatar. He and his family have increased their wealth by billions since he came back into office. He has had the government take equity positions in private enterprises. He has intervened in corporate decisions, shaken the foundations of NATO, threatened to seize Greenland and tried to intimidate virtually every country on the planet. He has cut of all funding to the United Nations, withdrawn from the World Trade Organization and completely alienated our “allies’.  He has upended the security of the federal work force essentially firing over 400,000 civil servants.

Then there is the attempt to nationalize federal elections. Do you really want the Department of Homeland Security to create a federal citizenship list for each state and to direct the U.S. Postal Service to mail ballots only to those who appear on that list?

Some of the executive orders have made their way to the Supreme Court. Birthright citizenship is now being argued. The universal tariffs justified under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) have been heard and the court ruled that Trump’s illegal tariffs were indeed illegal. Trump and his people cited the 1798 Alien Enemies Act as authority for summary deportations off illegals and the warrantless searches of homes. The courts ruled against him. Trump authorized the destruction of suspected drug boats in the Eastern Caribbean despite the legality of the action. And of course he seized the ruler of an independent country and unilaterally is waging a war not endorsed by the congress. BTW, what happened to the War Powers Act?

Multitudes of critics say that he is abusing the office. I disagree. He would be abusing the office if he went beyond what was legally possible. But what is legally possible? I don’t blame him in testing the limits of the office. Powers exist to the executive that until Trump had not been fully explored. The presidency comes with all sorts of powers – emergency powers, unilateral trade authority, administrative control over vast swaths of economic life, and the ability to wage war at will. Even the demolition of the East Wing and the construction of the ballroom were based on Trump’s claim that the Congress has given him authority in existing statutes to construct his East Wing ballroom project and to do it with private funds. A Reagan appointed federal judge disagreed and put the project on hold. The judge said that although Trump occupied the White House he did not own it. He also said that under Trump’s interpretation of his powers, he could raze the White House entirely and put up another Trump Tower in its place.

Other presidents have put their toe in the water by issuing edits too. But Trump has jumped into the pool. The republicans in the Congress do not have the guts to confront him and the democrats are powerless to do anything but carp. It is up to the courts to define the limits of executive power and they are doing just that although Trump does not seem to acknowledge it. Recall he said when asked what limits his power and he said “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me, and that’s very good.” That, of course, is debatable.

So there are the courts to limit presidential power. But there are two other factors as well: the markets and public opinion. The markets are tanking given his war on Iran and public opinion is falling. In the past, he has heeded the warnings from the market – but less to public opinion. As of yet neither seem to be affecting his push for more power. Lastly as I have often mentioned before, the democrats should be supporting Trump rather than resisting him because when the next democrat occupies the White House, he, too, can follow Trump’s lead in expanding the power of the executive. 

Yet at his core, Trump more often than not seems like a schoolyard bully with a thin skin lashing out at any criticism.

Year of the rapper and the consolidation of power

The year of the rapper

Nepal like New York City just elected a young former rapper as its leader. The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) won a landslide victory in Nepal’s election – the first held since last year’s youth-led protests toppled the then government. RSP’s Balendra Shah will be the country’s next prime minister. Like Peter Magyar’s party in Hungary the RSP is new, having started in 2022. Shah previously was mayor of Kathmandu. The youth-led protests that broke out last year forced the then prime minister KP Sharma Oli to resign only to run again in the new election. His party came in third. The RSP received 182 seats, falling short of achieving a two-thirds supermajority in the parliament’s lower house by only two seats. The Nepali Congress came in second with 38 seats, Oli’s party was third with only 25 seats and Oli, himself, also was defeated for his seat by a member of RSP. 

I wonder if Snoop Dogg has political aspirations? 

Consolidated power 

Hungary

Hungary just voted out Viktor Orbán after a 16 year rule. The left rejoiced and the media was jubilant calling Orbán a Trump favorite. Trump, knowing that Orbán was in trouble, had dispatched vice president Vance to Hungary to campaign for him. Orbán had endorsed Trump in 2024 – I wonder if that affected the Hungarian-American vote. So I guess Trump was repaying the favor and was trying to sway the American-Hungarian voters. Vance spoke to over 1,000 Orbán supporters at a rally at in Budapest telling the crowd: “We have got to get Viktor Orbán reelected as prime minister of Hungary, don’t we?” Trump sent a video message saying Orbán had his “complete and total endorsement” and was a “fantastic guy.”

Well apparently not since Orbán lost in a landslide to Peter Magyar’s insurgent Tisza party which was founded in 2020. He criticized Orbán’s “illiberal democracy” which was based on the government consolidating control over key state institutions, including the judiciary and media. Magyar who once had been a member of Orbán’s Fidesz party campaigned on corruption, healthcare, transport, and the restoration of Hungary’s ties with the EU and NATO. His victory should reduce Hungary’s role as a spoiler inside the EU. Orbán often sided with Putin against the EU. He voted against loans by the EU to Ukraine and received an exemption from Trump to buy Russian oil.

The left was overjoyed in one of Trump’s buddies being ousted. Chuck Schumer sent a congratulatory message to Magyar and tweeted “Pay attention, Donald Trump. Wannabe dictators wear out their welcome. November 2026 can’t come soon enough.” Apparently, Schumer must think that Magyar will joint Spain in being ruled by the left. But he is wrong.

But I am glad that Orbán is gone as well. I did not care for his continuing to centralize power and moving away from democratic rule. I know that is what the left rails that Trump is doing but don’t they realize that centralized power is at the heart of socialism too? I guess the left has forgotten about Obama ruling (like Trump) by executive order. The left cheers Orbán’s defeat for his opposition to immigration and gay rights. But although the left may be ecstatic, the Tisza Party is not on the left. It is a conservative, pro-European, populist party. Magyar’s stance on immigration may actually be stricter than Orban’s. Magyar actually criticized Orbán for admitting too manymigrants under Hungary’s guest worker program. We will have to wait and see if Magyar will return to a less centralized model for governing as promised.

My fear is that the Trump model will be emulated by the next democrat president who will continue to demand equity positions in private corporations, issue more executive orders, weaponize the DOJ and the rest of the federal bureaucracy against the democratic institutions that have made this country free and great. Magyar’s victory should be a signal to both the left and the right that the voters will tire of a nationalist strongman and move to reinstitute the democratic model.  It is also a warning shot to both parties that voters tire of a system where neither party addresses vital issues giving birth to a new party that displaces the old. Do I hear Tea Party anyone?

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s ruling party, Zanu-PF is trying to amend their constitution to replace public voting in presidential elections with selection by the parliament and extend the presidential term from five to seven years. The current president Emmerson Mnangagwa to stick around for a couple of more years. The opposition party say that Mnangagwa is seeking to entrench power and this is a “slow coup” stripping citizens of the ability to directly elect a president. Yet in countries like England, Canada and Nepal the leader of the country is the head of the majority party in the legislature. So we would have had Nancy Pilosi as prime minister. How would that have worked out?

Vietnam

Meanwhile, centralization seems to be a common theme. Vietnam has just named To Lam, the head of their communist party, as president. Previously, the country was governed with a collective leadership model. The power was distributed across the two positions to prevent consolidation of power. No more. Vietnam currently has both private enterprises and state-owned enterprises and Lam may want greater state control of the private sector. The markets may be concerned about increases in corruption as Lam expands state-owned enterprises. The markets also worry if Lam may inhibit the private sector leading to a decrease in economic growth. The consolidation of power raises an empirical question as to whether centralized governments are more prone to corruption than more decentralized governments.

Lower those rates, darn it! Or else.

Trump just won’t give up his witch hunt targeting Fed chairman Jerome Powell. Despite the Department of Justice’s subpoenas thrown out, the US attorney for the District of Columbia Judge Jeanine Pirro has continued the harassment of Powell. A couple members of her staff paid a surprise visit to the renovation of the Fed’s headquarters. They were turned away after being told that they could not enter without preclearance. Pirro issued a statement saying “Any construction project that has cost overruns of almost 80 percent over the original construction budget deserves some serious review. And these people are in charge of monetary policy in the United States?” Of course, Pirro did not comment on Trump’s ballroom being over 100 percent over budget. The Fed’s outside attorney objected to the visit in a letter to Pirro’s office saying “Should you wish to challenge that finding, the courts provide an avenue for you; it is not appropriate for you to try to circumvent it. I ask that you commit not to seek to communicate with my client outside the presence of counsel.”

Of course, Pirro will ignore the objection. I believe it is obvious what she is doing. She is trying to become the next attorney general. Recall that Trump was unhappy with Pam (Blondie) Bondi for her lack of aggressive pursuit of Trump’s adversaries when those cases were of dubious merit. Not so with Judge Jeanine! Trump has praised her for having the courage to continue the investigation of Powell. Some courage!

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) has said that hearings for Trump’s nominee to replace Powell as chairman would not be held until the harassment of Powell was stopped. He relented and those hearing will take place starting on April 21. Trump, of course, has dismissed Tillis’ stance saying when asked if Tillis would vote for Warsh “He might not, but that’s why Tillis is no longer a senator.” Tillis is retiring but is still a senator and responded “I’m not dead yet.”

However, the hearings do not guarantee that Warsh’s nomination will get out of committee as long as the investigation of Powell continues. Powell’s term as chairman ends in May and it is likely that Warsh’s confirmation may not be completed by then. That would mean that Powell would stay as chairman until Warsh is confirmed. Powell also has given no indication that he will resign his position as a Fed governor which has two more years to run.

Trump had a cow saying that if Powell won’t resign then he will fire him. Powell says that Trump does not have the legal authority and that he has no intention of leaving the Fed until the investigation is over with “finality.” Trump said the investigation will continue even if it obstructs the confirmation of Kevin Warsh. Trump also said “If he’s (Powell) not leaving on time, I’ve held back firing him, I’ve wanted to fire him, but I hate to be controversial, you know. I want to be uncontroversial.” Trump “uncontroversial”? That will be the day.

But let us suppose that Warsh’s nomination is on-going when Powell is supposed to step down as chairman. What then? Let’s then assume that Trump says “You are fired!” Then what? Nothing if the Supreme Court has ruled that Trump cannot fire a Fed governor. But if the Supreme Court rules, however unlikely, that Powell can be fired as chairman – but not as a governor – then Trump cannot name a sitting governor as a replacement (likely Waller or Bowman). Instead, the Fed governors themselves are responsible for naming one of their own as an interim until a permanent successor can be confirmed. Then Powell who would still be a governor could be named interim in the ultimate put down of the president.

Trump’s effort to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook is still on the Supreme Court’s docket. The outcome of that case will go a long way in determining if the president can replace a Fed governor. I hope that Trump loses this case. It is shortsighted on his part and demonstrates even more that Trump is about Trump with little regard to the consequences of his actions. If he prevails, then in essence the Fed loses its independence and becomes a vassal of the executive. You can just imagine some future president replacing some or all of the seven governors if they do not bend to his wishes – capricious or not. Hey, how about that zero Fed funds rate, y’all?

Federal government waste and Larry Doby Day.

April 15 is noteworthy for two things. It is Tax Day and it is when Major League Baseball celebrates Jackie Robinson Day. First, Tax Day is a reminder of all of the time wasted filling out one’s taxes. The Treasury Department reports that 169 million Americans file individual income tax returns every year. On average, each spends about 12 hours and 37 minutes completing the forms. That is more than 2.1 billion total hours not devoted to productive activity. The New York Times points out that this translates to $94 billion per year or three times the GDP of Ireland. Since JD Vance is supposed to be investigating waste and fraud, maybe he should address the waste of complying with our burdensome Rube Goldberg tax code with its 2,652 pages and it’s over 70,000 pages of regulations, guidance and interpretations. A flat tax of 18 percent on all income with no exemptions and no exceptions would reduce all that to one sentence. Of course then all those tax lawyers and accountants would have to find something productive to do with themselves.

Also speaking of waste, a report from something called the Competitive Enterprise Institute says that “Federal regulation’s total compliance costs and economic effects are at least $2.153 trillion annually, and certainly vastly higher.” 

https://cei.org/studies/ten-thousand-commandments-2025/

I thought Trump was supposed to deregulate? But these numbers do not show it because the regulatory costs have remained virtually unchanged during his term. When Trump came into office he noted “the United States is drastically overregulated” and that “the Code of Federal Regulations contains over 48,000 sections, stretching over 175,000 pages.” Well even though there are now almost 500,000 fewer Federal employees, how many fewer regulations are there? Some put the cost savings of Trump’s deregulatory efforts at a piddling $15 billion which is a mere rounding error. Do you know that there are 445 federal agencies with the authority to issue regulations and rules? In 2025 those agencies issued 2,441 regulations. That was down from the 3,248 that were issued in Biden’s last year in office. Everything is relative. In 2025, 61,584 pages were added to the Federal Register which was actually the lowest total added since 1992. Thank goodness for small miracles!

Jackie Robinson  – Larry Doby Day

I have posted before about how much I hate Jackie Robinson Day where all players wear Robinson’s number 42. Again, I don’t hate Jackie Robinson. Quite the contrary, I admire him greatly. It is that I hate it that Larry Doby – a great player who is also in the Hall of Fame – who integrated the American League the same year that Robinson entered is ignored. Robinson started the year in Brooklyn while Doby came into the league after the all star break. I have suggested that everyone wear 42 except the Indians (Guardians) who should wear Doby’s number 14. Doby is another example that few people remember who was number 2. Who was the second man on the moon? BTW, I have four baseball jerseys, Doby, Hank Aaron (thanks to a great friend), Frank Robinson (Cincinnati not Baltimore) and Sam Jethroe – the first black player for the then Boston Braves who was the 1950 National League’s Rookie of the Year. To that point I have also suggested that there should be a day when all the major league teams were the number of their first black player.