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Trump’s stupid tariffs

I was interviewed on a local radio talk show about Trump’s tariffs. I talked about what the consequences were for the US, Canada and Mexico of a 25 percent tariff. Trump also imposed only a 10% tariff on China. What happened to that 60% Chinese tariff Donald? I thought it a bit strange to put a higher tariff on our allies and a lower one on our biggest adversary. The host asked what economists favored the tariffs. I said that I did not know of any – except those who were on Trump’s payroll. I pointed out that my University of Georgia economics tutor, Phil Gramm along with Larry Summers had written a letter to Trump asking him not to impose the tariffs. Gramm is on the right while Summers is on the left. Of course, Trump has been told all this since he first spouted off about the “beauty” of tariffs. In so do, he is ignoring the advice of leading economists and ignoring history. Right after I signed off the interview a rabid Trump supporter called in defending Trump and calling me a Trump hater and a leftist. When the host asked the caller where he got his data to refute me he said “the Bible”. I’m now searching for the gospel that supports imposing tariffs on your friends.

It is not clear what Trump is trying to accomplish. He says it is about fentanyl and illegals. He’s lying. The Canadians have little to do with either. Trump could have gotten the Mexican government to help in lessening the flow of both to our southern borders and increased border security along the Rio Grande. But no. Its tariffs instead. If fentanyl were the motivating reason then he would have imposed a 100% tariff on China and not a measly 10%. None of this makes any sense. Trump says of Canada that we don’t need their lumber, we don’t need their oil and we can build their cars and trucks in Detroit. But even Trump knows that if we cut Canadian trade to zero, those industries won’t just materialize overnight in the US and when they do, they will be more expensive that what comes from Canada making the American consumer poorer.

I guess we don’t need the Mexican autos, trucks and parts either. In 2023, Mexico supplied 63 percent of U.S. vegetable imports and 47 percent of U.S. fruit and nut imports. So I guess we don’t need those either. Bye bye Modelo, bye bye avocados – I am no guacamole fan so it will be no big loss to me.

But seriously what is Trump trying to accomplish? I think he is trying to isolate America and build a wall around it. I also think that he has this hangup on trade deficits and wants all trading partners to buy dollar for dollar from America what we import from their country. I guess he doesn’t realize that our economy is a lot wealthier than that of any of our trading partners.

The two states that trade most with Canada are Michigan and Illinois. Texas trades more with Mexico than any other state. Surely you would expect republicans from both states to oppose the tariffs. But hardly a peep from them. Of course the senators for Michigan and Illinois are democrats and the squad member Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit said “Working class families are already struggling with the high cost of living and unaffordable groceries. More than half of our fruits and vegetables come from Canada and Mexico.” Wow! If Trump can turn Tlaib into a free trader then maybe there is hope for her after all. What about Texas? Hardly nothing from their senators or their governor. Ted Cruz has been especially meek about criticizing Trump. Texas’ other senator John Cornyn called the tariffs as “potentially problematic.” The only outspoken critic on the republican side has been Kentucky’s Rand Paul who said that tariffs are taxes and Trumps’ tariffs would cause prices to rise.

Trump is no Ronald Reagan who once said “Our trade policy rests firmly on the foundation of free and open markets. I recognize … the inescapable conclusion that all of history has taught: The freer the flow of world trade, the stronger the tides of human progress and peace among nations.” Once conservatives aligned with Reagan. Today they are afraid of Trump. Yet you know that if Trump is for something then the democrats will be against it. Sure enough Trump has turned the democrats into free traders. Ron Wyden, Tammy Baldwin, Jeanne Shaheen and others have come out against Trump’s tariffs. Baldwin says in part “The tariffs the President announced today will force Wisconsin families to pay the price. Industries where people grow things and make things – like Wisconsin’s iconic farming and manufacturing sectors – are going to be crushed by this. Families across the country are going to be paying more out of their wallets from the gas pump and the grocery store – and it will only get worse when retaliation hits.” Shaheen says “Putting far-reaching tariffs on our neighbors and close trading partners is going to spike costs for our families, businesses and workers. It’s a fact that hardworking American consumers and small businesses will be forced to foot the bill of the President’s price hikes, not foreign countries. “Because of this misguided, politically motivated action, the cost of everything from cars and gas to housing and groceries will increase—and Americans struggling to make ends meet will be hit the hardest. While that might not matter to Donald Trump and his entourage of billionaires, it matters deeply to the people in my state.” Wyden said that that blanket, arbitrary 25 percent tariffs would immediately hammer working Americans with higher prices, while accomplishing little.

So Trump has succeeded in turning democrats into free traders. Further evidence that someone in Washington is reading my blog is that the democrats are introducing a bill to require the president to get congressional approval for the imposition of new tariffs. I have said in the past that the presidential power to impose tariffs should be curbed. Now expect the republicans who control both the House and the Senate to be put in the embarrassing position of having to oppose a bill that they favor, because they fear the wrath of Trump.

These tariffs are stupid. Look for the republicans to lose the House in 2026.

Did you see the story that the “Indian River ritual turns deadly?” I thought for a fleeting moment that the story was about kids tossing oranges off of bridges onto oncoming traffic in Florida. Instead it was about a crowd of worshipers in India crushing people that were asleep on river banks as the crowd was trying to get to the river for ritual bathing. Would you believe that 450 million people attended the ritual over a six week period? That’s greater than the population in the US and a bit more than a third of all Indians. Amazing.

Speaking of amazing, Stevie Wonder is going to perform at FireAid, the fundraiser for the victims of the LA fires. Welcome back! He is looking good and I have missed his music. His last studio album was “A Time for Love” released ten years ago. Prince helped out on “What the Fuss?” India Aire and Paul McCartney are on “A Time for Love.” It is a wonderful album but not quite up to Talking Book, Innervisions, Songs in the key of Life, Music of my Mind, or Fullfillingness First Finale. 

But what puzzles me is that Wonder renounced his citizenship and became a citizen of Ghana. Why he would want to be a citizen of the country that put his African ancestors in cages and sold them to white slavers for shipment around the world is beyond me. If he were disenchanted with the United States then why did he write “Positivity”?

Positivity

Stevie Wonder

Some people ask me why always on the bright side 
When there’s so much going on down the other side 
It’s like I live in a bubble with no trouble 
And problems don’t exist

I chuckle and tell them that ain’t the case at all 
It goes way back to the time when I was very small 
Not in mind but size and age my papa use to say

You can always look at the negative 
But you should always live in the positive 
So I try everyday to live that way 
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Some people live in what was and what they could have been 
As opposed to living in a what is and how much they can 
And be the first to complain about nothing in life going their way 
The attitude is “that I can’t do nothing ’bout” 
And very happy with just breathing in and out 
The ones that when you say “lets go make a difference” 
They’ll say “naw that’s OK”

So I don’t waste time on the trip side 
‘Cause I do know the real on the flipside 
And I’m crystal clear everyday that’s why I say, yeah 
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

When I see the morning 
And the sun is smiling down upon me 
I joy in the blessing 
That still the ground is not above me 
And for the people 
That I can truly say do love me, I feel 
Positivity, ’cause that’s what life’s meant to be 
Positivity, ’cause this day did not have to be

Some ask me why I’m such an optimist 
When it’s more fashionable be a pessimist 
From what’s in seventy-five percent of what we read, hear and view 
Well I use to have a friend named Minnie Riperton 
Who use to always say when she was living 
“Like fine wine I like seeing the glass of life as half full than half empty”

I’m saying sometimes life can’t be rough 
But never to the point of me saying I’ve had enough 
Long as my heart beats I ain’t giving up 
That’s why I say everyday 
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

When people ask me as an African American 
What do I see for tomorrow in the human plan? 
Is it possible for all the people of the world to co-exist?

I say unity is only as big as our vision 
And if its narrow, try to expand beyond the horizon 
But true leaders must guide us through the ills of society 
That stands in our way 
So if the road is to harmony, be with the call 
But if its about discord, don’t take the ride at all 
‘Cause the world vision I see is the one-we for everybody 
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

When I see the morning 
And the sun is smiling down upon me 
Just joy in the blessing 
That still the ground is not above me 
And for the people 
That you can truly say do love you, do feel 
Positivity, ’cause that’s what life’s meant to be

Positivity, and that’s the energy the world needs 
Positivity, ’cause that’s what life means to me 
Positivity, ’cause this day did not have to be 
Positivity, ’cause that’s what life’s meant to be 
Positivity, ’cause that’s the energy the world needs 
Positivity, ’cause that’s what life’s meant to be 
Positivity, and this day did not have to be 
Positivity, ’cause that’s what life means to me 
Positivity, and that’s the energy the world needs 
Positivity, ’cause that’s what life’s meant to be 
Positivity, and that’s the energy the world needs

Read the words. Better yet listen to the song. I have used clips of it in various speeches. In fact “You can always look at the negative. But you should always live in the positive” sounds like a quote from my father about surviving in the Jim Crow south.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=positivity+stevie+wonder&t=osx&iar=videos&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DCGhbnllOBTY

Half jokingly I have wondered if Trump reads my blog. It seems that many of the things that I have suggested are being seriously considered by republicans in Congress or the office of the president. Moving the agencies out of DC is one example. Another is when I was upset – some said infuriated – that Trump was not going to commemorate Black History Month. Well lo and behold, Trump issued a statement to the contrary on January 31.

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 
A PROCLAMATION

 Today, I am very honored to recognize February 2025 as National Black History Month.

     Every year, National Black History Month is an occasion to celebrate the contributions of so many black American patriots who have indelibly shaped our Nation’s history.

     Throughout our history, black Americans have been among our country’s most consequential leaders, shaping the cultural and political destiny of our Nation in profound ways.  American heroes such as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Thomas Sowell, Justice Clarence Thomas, and countless others represent what is best in America and her citizens.  Their achievements, which have monumentally advanced the tradition of equality under the law in our great country, continue to serve as an inspiration for all Americans.  We will also never forget the achievements of American greats like Tiger Woods, who have pushed the boundaries of excellence in their respective fields, paving the way for others to follow. 

     This National Black History Month, as America prepares to enter a historic Golden Age, I want to extend my tremendous gratitude to black Americans for all they have done to bring us to this moment, and for the many future contributions they will make as we advance into a future of limitless possibility under my Administration.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim February 2025 as National Black History Month.  I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.

Thank you! Please also note that Trump – like yours truly – does not capitalize “b” when referring to us in racial terms. That style was imposed on us after George Floyd and I won’t bend to the libs that want to divide us further. Remember the days when the left wanted integration?

Direct Instruction is Gas, Dog! Fa Sho!

The astonishingly poor academic performance of students in our public schools continues. The Wall Street Journal reports that only 60 percent of American fourth graders can read at grade level. They were shocked. Well this is an average. Imagine how really shocked they would be if they found that according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 84 percent of black students lack proficiency in math and 85 percent lack proficiency in reading. Recall the study that found that in 33 schools in Chicago there were no students that could read or write at grade level. 

This poor performance is met with indifference by school administrators and the education establishment to change how students are “taught”. Also astonishing is the total absence of criticisms from black politicians and Civil Rights organizations. Instead the impetus for change is from parents who want more for their children as evidenced by the over 1,000,000 students on waiting lists for charter and private schools. Of course, the education establishment opposes charter schools and vouchers because they threaten their main source of income. Most black politicians and organizations are beholding to the teachers’ unions and put their financial support above the needs of their constituents’ children.

I have written many times on the failure of our schools to teach reading so our children will be proficient at grade level. I have also written how the local school administration had rebuffed any effort to change the failed method of instruction to one that has demonstrated success, direct instruction. As a result I have concluded that the education establishment simply does not want poor kids, in particular black kids to learn how to read. Instead of teaching, the unions have resorted to using Critical Race Theory to make excuses for their failures in the classroom.

The problem stems from the fact that most poor children are raised in households that do not speak the language of the classroom. When those children go to school they find themselves having to learn English as a foreign language while trying to stay current in the classroom. Things are not as bad as when there was slavery. When Sherman marched through Georgia, thousands of slaves ran away from the plantations and became camp followers. Bennett Parten’s “Somewhere Toward Freedom: Sherman’s March and the Story of America’s Largest Emancipation” tells the story of a Union soldier asking a slave where she is going and she responds “I’s gwine where you’s gwine.” BTW, my maternal great grandfather was one of those camp followers. 

Today, just like yesterday, much of the language of the poor is difficult to understand. Imagine children growing up with this vernacular then arriving at your local elementary school. How do you meet this challenge to make them literate in two languages? The only method that has proven effective is called direct instruction which has been rejected by the education establishment. I have written on this topic and will write more. But for now here are some examples of the urban English spoken by many of our inner city children.

These are adapted from Odyssey https://www.theodysseyonline.com/nyc-urban-slang-dictionary#google_vignette

1. Whack = (adj.) used to describe something that is appalling in nature

“That’s whack!”

2. Grill = (v.) to stare, usually impolitely, to give a dirty look

“Dude stop grilling my girlfriend, I know her braids look dookie whack.”

Grill is also used to refer to the jewelry worn on one’s teeth.

3. To front/Fronting = (v.) to put on a façade, acting like you are something that you are not.

“Stop fronting like you own the place.”

4. Cop = (v.) to buy

“I’m about to cop some chips, want some?”

5. Catch these hands = phrase used to initiate a fight

“If that girl keeps grilling me she gonna catch these hands.”

6. Crusty = (adj.) used to describe someone who is dirty or trashy

“Girl, did you shower today? Your hair is looking musty, dusty, and crusty.”

7. Lit = (adj.) used to describe someone or something that is amazing 

“That party was lit!”

8. Mad = (adv.) a lot

“She has mad problems.”

9. Dumb = (adv.) extremely

“This party is dumb lit.”

10. Brick = (adj.) very cold

“It’s mad brick out.”

11. Tight = (v.) to be upset

“You’re getting me dumb tight.”

12. Thirsty = (adj.) desperate (for sex)

“I ‘m thirsty.”

13. Buggin’ = freaking out, acting up

She’s buggin.”

14. Dog = (n.) a good friend

“That’s my dog!”

15. B = (n.) a good friend

“What’s good, B?”

16. Sus = questionable, dishonest or false

“Its us that he say he don’t know how to shoot craps.”

17. Dead ass = (adj.) seriously

“You dead ass getting me tight, B”

*Could also be used as follows:

“Dead ass?” = Are you serious?

“Dead ass!” = Yes.

18. Guap = (n.) money

“Okay, this to all of my enemies that seeing me gettin’ guap right now.” 

19. Grimey = (adj.) used to describe a back-stabber

“I’m telling you, bro. He’s mad grimey, ain’t no trusting him.”

20. OD = (adj.) excessive, an abbreviation for “over-doing”

“Man, my teacher just put some OD stuff on the black board.“

21. It is dead ass brick out there today.

 “It is seriously cold today.”

22. Aiight – all right

And then there is the ubiquitous “yanowhaimsayn?”

Good luck teaching these kids past participles, conjunctions, misplaced modifiers and compound predicates!

 

I Guess it Must be that Wonderful DC Cuisine!

The Fed’s Open Market Committee Meeting was January 28-29. The Open Market Committee meets at least four times a year and is tasked with deciding the course of monetary policy. All seven Fed governors are on the committee along with the president of the New York reserve bank and four of the remaining 11 reserve bank presidents who serve on a rotating basis. At the meeting all reserve bank presidents have a seat at the table and participate in the discussion whether or not they are a voting member. They are joined at the meeting by members of their economics staff.

One of the members of my dissertation committee left Ohio State to join the Fed as an economist. He rose to the position of chief economist of the Open Market Committee and when I was living in Washington, he would invite me to attend the Committee meetings. I sat in the back of the room watching the sausage being made. The meetings are held in secret. In those days there was no announcement of their deliberations although sometimes there would be a leak to the press. Once a Fed chairman fired a reserve bank director for leaking to the press a change in the discount rate (the rate that the Fed charges banks to borrow money). Fed chair Greenspan was one who did not eschew obfuscation and did his best to keep Fed decisions secret lest the market would offset the Fed’s intended actions.

Now the Fed is more open. At the end of the meeting the chairman, Jay Powell, holds a press conference to announce the decision of the Open Market Committee. The minutes of the meeting are published a few months later but are hardly informative. For example, there could be a subject introduced and a long lively discussion followed by an action decision. However, the minutes will simply read “a discussion ensued.” It used to be that the votes of the Committee were not disclosed. The thinking was that if the votes are split, it would show dissension within the Committee and that the chairman was losing control. In the past the markets have reacted negatively to such news. However, at the meeting prior to this one it was revealed that the vote to lower the Fed funds target rate was not unanimous. The new president of the Cleveland Fed, Beth Hammack voted not to lower the rate. Not a peep from the market. Yet last year when Fed governor Michelle Bowman dissented the Dow fell by 1,100 points, not because of her dissent but because Powell indicated that perhaps there will be two more cuts when the market had expected four more.

This time the Fed announced no change in the rate. The vote was unanimous. There was no decided market reaction in that no rate change was expected. In fact, the market expects that there will be no change when the Fed meets in March. So why spend all the money bringing the 12 reserve bank presidents and their staffs to Washington for a two day meeting to discuss monetary policy changes if there are not going to be any changes? In fact, why come to Washington at all? Hasn’t the Fed heard of Zoom? Of course the Fed’s funding does not come from the taxpayers. It comes from the assessments of the banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System (all nationally chartered banks and the  state chartered banks that opt for membership). The Fed’s budget is subject to congressional review but to my knowledge the Congress has not demanded any change to how the Fed spends its funds.

The Fed seems to be one of Trump’s many targets. Although he appointed Powell, it is doubtful that he will reappoint him when his term expires on May 15, 2026. Trump was critical of the Fed’s actions over the past four years for allowing inflation to increase significantly. He is now demanding that the Fed continue to lower its target Fed funds rate as inflation recedes. Powell demurred saying that the Fed would make its decisions based on an impartial analysis of the relevant data rather than from outside pressures. And remember that Trump said that he should have input into the Fed’s decisions. He said prior to the election “I feel the president should have at least a say in there. I think that in my case, I made a lot of money, I was very successful, and I think I have a better instinct than in many cases, people that would be on the Federal Reserve or the chairman.”

Earth to Trump, unless you get the Congress to change the law (probability equal to zero), all you can do is kibitz from the outside. What would be Trump’s monetary policy – cutting off money flows to Panama if they didn’t give back the Canal?

The Morgan Black Quiz

My son Morgan was legendary in our MBA program. I am back in the classroom after an absence of 13 years. One professor came up to me and said “How is Morgan? I still refer to his answers in class as “Morgan Black answers.” So what is a Morgan Black answer? Here are some examples:.

1. What is the money market? MBA: It is the market for money.

2. What is the capital market?

MBA: It is the market for capital.

3. What is the Fed’s Open Market Committee?

MBA: It is the committee at the Fed that opens markets.

So when I was on a local radio show and the host read a quiz and its answers, I said “Those are Morgan Black answers!”

Here is the quiz:

Morgan Black Quiz

In which battle did Stonewall Jackson die? 

His last one

• Where was the Independence signed? 

              On the bottom of the page.

• What is the main reason for divorce?

 Marriage

• What can you never eat for breakfast?


        Lunch & dinner

• If you threw a red stone into the Blue Sea, what will it become?


             A wet stone

• How can a person go 8 days without sleeping?


              Sleep at night

• How can you lift an elephant with one hand? 

              You can never lift an elephant that has one hand

• If you had 3 apples and 4 oranges in one hand and 3 oranges and 4 apples in the other hand, what would you have?

              Very large hands

• If it took, eight men 10 hours to build a brick wall, how long would it take four men to build it?

      No time at all, the wall was already built.

How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking it?

Any way you want, because a concrete floor is very hard to crack,

Are the Senate Jews Antisemitic?

The democrats in the Senate blocked passage of a bill condemning the International Criminal Court. That court had issued warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials accusing them of war crimes in Gaza. Netanyahu called the warrants “absurd and antisemitic”. The bill passed the House 243-140 will only 45 democrats voting for the bill. It was no surprise that the vocal antisemites in the House would oppose the bill but what was the rationale for the others to vote against it? 

I thought the bill would sail through the Senate with the republican majority. I was wrong. The democrats promptly filibustered the bill meaning that 60 votes were needed to end the filibuster and pass the bill. The vote was 54-45 meaning that the bill failed to pass. The only democrat to vote for the bill was John Fetterman who stated “I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to vote for this and support Israel.” Fetterman is not Jewish. Even two new senators, Elissa Slotkin and Reuben Gallego, who as representatives had voted for the bill last year voted against it this year. What changed their minds? I have the feeling that Chuck Schumer who is Jewish pressured them to vote against the bill.

Although Fetterman is staunchly pro-Israel it is interesting that all of the Senate’s Jewish members, Slotkin, Ron Wyden, Bernie Sanders, Michael Bennet, Richard Blumenthal, Brian Schatz, Jacky Rosen, Jon Ossoff and Schumer all opposed it. How come? Schumer called the bill “poorly crafted and deeply problematic.” He said that he objected to language that would impose sanctions on America’s allies and U.S. companies doing business with the court. The bill states for Trump to impose sanctions on those who have “directly engaged in or otherwise aided any effort by the International Criminal Court to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute” US citizens or the citizens of US allies not party to the ICC’s Rome Statute –which would include Israel.”

Oh come now.How much business is actually done by American companies with the court? This lame excuse puzzles me. I think it is more likely that the democrats want to block any bill seen as a win for Donald Trump. It will be interesting to see if there is any fallout on those Jewish senators who are running for reelection from the Jewish voters in their states.

Will Trump observe Black History Month?

When I was young we observed Black History Week. In 1926 the eminent historian Carter Woodson proclaimed the second week in February “Black History Week.” This was chosen because Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is February 12 and Frederick Douglass was born on February 14. Being me, I asked my sainted mother “Why is there a Black History Week?” She said “Because they have the other 51.” In 1976, the week was extended to the entire month. Gerald Ford proclaimed it and every subsequent president, including Donald Trump observed it. So in 1976, I asked my sainted mother why was February chosen as Black History Month? She answered “Because it is has the fewest days.” Love you Mom.

Trump in the last February in his first term issued a proclamation to

“Celebrate the cultural heritage, diverse contributions, and unbreakable spirit of African Americans. In every generation, African Americans have enriched our culture, deepened our faith, strengthened our community, sustained our values, raised up our conscience, and called our nation to greatness.”  

He even hosted a reception at the White House to honor black leaders.

That was then. This is now. The purging of DEI from the federal government has prompted some government agencies to ask whether or not they can issue public statements celebrating Black History Month and other heritage months or events. While it is obvious that this administration is not going to celebrate Pride Month in June and fly the LGBTQ flag over the White House and government buildings, it is not obvious whether the celebration of Black History Month will end. In fact the State Department has sought guidance from the White House and at last reading a State Department official says that “it was clear there would be no public-facing messages or events about Black History Month when it begins on Saturday.” Yet the State Department still has a web page dedicated to Black History Month, stating that it “serves as both a celebration and a powerful reminder that Black history is American history, Black culture is American culture, and Black stories are essential to the ongoing story of America.”

I want a statement from Marco Rubio confirming that comment rather than some faceless, nameless “official”. I want Trump’s press secretary to be asked the question. Better yet, I want Trump to address the issue.

Personally, I am appalled. Black history is the story of triumph over adversity. It reminds us all that blacks carried within them the American dream as white Americans were trying to deny them that dream. Growing up in the segregated south, there was virtually no mention of the importance of blacks in America. The textbooks were almost completely devoid of any reference to black achievements. One would have thought that we had been slaves and once freed had only toiled in menial tasks. The greater society demeaned us as “unqualified.” We could not go to their schools. We could not be employed in their law firms as lawyers or as doctors in their medical practices. We could not even work as clerks in their department stores. But we could be janitors, maids and cooks. My father, raising two rather precocious boys used to say that whites were afraid of us and if we were some lesser beings they would not have enact laws to codify our inferiority. I remember Dad predicting that Jim Brown would not win the Heisman. He used to say that the award did not go to the best player in college football but only to the best white player. The award went to Paul Hornung – a player who was a great pro but only a so-so college player. Only Hornung’s family could argue – and I doubt that they did – that Hornung rather than Brown deserved the award. When Mom and Dad dropped me off at the freshman dorm at the University of Georgia where I was the only black male freshman, Dad shocked me by saying “Show those crackers who’s not qualified.”

Our schools were all black (we had no white teachers) and rectified what was missing in the texts which from kindergarten to the twelfth grade had some white school’s name crossed out. We learned of Crispus Attucks, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, the Rosenwald schools, Marcus Garvey, the Buffalo Soldiers, the Harlem Hellfighters, the Tuskegee Airmen, Harriet Tubman, Benjamin Banneker, George Washington Carver, Countee Cullen, James Weldon Johnson, Charles Drew, W. E. B. Dubois and many others. Of course we knew of contemporaries such as Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Benjamin Mays, Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, MLK, jr, Malcolm X, Benjamin O. Davis and the great athletes of that time, Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays. This learning was not confined to the second week in February but was integrated (love that word) into the daily lessons throughout the year. We knew our history even if it was being ignored by the white-authored textbooks, the white school administrators and the white world that existed outside our own racial silo. Regrettably in today’s integrated schools our children still do not know our history.

So we will continue to celebrate Black History Month regardless. But ignoring Black History Month is a hell of a way for Trump to thank the record number of blacks who voted for him.

Would you have voted for Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense? What were his qualifications – other that he was on Fox?  Hegseth is a Princeton graduate where he was a seldom used basketball player under John Thompson III. He served in the National Guard, was a major and awarded a Bronze Star for combat in Iraq. Before joining Fox he was the executive director of Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America where he had a less than distinguished record. Trump had considered Hegseth as Veteran Affairs administrator during his first term but selected someone else. It was somewhat of a surprise that Trump nominated Hegseth to be defense secretary, given the importance of the position. But the nomination was consistent with Trump’s desire to shake up the Federal bureaucracy. The military had morphed from being aa lethal force to one seemingly more concentrating on social justice and a staunch advocate of military readiness and one opposed to DEI and wokeness had to be Trump’s nominee. Hegseth fits that bill.

Obviously, his lack of bureaucratic experience was going to be questioned. Here is what Mitch McConnell said when he opposed the nomination.

“Effective management of nearly 3 million military and civilian personnel, an annual budget of nearly $1 trillion, and alliances and partnerships around the world is a daily test with staggering consequences for the security of the American people and our global interests. Mr. Hegseth has failed, as yet, to demonstrate that he will pass this test.”

Susan Collins also voted against Hegseth on the grounds of lack of managerial experience saying:

“The next Secretary of Defense will be responsible for managing a massive bureaucracy that includes nearly three million employees and a budget of nearly $850 billion. In addition, our next Secretary faces long-standing procurement and supply issues that continued to worsen under the Biden Administration.

In sum, the Secretary is going to be facing a number of incredibly complex problems that are going to require highly skilled management ability. I am concerned that Mr. Hegseth does not have the management experience and background that he will need in order to tackle these difficulties. His limited managerial experience involved running two small non-profit organizations that had decidedly mixed results.”

I disagree with McConnell and Collins. If managerial experience in a large enterprise is essential for such a position, then why was Joe Biden president of the United States? Biden had no such experience yet was in charge of managing perhaps the largest enterprise in the world – the US government. Also what do McConnell, Collins and most other senators know about enterprise management? Do they have any managerial expertise? Hardly. Both McConnell and Collins are career politicians. McConnell voted against Hegseth because he hates Trump and this was one easy way to show it. Collins voted against Hegseth because she has to maintain a veneer of independence from Trump for her Maine constituents.

Senators expressed concern over Hegseth’s voiced opposition to women in combat roles. Again Susan Collins:

“I am also concerned about multiple statements, including some in the months just before he was nominated, that Mr. Hegseth has made about women serving in the military.”

Two women senators who were veterans split on Hegseth. Joni Ernst voted for him. Here is her statement:

“After four years of weakness in the White House, Americans deserve a strong Secretary of Defense. Our next commander in chief selected Pete Hegseth to serve in this role, and after our conversations, hearing from Iowans, and doing my job as a United States Senator, I will support President Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense. As I serve on the Armed Services Committee, I will work with Pete to create the most lethal fighting force and hold him to his commitments of auditing the Pentagon, ensuring opportunity for women in combat while maintaining high standards, and selecting a senior official to address and prevent sexual assault in the ranks.” 

Tammy Duckworth, who lost both legs as a helicopter pilot in Iraq most vehemently opposed Hegseth’s nomination. She was particularly incensed that Hegseth had once said that women were allowed in combat roles only because the military had lowered its standards.

“Every day, our servicemembers follow the Soldier’s Creed as we ask them to leave their families, walk into enemy fire and be ready for the mission until their very last breath. How can we ask these warriors to train to the absolute highest standard, if we confirm a guy who is asking us to lower the standard to make him Secretary of Defense? The very idea that Pete Hegseth is the person to lead our heroes is an insult to the troops who sacrifice so much for the rest of us.”

Still other senators used the excuse of voting against Hegseth because of the allegations of sexual assault, marital infidelity and excess drinking. Tim Kaine was especially keen on these points questioning Hegseth heatedly about his infidelity in his three marriages. Hegseth admitted that he was not perfect but had found Jesus and was a saved soul. Personally, I would have voted against Hegseth because anyone who has had three marriages obviously has questionable judgment.

Georgia’s Raphael Warnock, an ordained minister was particularly critical of Hegseth’s morality saying:

“As a voice for Georgia’s nearly 100,000 active duty service members and reservists, and as the son of a veteran, I understand the tremendous sacrifice our service members and their families make to protect and serve our nation. 

Allowing someone to lead the Department of Defense who has repeatedly shown a poor moral compass would dishonor those who give so much to keep our nation safe. And I fear confirming a deeply unqualified nominee would unnecessarily put Georgia service members in harm’s way.

First off, it is amazing that there are 100,000 active duty service members in Georgia. Second, Warnock’s own moral compass has been askew. His ex-wife accused him of driving over her foot. He was also accused of leaving his children in the care of others when he had custody of them. He was also accused of mismanaging campaign funds. Warnock is also staunchly pro-abortion. During a debate with Herschel Walker, Warnock talked about a woman’s right to choose what happens to her body and Walker corrected him saying that it was not the woman’s body but that of the baby insider her that needed protecting. Thus, Warnock’s own “moral compass” shows that maybe he should not be throwing stones at Pete Hegseth.

In the end, every democrat voted against Hegseth. 

How do you feel about birthright citizenship? That’s when any child born on US soil or in its territories except American Samoa is automatically a citizen They are called “anchor babies”. Why American Samoa is excluded is beyond me. Trump has made it a big deal. Is it? Well Trump signed an executive order ending it claiming he had the authority to do so even though birthright citizenship stems from the 14^thAmendment. He was promptly sued by 22 democrat AGs. So apparently the democrats favor the amendment and having thousands of newborns from noncitizen mothers in the country. Why? I haven’t a clue. I thought the dems wanted unlimited abortions. I guess its ok for illegals to carry babies to term.

The case was expedited and heard by a Federal judge appointed by Reagan who promptly declared Trump’s order to be blatantly unconstitutional. The judge was obviously unhappy that the case was even on the docket. He told Trump’s attorney “I have difficulty understanding how a member of the bar could state unequivocally that this is a constitutional order. It boggles my mind.” Apparently the judge did not look kindly upon the order.

Again the issue involves the language of the amendment.  It is:

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

The phrase “and subject to the jurisdiction thereof” is what motivates those who want to deny birthright citizenship. I am not an attorney – thank goodness – but it seems to me that the issue involves whether the mother is in the country legally. Although some accounts say that they want birthright ended for all children born to illegals this need seem to be the case to me. All that is required in that the mothers not be citizens. For instance, Nikki Haley was born in the United States to noncitizen immigrant parents from India. Should she have been denied citizenship? 

Also the term “birth tourism” is used for those mothers who legally travel to the United States to give birth. For instance, am estimated 50,000 Chinese women come to the US every year to give birth. There are Chinese travel agencies that specialize in arranging every detail for the parents. There are also agencies that cater to Russians as well. Most of the parents do not plan to apply for citizenship themselves but want to provide options available to their children.

Although Trump contends that the United States is the only country to grant birthright citizenship, actually 33 countries do so. But only the United States and Canada are the developed countries that grant it. Incidentally, Ted Cruz was born in Canada and has Canadian citizenship. Does that mean that Cruz cannot run for president even though Haley could?

The 14^th Amendment in 1868 granted citizenship to the freed slaves. The question is how many children are we talking about? There is one set of data that say around 25 percent of all births are to aliens. But these data include mothers in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The data also include mothers in the country legally who are not citizens. Excluding those mothers the estimates are that births to illegal aliens is around 7 percent of total births or around 300,000 a year. It is important to note that the birth of the child only conveys citizenship to the child and not to its parents. The number of birthright children currently residing in the United States is around 13 million. Seriously, do these children somehow impose a threat to the security of the country? Do they grow up to be criminals or exemplary citizens or something in between like most of us?

The US birthrate is falling with only 3.6 million babies born in 2023. I presume this number includes the 300,000 or so birthright babies. Those babies born to tourists will leave the country with their mothers. The ones born to illegal immigrants will remain. If the parents are to be deported, it is rare for the deportation to be canceled due to an anchor baby. Questions arise as to whether illegal immigration and anchor babies will have a net benefit to the country given the falling birthrate. Many if not most of the immigrants are more driven by the American dream than many native born residents. These immigrants must be enculturated into Americans and not be isolated like many are in other countries. Second generation immigrants speak English, marry outside their immigrant group and pursue the American dream.

What about welfare? Only U.S. citizens and certain lawfully present non-citizens may receive food stamps (SNAP) benefits. Food stamps are not and never have been available to undocumented non-citizens. Non-citizens like tourists and students are generally not eligible. Non-citizens who are eligible based on their immigration status must meet SNAP eligibility requirements, such as income and resource limits, and may also need to meet a waiting period. Apparently illegals are not a drain on the welfare system.

So as Stevie Wonder says “What the Fuss?”