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October 24, 2023

Current events have opened up differences that pose existential threats to both the Republican and Democrat parties. For the Republicans the inability to coalesce around a Speaker has exposed pure venom being directed at the eight who toppled Kevin McCarthy. But there has been considerable friction caused by Republican members of the Freedom Caucus who oppose continued funding for the Ukraine. There is some pushback in the Senate but it is minor compared to what is coming out of the House. The question is whether the Republicans can come together and act as a party or will they continue to conduct a circular firing squad. One likely outcome is for the Freedom Caucus and its supporters of Donald Trump to splinter off into a new party. Let’s call it the Conservative Party. 

For the Democrats, the schism is over Israel. The “progressives” have come to the aid of Hamas under the guise of protecting the Palestinians. They have protested in rallies with the pro-Palestinians groups condemning Israel and calling for a cease fire – which would only save Hamas from the Israelis’ vengeance. At many of the rallies, some have carried swastikas. Previously, when white supremacists would rally and brandish swastikas, the press was full of pictures and talking heads on CNN and MSNBC who literally go crazy. Now that the antiIstraeli student organizations and groups are waving swastikas and calling for the elimination of Israel itself – the chant from river to sea – the criticism from the media is totally absent and the silence is deafening. Maybe AOC, the Squad, the Democratic Socialists of America and Antifa have more in common with the Aryan Brotherhood and the American Nazi Party than they want to admit. 

The anti-Israelis in the Democratic party are not limited to the Congress. At many state legislators, Democrat members refused to support resolutions supporting Israel. In North Carolina, a resolution passed unanimously only because the Democratic members walked out before the vote. Jewish legislators see this. Steve Cohen of Memphis has appeared in the media more in the past three weeks than he has in his previous15 years in the Congress. Other Jewish legislators on the state level have been critical of their “progressive” colleagues. Many comments are scathing. One wonders what is being said in private? I have previously wondered why the majority of Jews are Democrats when Israel’s most vocal critics tend to be on the left. Even the far left is splintering as one of the leaders of the Democratic Socialists of America has resigned over that organization’s support of Hamas. It seems reasonable that if the Democrats do not censure these members, that the Jews will scale back their support financially and splinter the legislative caucuses. Perhaps the antiIsraeli faction leave the party and create their own political party. Omar, Tlaib, Pressley, Bowman and AOC would likely be more comfortable in another party than in one with Steve Cohen and Chuck Schumer. Let’s call it the Progressive party.

That would give us four parties with enough supporters to influence elections and could lead to a coalition government. Those governments make for strange bedfellows. Just look at many European governments.

Knoxville Focus

knoxfocus.com

October 23, 2023

Of course it won’t happen but suppose everyone decided to follow the lead of John Fetterman and dress casually? Fetterman if you don’t know is a senator from Pennsylvania who seldom wears suits and ties. Rather he favors hoodies and shorts. Since senate rules barred anyone from the chambers who was not dressed appropriately, Fetterman would stand outside the doors to vote. For some reason unbeknownst to us all the senate majority leader waived the dress code for senators. I guess that no vote was needed. Mind you everyone else still had to adhere to dressing professionally. I can’t figure out why Schumer capitulated to allow Fetterman to come into the senate chambers dressed like a slob. The democrats own a 51-49 majority thanks to the republicans blowing the last election, so Schumer didn’t need Fetterman’s vote. Yet he is now for allowing him to wear his hoodies and shorts on the senate floor. Of course, if Fetterman were a Republican Schumer would have never changed policy. Susan Collins remarked that she could now wear a bikini if she wanted. Thank goodness she will spare us of that horrid sight. Surprisingly, some democrat senators have objected. Not surprisingly, one of them is Joe Manchin. Surprisingly, one is Dick Durbin. Under pressure from both some Democrats and all Republicans, the Senate formally adopted a dress code mandating coat and tie for its male members. Women were not mentioned in the resolution.

At first I thought it was of little importance as to what Fetterman wanted to wear. But I changed my mind. Some have pointed out that this is another example of the coarsening of America and the lowering of standards. They are right. Suppose everyone decided to dress slovenly and all of our elected officials and bureaucrats wore hoodies and shorts or worse. Would they govern even worse than they do now? That is a frightening thought. My parents bemoaned the loosening of the dress code for teachers. They contended that when standards regarding dress were lowered so went academic standards and respect for the teachers. They didn’t object as much to wearing a nice shirt and pants but not hoodies, shorts and sneakers. They also bemoaned the change in the churches. No longer did one have to wear their Sunday best to church. I remember growing up in a Baptist church in Atlanta where the men wore coat and tie and the women looked splendid in their dresses, heels and hats. In the winter I remarked while looking over the congregation that the mink population had been severely reduced given all the women’s fur coats. I loved going to church probably more to look good and to feel good than for any other reason. Now even our southern Baptist churches have gone casual and I wonder if the spirit moves less because of it.

I admit guilt. Once I wore coat and tie to teach in. Then one day I rode a motorcycle to work. I showed up in all leather. When I first did that as a young assistant professor it was a wonder I didn’t get fired. It was obvious that my colleagues did not approve. However, I had the best classes ever. After the students got over their initial shock, they were livelier and more participatory. I never wore suit and tie again. Of course my parents objected profusely stating that the students would respect me less if I looked like one of them rather than one who “dressed right.” They were right if I showed up in a hoodie and shorts (naturally being black if I wore a hoodie and shorts I would be labelled a thug). However, shirts and slacks might be appropriate dress for teachers but not for senators. But as Deion Sanders aka Coach Prime so eloquently puts it, “If you dress good, you look good. If you look good, you play good. If you play good, they pay good!” So dress appropriately.

The Republicans can’t elect a speaker and they keep making things worse. There was no possible way for Jim Jordan to be speaker and I was puzzled that he would try. Jordan has been a non productive member of Congress for 16 years with a dismal legislative record. He is famous for yelling at people and does not build coalitions. In his quest for speakership, he had his minions actually threatened members of Congress and their families. Such shameful and despicable behavior should not be rewarded. It would be akin to the Democrats nominating AOC as speaker and even the Democrats are not that dumb. 

I would not vote for Jim Jordan. Although there may be someone in the Congress that could garner 217 votes, that person has not emerged. Even Patrick McHenry whom all sides seem to coalesce around to be interim speaker has come under scathing criticism from the far right. I know how to solve the problem. There are two people that come to mind that would make an excellent speaker – if they wanted the job: Newt Gingrich and Phil Gramm. Both are super smart, ex-professors, superb legislators with solid records, and have emeritus status in the Republican party. So come on Republicans, think out of the box for a change and nominate Gingrich or Gramm!

October 18, 2023

The Republican caucus is a mess. Unlike the Democrats who seem to be able to vote unanimously on most issues despite some ideological differences, the Republicans cannot get their act together. Being Speaker for them is like trying to herd cats. Contrast what the Republicans are now doing with the relative ease that Hakeem Jeffries was voted in as minority leader, replacing Nancy Pelosi. Although Pelosi was an anathema to most Republicans, she was the unchallenged leader of the House Democrats. When she was challenged in her congressional races, it was always from the leftwho asserted that she was too moderate and not progressive enough! Jeffries is in the same mold. Although many on the right try to paint him as a socialist, in fact he is anything but. In New York, he has endorsed “moderate” democrats and encouraged them to run against those in the Democratic Socialists of America. He would like nothing better than the socialists to lose in state races and in particular in races for the House. It is clear that he does not care for Jamaal Bowman and would like to see him defeated. I have written previously of how the Democrats could enact certain parts of their agenda even with the Republican majority. All it would take would be seven defections from the Republicans and a unanimous Democrat vote. Given the mess in the Republican caucus I would not be shocked if Jeffries were made Speaker! Again if the Republicans are hopelessly divided, then a few defections would make Jeffries Speaker. So it is imperative that the Republicans get their act together and do it soon. The world is blowing up, The government shutdown is looming and the image in my mind is Nero playing his fiddle while Rome burns.

Hamas has committed an unspeakable evil. It targeted defenseless civilians for extermination. How anyone regardless of their feelings toward Israel could sympathize with this barbaric act is beyond me. Israel seems intent on destroying northern Gaza and to that end is forcing its 1 million Palestinians to evacuate to southern Gaza. What is striking is that Egypt and Jordan have closed their borders to the Palestinians. In fact, the only ones who want to accept refugees are members of the Squad. If fellow Muslims do not want Palestinian refugees, then neither should we.

If what I have read about Israel and gun control is correct then the Israelis are incredibly stupid. Israel has tough gun control laws. Less than 2 percent of Israelis are permitted to have guns. It would seem to me that all Israelis should have guns and that gun ownership should be mandatory in the settlements and close to the borders of Gaza and Lebanon to counter Hamas and Hezbollah. Apparently, the Israelis thought that their military could respond quickly to any threat and protect their citizenry. They were wrong. Why they didn’t have armed security at the music festival is beyond me. They need to rethink the security of their citizens who live so close to those that want to kill them. The only reason for such strict gun control is that they must fear their Muslim citizens. This is akin to the gun control laws under Jim Crow that were enacted to prevent southern blacks from owning guns.

Those who hate Israel constantly refer to it as an apartheid state. Apartheid is the name for southern Jim Crow laws in South Africa. Calling Israel “apartheid” is a strategic ruse intended to make Israel and its friends to waste time denying the accusation. It is like calling everyone a racist or using the terms like homophobe. Those who try to counter the charges are wasting their time and the name callers should be ignored. Defenders of Israel point to its Muslim citizens having the vote and being in the Knesset. However, if one looks at the Israeli actions on the West Bank, it is clear that their actions there are akin to apartheid. Nevertheless, isn’t it interesting that all the Muslim countries in the Middle East are apartheid themselves? All restrict the actions and liberties of non-Muslims and discriminate against them. Ignoring this is similar to those on the left favoring the Muslim nations which restrict women’s rights, persecute Christians and non-Muslims and are uniformly intolerant to the LBGTQ gang. 

knoxfocus.com

October 16, 2023

My colleagues Congressman Duncan and the publisher of the Focus, Steve Hunley are more qualified to reflect on Tim Burchett’s vote to vacate the Speakership to oust Kevin McCarthy. However, I feel obligated to comment on our congressman’s decision. First off, I consider Tim Burchett a friend. I have voted for him in all his elections. When he was country mayor, he supported my erstwhile futile efforts to get the school superintendent to teach children to read at proficiency levels by changing the teaching method. The superintendent was persuaded to allow me and several retirees to use a computer based program called Funnix in an afterschool program. By the end of the school year all of our “unteachable” kids could read. The result? We were invited not to come back. We were a threat to the teachers even though it was not their fault that they were using a failed method favored by the Education Industrial Complex.

I supported Burchett’s run for Congress. I think he has served us well. He honored me on the House floor by reading into the record the University of Georgia’s naming its new freshman dormitory for me and the two other first black freshmen who entered in the fall 1962. He called me a friend.

But his vote is a head scratcher. It was not needed to oust McCarthy yet he felt necessary to do it. Moreover, the leader of the revolt was Matt Gaetz who is the diametric opposite of Burchett. Gaetz comes across as insincere, bombastic, publicity seeking and totally devoid of ethics and morality. This is the type of person that Burchett would normally run away from as fast as his feet could carry him. Yet he chose to vote with Gaetz and the five others who openly hated McCarthy. Nancy Mace also voted for the ouster. She like Burchett had voted for McCarthy in the 15 ballots necessary for his elevation to Speaker. Yet she and our congressman joined in the junta. What is as disturbing as his voting with Gaetz was that all the Democrats voted in bloc to oust McCarthy. Their vote was a calculation to wreak havoc on the Republican conference demonstrating the Republicans’ inability to govern. They succeeded. That our congressman would vote with AOC, the Squad and all the loony progressives is stunning.  

Nonetheless, the blame for McCarthy’s downfall rests with McCarthy himself. By agreeing that one Republican congressman could call for a motion to vacate sealed his fate. He wanted the job too badly. Gaetz, Andy Biggs, Matt Rosendale, Eli Crane, Ken Buck and Bob Good were poised to pounce at the right time. They obstructed virtually every action that McCarthy tried to take. Crafting bills that would satisfy Gaetz et. al. might pass the House but would be rejected by the Senate and vetoed by Biden. Consequently, a deft touch was needed to get a bill passed, modified in conference with the Senate and sent to Biden for his signature. Gaetz and his gang did not want to pass any bills, opting for a government shutdown instead. Presumably they thought they could force the Democrats to acquiesce and approve bills to lower spending, fund border security and reduce support for Ukraine. I am far removed from Washington but if those were Gaetz’ goals then he is a fool. Tim Burchett is not a fool. He obviously knows something that we don’t. Maybe he disliked McCarthy and feels that a new speaker would succeed where McCarthy failed. He may be correct but his vote aligns him with the Gaetz gang and likely hampers his influence in the Republican caucus going forward. The likelihood of history repeating itself with a new speaker may be tempered by the spectacle associated with McCarthy’s ouster. I certainly hope so, or else the Republican party is doomed to be the minority party for the foreseeable future. Polls show that the majority of Americans favor Republican policies but dislike the Republican party. The recent follies do not discredit that feeling.

Knoxfocus.com

October 9, 2023

Harold A Black

I don’t know Tennessee governor Bill Lee. I voted for him despite his going to Auburn and being a KA (Kappa Alpha fraternity). That fraternity was known for its racism. When I was at Georgia in the early 1960s, the KA house flew the confederate flag and we were told to avoid walking past it. Lee himself is pictured in a confederate uniform in Auburn’s 1980 yearbook. But that was then and hopefully his sentiments are now different. When he was elected, I had high hopes. He was a businessman and not a career politician. I admit that I have paid scant attention to him since he was elected. He has made a rather feeble effort to improve the state’s dismal schools but it seems to be half-hearted. With republican majorities in the state house I would have hoped that the state would be as aggressive as Arkansas in taking on the Education Industrial Complex. Doing so would go a long way in atoning for being an Auburn grad and a KA.

However, one initiative by Gov. Lee is a blight on his record. That is the Ford plant in west Tennessee. The governor likely considers the new Ford plant as a crowning achievement. The state has offered over $800 million in incentives and Ford is building the plant to manufacture the electric F-150. The press release from the governor’s office states that the plant will generate more than 27,000 new jobs and generate over $1 billion in annual earnings. Color me a skeptic. Most economic studies show that such incentive packages seldom generate revenues that make the project worthwhile. Most of the jobs generated are not local and those currently unemployed or underemployed are not usually affected. 

My displeasure stems from two sources. First, although Ford is currently advertising that it is “All in on America” noting that it’s F-series of pickups are made 100 percent in America, it has partnered with the Chinese to produce the batteries for the electric pickup. The Chinese factory was rejected by Virginia but approved by Michigan. The project is now on hold due to the ties of the company to the Chinese Communist party. That company is to receive over $500 million in government subsidies. Note that Chinese companies are to be among the main beneficiaries of the subsidies in Biden’s “Inflation Reduction Act”. Again, how much money did the Chinese give Hunter? Ford may be saying one thing in its advertisements but the reality is something entirely different.

My second source of displeasure is the use of eminent domain to seize the land of black farmers near the Ford plant. Eminent domain is allowed by the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution that states that private property cannot be taken for public use without just compensation. In reality, eminent domain has been a weapon used by governments against black property. Blacks are five times more likely to suffer eminent domain than whites. The interstate system is testimony to that fact where entire black neighborhoods have disappeared. Urban renewal projects were in reality urban removal projects where black property was seized with meagre compensation. Seldom, if ever, were residents offered “just compensation”. I am an economist and just compensation, to me, means the market price of the property. Instead, the price paid by governments has been anything but just. In west Tennessee, where once a 70 acre tract was valued at $10,000 an acre, the arrival of Ford caused the listing to jump to $14.5 million. The state is again using eminent domain to displace the black farmers who own the land that the state is seeking to acquire. The state is offering a ridiculous $3,750 an acre. This is outrageous and shameful. This is certainly no “just compensation” and is a blatant violation of the Fifth Amendment. It is also a blatant violation of what is right. As one black farmer stated “I told them this is the biggest ripoff there is. They want your land, but they don’t want you to participate in the wealth.” 

Even if the state offered market price, the farmers still would not recoup the true value of their land which has been in their families for many generations. My farm in Georgia has been in our family since 1868. A developer once offered my mother over $1 million for the 126 acres. Her reply was “You don’t have enough money to buy this land.” I am certain the west Tennessee famers feel the same way. Ultimately, they will have little choice. But I hope they can sue the state for violation of the Fifth Amendment and receive at least the market value for their land. Regardless, Gov. Lee should be ashamed.

October 6, 2023

Its deer season. I always get a bit melancholy sitting on my ancestors’ land. I am trying to find that rare mature buck and that rarer barren doe. As a result, I have not killed a deer with a bow in four years. But I go anyway on the off chance than one will appear. My mother used to say “You can kill as many deer just sitting watching TV.” Of course, she was right – at least during bow season. 

As I have gotten older I’ve come to appreciate most of the wisdom of my parents. They told us (I had an older brother Charles) many things among them were:

1. Envy is a wasted emotion so
2. Don’t be envious of anyone
3. Make them be envious of you
4. Jealousy is also a wasted emotion
5. Make them be jealous of you
6. I don’t care what you want to be as long as you become the very best that you can be
7. Never make excuses just promise to do better next time
8. Its ok to make a “B” so long as you were trying hard to make an “A”
9. Make an “A” the next time
10. You know what’s right and what’s wrong. Deciding to do wrong will both hurt us and disappoint us (Note: I always asked myself would my parents approve of some action)
11. You are entitled to your own opinion so long as you keep it to yourself and the one I hated the most
12. Your teachers may not always be right but they are your teachers and should be obeyed
13. If you think you were wronged by your teachers then we will discuss it with them and let you know the resolution
14. You do not talk back to adults

Importantly, it being back of the bus days, Dad deliberately moved us from Madison, GA to Atlanta to minimize our contact with whites. He hated the Jim Crow laws (listen to Brenda Russell’s “Against the Law”) and refused to go into places split by race. The mortgage was from a black S&L, the checking accounts at a black bank, the insurance from a black-owned agency. We didn’t go to the downtown theatres because we were confined to the balcony. We didn’t see minor league baseball because of the segregate seating. As a consequence, I never had a conversation with a white person until that awful testy interview with the racist registrar at Georgia. Dad kept telling us that the Jim Crow laws would not be necessary if we were inferior to whites. My brother who was a math genius could not go to Georgia Tech so he went to Purdue, a much better school. Not qualified? When I went to Georgia, Dad said “Show those Crackers who is not qualified”. Hence, we had no sense of inferiority. We knew that the Jim Crow laws existed because whites were scared of us. That is why I had no fear at Georgia. Thanks Dad.

My parents did not drink. Mother made wine from the scuppernongs growing in the backyard and gave them to the folks on the street as Christmas presents. Dad smoked but quit when I was in elementary school. Mom smoked until I was in high school. Neither ever cursed. I never heard them argue. Later I told Mom that it was remarkable that they didn’t argue. She told me that they argued all the time but not in our presence. They would wait until we were asleep and then go into the basement to “discuss” their differences. They did not want us to see anger in the house, only love.

I always chafed at the rules, especially the ones about not questioning adults and not being able to express my opinions. I had a very serious conflict with my father while at Georgia and told him “no” when he told me to apologize to the Air Force ROTC commander who had openly discriminated against me. He told me that if I could not do what he demanded then I was to pack my things because I could not live in his house. He would not pay my way in school and I had to leave. Mother interceded but Dad and I hardly said a word to each other for two the next years. Much later I sat down with him to air out all my pent-up grievances. He didn’t apologize. He didn’t regret a single thing. Rather he said “I was just trying to be a father.” From that point until he died, our relationship warmed. I miss him.

Knoxville Focus

Knoxfocus.com

October 2, 2023

Prior to the Civil War this country was referred to as “the United States are.” Afterwards, it became “the United States is.” Now it may be appropriate to once again refer to the country as a collection of individual states. I seriously believe that within my grandchildren’s lifetime there will be efforts by some states to secede due to irreconcilable differences with those in power at the Federal level. I have a friend who thinks that the Administrative state will thwart any republican president leaving the democrats de facto in power into perpetuity. If that were the case, then certain states would find increasing support to justify secession. The question is whether that secession will be peaceful unlike the attempt in 1861. If part of a state wants to secede and create its own state or join another state, secession is virtually impossible because it requires approval of the state itself. Thus, although Staten Island would like to secede from New York City, the state of New York won’t allow it. The same goes for regions who want to secede from California, Illinois, Virginia, Washington and Oregon. Their state legislatures will veto every effort. Such was not always the case. In the early years of the nation, New York ceded Vermont, Virginia ceded Kentucky, Massachusetts ceded Maine and North Carolina ceded East Tennessee. West Virginia was carved out of Virginia and is an illegal state. The western counties of Virginia were pro-Union and voted against secession. When Virginia seceded, the western counties formed a new Virginia legislature and approved its own secession. The US government recognized the rouge legislature and admitted the new state as West Virginia over the protests of the government in Richmond. In 1871, the Supreme Court in Virginia v. West Virginia upheld the unconstitutional secession as constitutional. Now the western counties of Virginia want to join West Virginia. Although West Virginia approves of such a move, Virginia does not so those counties are stuck with being dominated by the DC suburban counties and liberal Richmond. Another instance involved Texas seceding from Mexico in 1836. Mexico did not recognize the secession and tried to use force to stop it. Legends were made.  Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, William Travis, the Alamo, Santa Anna, Sam Houston and the Battle of San Jacinto were the result. Texas then petitioned to join the United States and was accepted resulting in the Mexican-American War. I have often wondered what would happen if Alberta which is always at odds with the government in Ottawa would try to secede from Canada and join the United States. Would the congress vote to accept them and if it did, would Canada threaten war?

The esteemed Justice Scalia said “If there was any constitutional issue resolved by the Civil War, it is that there is no right to secede.” There is little chance that any effort by a state to leave the union would get the approval of both houses of congress and three fourths of the states. However, I do wonder if there were serious civil discord within a state (or states) that became violent against Federal authorities and that state’s national guard were poised to fight against the Federal government, if there might not be a mutual agreement to part. Perhaps we should revert back to the Articles of Confederation which were adopted by the Congress in 1777 that bound the 13 colonies to a weak central government. There are reasons why that arrangement did not work in 1777 but might work in 2023. Switzerland is a modern confederation made up of 26 cantons and a relatively weak central government. It seems to function as a nation. If our differences are truly irreconcilable then perhaps a confederation is our only hope to survive as a nation.

September 28, 2023

Did you watch the second republican debate? Me neither.

Have you kept up with the latest government shutdown kerfuffle? Me neither.

I have been disappointed in the republicans in the House. They control the nation’s purse strings. All spending bills must originate in the House. You would think with the crisis at the southern border that the republicans would shut down all other business until they force Biden to do something to limit the flow of illegals into the country. Recall at last count illegals from over 120 countries have come into the country. Yet, sadly, they have done nothing and the border remains open to all.

I am also disappointed that the republicans have not taken forceful action to stop Biden’s war on stuff. Air conditioners, gas furnaces, weed eaters, lawn mowers, gas ovens, light bulbs, internal combustion engines. Generators, the war on oil and gas all will make us poorer because the alternatives are more expensive and less efficient. Imagine the impact on the poor. More welfare anyone? Why can’t the House republicans figure out a way to rein in all the out of control federal agencies?

Its no secret that I dislike Donald Trump. He is a small vindictive bitter man. His close supporters should have shut off his twitter machine long ago. I related what he said about Pelosi. His vitriol is never ending. He lashed out at General Mark Miley and said that the General’s speaking to the Chinese deserved the death penalty. He said that Biden was being controlled by the “Fascists in the White House” – Jill and Hunter are Fascists? He advocated an investigation of the “fake news” media for its “knowingly dishonest and corrupt coverage.” He also basically indicated that if he becomes president that the homes of democrat senators will be raided. Essentially, Trump wants to keep the “Justice” Department weaponized against political opponents. Can the nation stand four more years of Trump? Can the nation survive four more years of Biden?

I was sent this twitter posting and I hope the author – Right Wing Dad – doesn’t mind me posting it.

“So let me get this straight, you support a man who banned bump stocks, cheated on all three wives (the current one hasn’t been seen in months and wants nothing to do with Trumps campaign), trips with Epstein, donated to Clinton and Harris campaigns, uses donor funds to pay legal bills, friends with Lindsey Graham, spent more than any president, 4000+ personal lawsuits, used to be a Democrat, endorsed actual RINO republicans, praised WEF, handed the country over to Fauci and gave him a presidential accommodation on the way out which he lied about, praises the vaccine and claims he is the father of it and warp speed, praised Newsom and Cuomo, all his horrible hires including Christopher Wray, preferred Stacey Abrams to Kemp, supported Disney, pro trans, claimed he would send more money to Ukraine if Russia didn’t cooperate, said he would drain the swamp, build the wall, and lock up Hilary and didn’t do any of it, can’t say whether a man can become a woman, and said a 6 week heartbeat bill was terrible and he would try to make democrats happy? You aren’t conservative or America first.”

Did you see where AOC blamed Marco Rubio for the explosion of Venezuelans across our southern border? Yes Marco Rubio and not Nicolas Maduro. She said it was the sanctions favored by Rubio that was causing the economic catastrophe that is Venezuela and not the repressive socialist regime. As Elon Musk said “She is not that smart.”

The dems, searching for any excuse, want to investigate Clarence Thomas for flying on a billionaire’s plane. Well are they going to investigate George Soros’ funding of five socialist democrats’ junket to South America?

The United Auto Workers are selectively striking the US automakers. They want to work 32 hours a week and get paid for 40. They want a considerable increase in salaries and benefits. They contend that the automakers have reaped record profits and want a bigger share of the pie. One GM official agreed that profits were high but that GM had invested more in EVs than it had made in profits so the money wasn’t there for such dramatic increases in salaries. In essence, GM is saying that it is investing the money in vehicles that will result in fewer autoworkers because EVs require fewer workers.

The autoworkers also complained about the large salaries paid to the heads of the auto companies. Mary Barra at GM made $28.98 million in 2022 of which $14.62 million were in stock grants that vest over three years. Ford’s Jim Farley made $21 million of which $15.14 is in stock grants. Fiat Chrysler’s CEO Mike Manley made 13.28 million euros. A lot of money yes but a lot of responsibility. I wonder if the UAW’s Shawn Fain and his workers could manage such an enterprise. Unions are outraged over CEO compensation. But the Bengal’s Joe Burrow is making $55 million a year to throw a football and the Laker’s Anthony Davis earns $60 million to dunk a basketball. And they don’t have to manage thousands of employees and run a multibillion dollar business. Why hasn’t the left been outraged by the salaries paid athletes?

Did you see where Ibram X. Kendi’s anti-racism center at Boston University is collapsing. It initially received over $43 million since 2020 and now is laying off workers. The center produced only one small research paper compared to other centers at the university that have less funding and more production. What happened to the money? Kendi is not noted for his scholarship. As I pointed out previously, he is supposed to be an expert on racism but struggles to define it. His academic work is embarrassingly bad. He has been called a grifter. He has been called a race hustler. I won’t call him either. He simply exploited white guilt. If white folks are fools enough to send him money, he would be a fool not to take it.

If Joe Biden were not president they would confine him to a home. 

Knoxville Focus

knoxfocus.com

September 25, 2023

Knoxville’s mayor is said to favor rent controls as a “solution” to housing affordability. She, like most progressives ignore Santayana’s “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” Rent controls are one of the few things that most economists agree on: it is bad. So bad in fact that the Swedish socialist Gunnar Myrdal said “Rent control has in certain Western countries constituted, maybe, the worst example of poor planning by governments lacking courage and vision.” Another Swedish economist Assar Lindbeck stated, “In many cases rent control appears to be the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city—except for bombing.” Actually, Lindbeck’s comment was an understatement. Consider that after the Viet Nam war, the Vietnamese foreign minister Nguyen Co Thach said that controls had artificially encouraged demand and discouraged supply. House rents had been kept low that all the houses in Hanoi had fallen into disrepair. “The Americans couldn’t  destroy Hanoi, but we have destroyed our city by very low rents. We realized it was stupid and that we must change policy,” he said.

The progressives have yet to realize the stupidity of their ways. Like any other price, rents are set by the market. Rent controls constitute a maximum rent that can be charged. If the controls are set above what the market dictates, then it will not have any impact. For example, suppose rent controls were $20,000 per month. They would not have an effect in the Knoxville market. However, that rent would be well below the most expensive rentals in New York where one apartment lists for $170,000 a month. For rent controls to have any effect, the rent must be set at an amount below what the market dictates. The average rent in Knoxville is $1,600 per month. This is the average for all rental units from studios to multiple bedrooms. Let’s assume that the mayor deems this amount to be too high and gets the city council to vote to lower the rent to a maximum of $1,000 on any rental. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Well no. Those units that rented for less than $1,000 would find that their rents will go up as renters who are paying more than $1,000 would seek lower cost apartments. Those renters who were paying less than $1,000 would find their rents increasing and many could end up homeless, increasing homelessness in the city. Many more expensive units would be converted into condos or co-ops circumventing the controls altogether. As has been the case elsewhere, units would fall into disrepair as landlords would defer or stop maintenance. Research has shown that in rent controlled cities, the housing stock deteriorates and property values fall as the quantity and quality of the properties fall. The building of new units declines and monies that once went to build apartments go elsewhere in the real estate market not under controls such as condos and commercial buildings. It has been estimated that in New York City, more than 30,000 apartments are abandoned annually. Researchers find that “Rent control has destroyed entire sections of sound housing in New York’s South Bronx and has led to decay and abandonment throughout the entire five boroughs of the city.”

Those tenants who are residing in a rent controlled apartment obviously benefit, although the building may suffer from decreased upkeep and maintenance. The tenants seldom move. A good friend of mine lived in a rent controlled apartment in Washington, DC. where the controls only apply to those in place. She continued to rent the apartment even after she had moved to another state. Her landlord finally offered her a substantial amount to give up the apartment so he could rent it out at a rent three times higher than what she was paying. The DC case is not an isolated one. Economic research has shown that the imposition of rent controls has short term benefits to those in place by keeping their rents artificially low. However, the controls lower property values. There is a study of Cambridge, Massachusetts that estimates that property values fell by $2 billion after the imposition of controls. Interestingly, the values fell not only on the rent controlled properties but also on the surrounding neighborhoods. 

These are the facts. Rent controls is stupid policy, but since when did progressives ever heed facts?