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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.

How dare anyone criticize this president!

Trump’s posting on ex-MAGA supporters who criticized his war on Iran

“I know why Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones have all been fighting me for years, especially by the fact that they think it is wonderful for Iran, the Number One State Sponsor of Terror, to have a Nuclear Weapon — Because they have one thing in common, Low IQs. They’re stupid people, they know it, their families know it, and everyone else knows it, too! Look at their past, look at their record. They don’t have what it takes, and they never did! They’ve all been thrown off Television, lost their Shows, and aren’t even invited on TV because nobody cares about them, they’re NUT JOBS, TROUBLEMAKERS, and will say anything necessary for some “free” and cheap publicity. Now they think they get some “clicks” because they have Third Rate Podcasts, but nobody’s talking about them, and their views are the opposite of MAGA — Or I wouldn’t have won the Presidential Election in a LANDSLIDE. MAGA agrees with me, and just gave CNN a 100% Approval Rating of “TRUMP,” not Hand Flailing Fools like Tucker Carlson, who couldn’t even finish College, he was a broken man when he got fired from Fox, and he’s never been the same — Perhaps he should see a good psychiatrist! Or Megyn Kelly, who nastily asked me the now famous, “Only Rosie O’Donnell,” question, or “Crazy” Candace Owens, who accuses the Highly Respected First Lady of France of being a man, when she is not, and will hopefully win lots of money in the ongoing lawsuit. Actually, to me, the First Lady of France is a far more beautiful woman than Candace, in fact, it’s not even close! Or Bankrupt Alex Jones, who says some of the dumbest things, and lost his entire fortune, as he should have, for his horrendous attack on the families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims, ridiculously claiming it was a hoax. These so-called “pundits” are LOSERS, and they always will be! Now Fake News CNN, The Failing New York Times, and all of the other Radical Left “News” Organizations, are “hailing” them, and giving them “positive” press for the first time in their lives. They’re not “MAGA,” they’re losers, just trying to latch on to MAGA. As President, I could get them on my side anytime I want to, but when they call, I don’t return their calls because I’m too busy on World and Country Affairs and, after a few times, they go “nasty,” just like Marjorie “Traitor” Brown, but I no longer care about that stuff, I only care about doing right for our Country. MAGA is about WINNING and STRENGTH in not allowing Iran to have Nuclear Weapons. MAGA is about MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, and these people have no idea how to do that, BUT I DO, because THE UNITED STATES IS NOW THE “HOTTEST” COUNTRY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!”

President DONALD J. TRUMP

Responses:

Candance Owens on X: “It may be time to put Grandpa up in a home.”

Alex Jones on X: “Well, President Trump came out on Truth Social and attacked myself and all the original MAGA supporters today. And I’m just so sad that whatever’s happened to him has totally changed the man he once was, because he did so much good. I supported the old Trump who got so many good things done…I just feel sorry for him and pray that God touches his heart and soul, and free him from the demonic influences that he’s under.” 

Marjorie Taylor Green also on X: “President Trump has gone mad as he wages war against Iran, a broken campaign promise. I fought alongside Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones to help get Trump elected. And now he goes off on a rambling rant attacking all of us in one post. We NEVER changed, Trump did.”

Tucker Carlson’s response was in a note entitled “Is Israel Blackmailing President Trump?” adding “Establishment media never reports this, but the Israeli government has a storied history of blackmailing U.S. presidents. We decided to write about this after Trump published a Truth Social post attacking our company, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones, each of whom supported him for years. Rather than engaging in petty name-calling, we want to give the president some grace. He is facing a level of pressure that is dark enough to make him abandon his campaign promises and morph into the precise kind of politician he once vowed to destroy. He would not have let that happen unless his personal stakes were really high. We hope he overcomes.”

Later we will discuss the Pope and the president.

No deal Don Quixote!

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said “excessive” U.S. demands had hindered reaching a deal. Not surprisingly, the US wanted the Strait to be opened and for Iran to give up its enriched uranium. Iran said no and Trump blasted:

“Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz.”

“I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas.”

“Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!”

I thought the strait was already blockaded. So this is a double blockade? It seems that the Iranians let two vessels through that paid fees in Chinese yuan. Seems like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps “imposed a de facto ‘toll booth’ regime in the Strait of Hormuz, requiring vessels to submit full documentation, obtain clearance codes and accept IRGC-escorted passage through a single controlled corridor.” Iran has said it wants to impose a toll on all ships passing through the strait under a long-term peace deal.

The president said no deal and our own blockade “will begin shortly. He said Iran “will not be allowed to profit off this Illegal Act of EXTORTION.” But I thought once Trump said that extortion was okay so long as he got a cut?

“They want money and, more importantly, they want Nuclear,” he said. “Additionally and, at an appropriate moment, we are fully ‘LOCKED AND LOADED,’ and our Military will finish up the little that is left of Iran!” The Iranians called that threat “stupid”.

BTW, the New York Times says that Iran would consider a US blockade of the Strait an act of war. Really? Then what does it consider what has been going on the past four weeks?

What is confusing is that the navy’s idea of a blockade doesn’t seem to align with the president’s. Trump said the blockade would target all ships trying to enter or leave the strait while US Central Command is saying that they would only target ships going to or from Iranian ports. CENTCOM is also saying that international vessels would have freedom of navigation to transit the strait. I am waiting to see what China will do – other than send weapons to Iran – since it is Iran’s largest trading partner and dependent upon its oil.

What has gone practically unnoticed in all this have been the humorous tweets by Iranian embassies mocking the president. Here is what some of them said regarding his profanity laden tweet on Easter demanding that Iran open the strait. 

The embassy in Zimbabwe said on X: “We’ve lost the keys.” 

The embassy in South Africa in South Africa said “Shh… the key’s under the flowerpot. Just open for friends.” 

The embassy in Bulgaria responded “Doors open for friends. Epstein’s friends need keys.”

In London, the Iranian embassy posted a Persian poem by Rumi about the dangers of placing a sword in the hands of a madman, accompanied by quote attributed to Mark Twain: “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”

تیغ دادن دَر کَفِ زَنگیِ مَست بِهْ که آیَد عِلم، ناکَس را به دَست عِلم و مال و مَنصَب و جاه و قِران فِتنه آمَد دَر کَفِ بَدگوهَران مولانا مثنوی معنوی

The embassy in India tweeted “Swearing and throwing insults are how sore loser brats behave. Get a grip on yourself, old man!”

The Iranian embassy in Austria placed an “18+” graphic over a screenshot of Trump saying “POTUS has stooped to an unprecedented level of begging, laced with bitter, hollow rudeness and threats,” and the embassy issued a “further warning: shield all minors under 18 from exposure to Trump’s rhetoric.”

The embassy in South Africa also said “Humanity must know what kind of creatures are leading the American people” and urged US officials to “seriously think about the 25th amendment, Section 4”, referencing the US constitutional provision for removing a sitting president deemed unfit for office. 

Lastly, In Moscow, the Iranian embassy shared a Russian illustration showing Trump as Don Quixote charging at a windmill on a horse, with a sidekick shouting, “Boss, it’s just a windmill!”

Проблемы, которые выдумки Нетаньяху принесли Трампу и его перемещенному слуге Дон Кихот и Санчо Панса, нападающие на ветряную мельницу

How do you define victory?

How do you define victory? Here what Webster says: 

1. A success or triumph over an enemy in battle or war.
2. An engagement ending in such triumph.
3. the ultimate and decisive superiority in any battle or contest.
4. a success or superior position achieved against any opponent, opposition, difficulty, etc..

So given the statistics of Trump’s war on Iran, he did achieve victory. Iran’s own estimates show at least a $145 billion loss so far in the war. There has been significant military damage to its naval assets, ballistic missile program, nuclear

infrastructure, and personnel. Then there is the damage to its cities and infrastructure. More than 66% of missile and drone production facilities, as well as shipbuilding infrastructure were destroyed. In addition, over190 ballistic missile launchers were eliminated, with hundreds more rendered inoperable.

Strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear program, including facilities in Natanz, Yazd, and Arak, are believed to have set back development by an estimated 8 to 15 years. Defense secretary Hegseth said that the US has achieved a “historic victory on the battlefield.” “By every measure, we destroyed the Iranian military. In less than 40 days, using just a fraction of our capabilities, we defeated one of the largest armies in the world.”  Iran’s naval forces, air force, air defenses, and missile program had been “effectively destroyed.”

The president himself tweeted that Iran was “totally defeated” and “We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s military capability.” He also has said on social media that “The United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both militarily, economically, and in every other way.” Iran’s military has been “literally obliterated. The air force is gone. The navy is gone.” “In two weeks we have decimated them.” 

Yep. That sure sounds like victory to me – and to Webster too. But note that “victory” did not include surrender. Despite being “100” percent destroyed somehow the Iranians keep firing off missiles and drones and have shut down the Strait of Hormuz. In fact US intelligence reports that Iran still has thousands of missiles that it could use by retrieving launchers from underground storage areas. Apparently they did not tell the president of this fact.

What about Trump’s demand that the U.S. would accept no negotiated settlement short of “unconditional surrender” and the demand for input into the choice of a new supreme leader? Trump tweeted that once Iran surrendered that the U.S. and “many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners” would “work tirelessly” to reconstruct Iran and its’ economy by bringing it “back from the brink of destruction” and “making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.”

So why is the US negotiating without any of those conditions being met by Iran? I previously posted that the Iranian leadership (whoever they might be) issued a victory statement in announcing the two week ceasefire proclaiming that its enemies had suffered “an undeniable, historic, and crushing defeat.” 

Apparently they didn’t know they had lost. Yes they have suffered staggering losses but it looks like they were prepared for that. Essentially they did not defend themselves, rather sending missiles and drones to attack US facilities, Israel and that of Gulf allies. To me it looked as if the Iranians were hunkering down to repel any ground attack rather than to sacrifice their forces in a direct confrontation with the Americans in the air and on the sea.

Although battered and bruised, Iran seized control of the Strait of Hormuz and rather than the US achieving any of its stated goals, including regime change, the Iranians achieved a strategic victory. I don’t know if Trump realized that the Iranians likely had only one goal, that of survival. Iran’s regime is still in place. It still governs with an iron first. It still threatens its neighbors. And now it controls the Strait of Hormuz. Trump had demanded that the Strait be opened or else he would bomb Iran back to the Stone Age. Well the Strait is opened but only with the consent of the Iranians.  Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi promised ships “safe passage” through the strait for the two weeks but only “in coordination” with Iranian armed forces and “with due consideration of technical limitations.”

Look, I am no geopolitical expert. Nor am I an expert on military tactics. But it looks like taking out the top layer of Iranian leadership has led to the accension of more anti-American leaders with a more prominent role for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Trump as is his wont first indicated that Iran’s demand that ships pay a $2 million toll  to cover the cost of damage inflicted by the war – might be okay if the US shared in it! Trump told ABC News on that the US may look for a “joint venture” with Iran to safeguard the Strait of Hormuz. Then of course he recanted and that they had better not charge the toll. By the way, he also had said that negotiations would only start on the condition that Iran agreed to “the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz.” But that didn’t happen as well since Trump sent Vance to negotiate while Iran still has control of the Strait and there are over 3,000 vessels still waiting for safe passage. 

Meanwhile, the “totally defeated” Iranians have rejected US conditions for a ceasefire at the negotiating table. Vance said “We leave here with a very simple proposal: a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We’ll see if the Iranians accept it.” Trump says that that is okay. “We win, regardless,” he said. “We’ve defeated them militarily.” Now he says we will blockade the strait. Regardless, the Iranians did not sue for peace and I doubt if Trump’s blockade will change things. They did not come to the table cowering with their tails between their legs. The regime is still in power, albeit with different leaders. They still control the Strait of Hormuz. They still have thousands of missiles. They still have enriched uranium. So we may have won a decisive victory. But we have not yet won the war.

Stop the Arc d’Trump

The president’s ego keeps manifesting itself. First the monstrosity of a $400 million 90,000 square foot ballroom that is replacing the East Wing – and is using imported steel. He wants to spend $174 million more on renovations. I guess paving over the Rose Garden was not enough. But now comes the Trump arch a ghastly 250 foot tribute to his ego. Note that the Lincoln memorial is 99 feet tall just to give some perspective on how enormous this vanity arch is going to be. Just like putting his signature on US currency to infuriate his enemies, Trump wants to put up this monster as a gigantic middle finger to those who hate him and to say to generations to come “I was here!”

Something called the Commission of Fine Arts will review the thing and if true to its title should reject it outright. Trump tweeted “I am pleased to announce that TODAY my Administration officially filed the presentation and plans to the highly respected Commission of Fine Arts for what will be the GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL Triumphal Arch, anywhere in the World. This will be a wonderful addition to the Washington D.C. area for all Americans to enjoy for many decades to come!” Note that “triumphal” contains “trump.” A White House spokesman said the arch “will enhance the visitor experience at Arlington National Cemetery for veterans, the families of the fallen, and all Americans alike, serving as a visual reminder of the noble sacrifices borne by so many American heroes throughout our 250 year history so we can enjoy our freedoms today. President Trump will continue to honor our veterans and give the greatest Nation on earth — America — the glory it deserves.”

Good grief. 

I guess he is going to have to suspend all ICE operations and deportations in the DC area until the project is completed. Will the Commission of Fine Arts approve this testament to ego and bad taste? Of course it will because last year Trump fired all the members of the Commission of Fine Arts (all appointed by Joe Biden) to replace them with a new slate of members to the commission that are “more aligned with President Trump’s America First Policies.” These are the folk – dare I call them stooges – who approved the ballroom, the renovations and will undoubtedly approve the Arch d’Trump, er I mean Triumphal Arch.

Munger on government failure. Powell on the debt. Are the poor really poor?

Munger on market failure and government failure

One of my favorite scholars is Duke’s Michael Munger, a leading thinker in the area of Public Choice. I have published several papers in that area but am no expert there. Munger was gracious enough to be the keynote speaker in the conference honoring my research – the “Dr. Harold A Black Academic Conference” sponsored by the business schools of the University of Tennessee, Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga held on September 8-10, 2022 at UTC.

I have written before that the left hates everything big – big pharma, big business, big oil, big tech – except big government. However, big government is more likely to experience “failure” than the market. Yet the left ignores that reality. BTW, when economists talk about market “failure” it is in the context where the market cannot price the product efficiently. One instance would be neighborhood streets. Should they be paid for by only those in the neighborhood who would erect a toll booth at the entrance for visitors? Or should they be paid for out of the general tax fund – by people who would never use them? What about government failure? As one text frames the issue “Imagine a world where government intervention always fixes problems perfectly—where every regulation hits its target, every policy achieves its goal, and every bureaucrat works solely for the public good.” That word does not exist because government can fail too.  In a recent publication Munger explores government failure and writes:

“I work and write in the field known as public choice. Public Choice began as an antidote to the naïve application of the “market failure” paradigm in which deviations from perfectly competitive markets always led directly to inefficiencies that markets themselves could never solve. This view was unchallenged in the 1950s and 1960s, and it worked to identify (mostly legitimate) problems with private, decentralized commercial processes. Markets are not perfect, so state action is required.

What was missing was any any theory of government failure. Under what circumstances—if ever—would state action likely be counterproductive? Government policy results from the digestion of imperfect inputs: the rational ignorance of voters, the concentrated interests of organized groups, and the principal-agent failures of unaccountable bureaucracies. Why would we expect imperfect government control and direction to be better than imperfect markets? This concern extended worries about market power to concentrations of power more generally.”

His essay can be found at

https://www.liberalism.org/p/seeing-with-two-i-s-states-markets-and-some-advice-for-us-liberals?hss_channel=tw-1968693666685534208

Highly recommended.

Jerome Powell admits that the debt is not sustainable

Its about time. Jerome Powell admits that the debt is not sustainable. In a lecture at Harvard, Powell doesn’t actually say that the $39 trillion debt is unsustainable but is on a path that is unsustainable. Powell, like everyone else, has no idea when it will become unsustainable but knows that one day it will be. Powell said “What’s clear is that our debt is growing much faster; the federal government debt is growing substantially faster than our economy. And that ratio is going up. And in the long run, that’s kind of the definition of unsustainable.”

With the interest on the debt growing to over $1 trillion, times a’wasting. Consider that in 2020 the interest payments were “only” $345 billion. But the explosion of federal spending under Biden and now Trump is rapidly turning the debt burden into a serious problem. Powell reminds us that fiscal policy is not the Fed’s job. However, the Fed has been a co-dependent to the Congress and engaged in monetizing the debt (purchasing Treasurys directly from the government) which aids and abets the increase in the debt when markets are reluctant to acquire more of the Treasury securities. Can the Fed just say no?

Powell points to the notion advanced by Ronald Reagan that the debt burden can be addressed not simply by paying down the existing debt but by growing the economy faster than the growth in the debt. But that has not happened for a number of years. This is nothing new. Even Janet Yellen warned that the

ever growing debt could reduce the Fed’s ability to address unemployment and inflation but restraint does not seem to be in Congress’s vocabulary. So although Powell does not know when we will arrive at that tipping point, he did say “It will not end well if we don’t do something fairly soon.”

The War on Poverty slowed down the reduction in poverty

Speaking of government failure, what was the purpose of the “war on poverty?” Liberals will say it was to help assist those in poverty. Conservatives will say it was to sap the incentives for the poor to extricate themselves from poverty and make them dependent wards of the state. Turns out that both are correct. Johnson’s war on poverty was supposed to aid the poor. It did but not surprisingly it also provided disincentives for the poor to leave poverty. Research has shown that from 1939 to 1963, poverty fell by 29 percentage points from 48.5 percent to 19.5 percent. After the introduction of the war on poverty, despite sending $20 trillion, from 1963 to 2025 poverty fell by only 15.7 percent. 

Here poverty is measured in market income which includes income in kind (cash and noncash payments). Currently the most common measure of poverty overstates it and Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) has proposed to change that. Currently, the poverty statistics exclude transfer payments and state that poverty is at 11 percent. But after including transfer payments and health insurance subsidies that number falls to 1.6 percent! 

Of course the poverty industry will howl if the new, more accurate definition were adopted. But as Robert Rector has pointed out for years, that the poor are actually not very poor. They would be middle income in most of Europe and higher income in the rest of the world. Ninety-five percent of American households below the poverty line have electricity, indoor plumbing, a refrigerator, a stove, and a color television. More than 80 percent have an air conditioner, two-thirds own a washing machine and dryer. Everyone seems to have a cell phone. You want to see poverty? Then go to India, China, most of Africa and South America.

An excellent paper on this subject is Tyler Turman’s, “Measuring poverty correctly reveals a hard truth about the welfare state.”

Measuring Poverty Correctly Reveals a Hard Truth About the Welfare State

Highly recommended.

Dueling Statements and Iran’s 10 point plan

This is one of those instances where no commentary is necessary. Here are Trump’s and Iran’s statement on the ceasefire followed by Iran’s 10 point plan.

Trump’s statement on ceasefire:

“Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks. This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE! The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East. We received a 10 point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate. Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated. On behalf of the United States of America, as President, and also representing the Countries of the Middle East, it is an Honor to have this Longterm problem close to resolution. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Iran’s statement:

“The enemy, in its cowardly, illegal, and criminal war against the Iranian nation, has suffered an undeniable, historical, and crushing defeat. By the grace of the pure and holy blood of the Martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Imam Khamenei (Peace be upon him), the prudent measures of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution and Commander-in-Chief, His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei (May God protect him), and the struggle and bravery of the warriors of Islam on the fronts—especially the historical, lasting, and heroic presence of you, the dear nation, on the scene since the very first days of the war—Iran has achieved a massive victory and forced criminal America to accept its 10-point plan.

In this plan, America is fundamentally committed to guaranteeing non-aggression, the continuation of Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, the acceptance of enrichment, the lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions, the termination of all resolutions of the Security Council and the Board of Governors, the payment of Iran’s damages, the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from the region, and the cessation of war on all fronts, including against the heroic Islamic Resistance of Lebanon. We congratulate all the people of Iran on this victory and emphasize that until the details of this victory are finalized, there remains a need for the steadfastness and prudence of officials and the maintenance of unity and solidarity among the Iranian people.

Islamic Iran, along with the brave mujahideen of the Resistance in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and occupied Palestine, has dealt blows to the enemy over the past 40 days that the global historical memory will never forget. Iran and the Axis of Resistance, as representatives of honour and humanity against the most savage enemies of mankind, have given them an unforgettable lesson after a historical battle.

They have so crushed their forces, facilities, infrastructure, and all their political, economic, technological, and military assets that the enemy is now plunged into collapse and desperation, seeing no path before it other than surrender to the will of the great nation of Iran and the honourable Axis of Resistance.

On the first day, when the criminal enemies of Iran began this oppressive war, they imagined they would succeed in complete military dominance over Iran in a short time and force Iran to surrender by creating political and social instability. They thought Iran’s missile and drone fire would be quickly extinguished and did not believe that Iran could deliver such a powerful response beyond its borders and across the entire region.

Global evil Zionism had convinced the ignorant President of America that this war would finish Iran, allowing them—after removing this last bastion of humanity and mankind—to comfortably commit any crime against anyone they wished from then on. They dreamed of partitioning dear Iran, plundering its oil and wealth, and ultimately leaving Iranians immersed in chaos, instability, and insecurity for many long years.

The brave warriors of Islam and their courageous allies in the Axis of Resistance, despite their hearts being wounded and torn by the martyrdom of their Imam, decided—relying on Almighty God and following the Lord and Master of Martyrs—to give these enemies a historical lesson once and for all. They chose to take revenge for all previous crimes and create conditions where the enemy would forever cast away the thought of aggression against dear Iran, fully tasting the flavour of humiliation and abasement before the great nation of Iran.

With this strategy and relying on the unprecedented political and social unity established within the country, Iran and the Resistance initiated one of the heaviest hybrid battles in history against America and the Zionist regime, achieving all the objectives designed for this conflict during this period.

Iran and the Resistance almost completely destroyed the American military machine in the region; they dealt crushing and profound blows to the vast infrastructure and facilities that the enemy had built and stationed around the region over the years for this war against Iran. In regional dimensions, they imposed extensive casualties on the criminal American army, and within the occupied territories, they delivered heavy and shattering blows to the enemy’s forces, infrastructure, facilities, and assets.

They so constrained the field on all fronts that not only were none of the enemy’s main objectives realised, but the enemy realised approximately 10 days after the start of the war that it would in no way have the capability to win this war. For this reason, it began attempting to establish contact with Iran and requesting a ceasefire through various channels and methods.

The honourable nation of Iran must know that, by the grace of their children’s struggle and their historic presence on the scene, the enemy has been pleading for over a month for the cessation of the fierce fire of Iran and the Resistance. However, the country’s officials—because it had been decided from the very beginning that the war would continue until objectives were achieved,

including the enemy’s regret and desperation and the removal of long-term threats from the country—gave a negative response to all these requests, and the war continued until today, which is the fortieth day.

Furthermore, Iran has so far rejected several deadlines presented by the President of the United States and continues to emphasize that it grants no importance to any type of deadline from the enemy.

We now give tidings to the great nation of Iran that almost all war objectives have been realized and your brave children have driven the enemy to a historic helplessness and a lasting defeat. Iran’s historic decision, backed by the unified support of the entire nation, is to continue this battle for as long as necessary until its massive achievements are consolidated and new security and political equations are created in the region based on the acceptance of the power and sovereignty of Iran and the Resistance.

In this regard, and according to the prudence of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei (May God protect him), and the approval of the Supreme National Security Council—and considering Iran and the Resistance’s upper hand in the battlefield, the enemy’s inability to carry out its threats despite all claims, and the formal acceptance of all the rightful demands of the Iranian people—it was decided that negotiations be held in Islamabad to finalise the details. This is so that within a maximum of 15 days, with the finalisation of details, Iran’s victory on the field shall also be consolidated in political negotiations.

To this end, while rejecting all plans presented by the enemy, Iran drafted a 10-point plan and presented it to the American side via the country of Pakistan. It emphasized fundamental points such as controlled passage through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with Iran’s armed forces (which grants Iran a unique economic and geopolitical position), the necessity of ending the war against all components of the Axis of Resistance (which signifies a historic defeat for the aggression of the child-killing Israeli regime), the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from all bases and deployment points in the region, the establishment of a secure transit protocol in the Strait of Hormuz such that it guarantees Iranian dominance according to the agreed protocol, the full payment of Iran’s damages according to estimates, the removal of all primary and secondary sanctions and resolutions of the Board of Governors and the Security Council, the release of all blocked Iranian properties and assets abroad, and finally, the approval of all these items in a binding Security Council resolution. It is worth noting that the approval of this resolution will turn all these agreements into binding international law and will create an important diplomatic victory for the nation of Iran.

Now, the honourable Prime Minister of Pakistan has informed Iran that the American side, despite all outward threats, has accepted these principles as the basis for negotiations and has surrendered to the will of the Iranian nation. Accordingly, at the highest level, it has been decided that Iran will engage in negotiations in Islamabad with the American side for a period of two weeks, based solely on these principles. It is emphasized that this does not mean the end of the war; Iran will only accept the termination of the war once the details—given the acceptance of Iran’s preferred principles in the 10-point plan—are finalised in the negotiations.

These negotiations will begin in Islamabad on Friday, April 10 (21 Farvardin), with complete distrust of the American side, and Iran will allocate two weeks for these talks. This timeframe is extendable by mutual agreement. It is essential that during this period, complete national unity be maintained and victory celebrations continue with strength.

The current negotiations are national negotiations and a continuation of the battlefield; it is necessary for all people, elites, and political groups to trust and support this process, which is under the supervision of the Leader of the Revolution and the highest levels of the system, and to strictly avoid any divisive comments.

If the enemy’s surrender on the battlefield is transformed into a decisive political achievement in the negotiations, we will celebrate this massive historical victory together; otherwise, we will fight side-by-side on the battlefield until all the demands of the Iranian nation are met. Our hands are on the trigger, and the moment the slightest error is committed by the enemy, it will be responded to with full power.”

Iran’s 10 point proposal

The president said he believes Iran’s 10 point proposal “is a workable basis on which to negotiate.” Here is the proposal:

1. Strait of Hormuz to be reopened “under the co-ordination of the armed forces of Iran”
2. Establishment of a “secure transit protocol” in the Strait of Hormuz
3. The war against “all components” of Iran’s so-called Axis of Resistance to end
4. US forces to withdraw from “all bases and points of deployment within the region”
5. Full payment of compensation to Iran 
6. Lifting of all primary sanctions 
7. Lifting of all secondary sanctions 
8. Termination of all UN Security Council resolutions
9. Termination of all IAEA resolutions on Iran’s nuclear program
10. Release of all frozen Iranian assets and properties abroad

Call me naïve but which one is the “workable basis on which to negotiate?”

Trump creates 186,182 jobs! 

The March jobs report just came in and the president is jubilant. It said that 186,000 new jobs were created, a figure three times that which was expected. This tells us at least two things. First, the experts should be fired. When have they ever been remotely in the right neighborhood? Second, what are the actual job numbers after the revisions. They probably won’t be the 133,000 job loss in February but don’t you think that these wild swings in the numbers are a wee bit suspicious? Trump, of course took credit for the job increase (he did not take credit for the job loss) when he tweeted “A very happy and blessed Good Friday to all, especially to the 186,000 Americans who gained Private Sector jobs in the month of March alone! My Economic Policies have created an enormously powerful engine of Economic Growth, and nothing can slow it down.” Factory Construction Jobs are soaring as a result of the rapid Onshoring and surging Investment that TARIFFS have generated, all while the Trade Deficit has shrunk by 52% in a year!”

I don’t want to throw cold water on such exuberance but if you break down the numbers, overall construction jobs grew by only 26,000 and the manufacturing sector remained flat. Most of the job growth was again in healthcare with a gain of 78,000, transportation and warehousing up 21,000. Finance was down 15,000 jobs while the federal government shed another 18,000. If you can see a sector where tariffs generated positive job growth please show me. BTW, I could not find how many of those 26,000 construction jobs were factory construction jobs. One worry though is that labor force participation fell again and is now 61.9 percent. That means that more people dropped out of the labor force and are no longer seeking jobs. Recall that the unemployment rate only counts those people out of a job and seeking a job. Also contrary to Trump’s patting himself on the back is that the Institute for supply Management noted that their index fell to 48.7 which indicates a contraction in the economy (positive growth would be an index over 50).

So let’s wait to see what the revision tells us. In February job losses were initially reported as 92,000 and revised to a loss of 133,000. When the March numbers get revised downward don’t expect a press release from the White House. But just for comparison, here is the statement from the White House for the March preliminary numbers:

“The March jobs report blew out expectations with strong construction job growth and a surge in manufacturing job creation as trillions of dollars in investments begin to materialize. America remains on a solid economic trajectory thanks to President Trump’s proven agenda of tax cuts, deregulation, tariffs, and energy dominance. Americans can rest assured that after the short-term disruptions of Operation Epic Fury are behind us, America’s economic resurgence is set to only accelerate.”

Again, the statement is puzzling given the numbers for construction jobs and manufacturing jobs reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But as to the real numbers, we will wait and see.

In addition to the 186,000 jobs created in March, Trump also created 182 more in agriculture. Earlier Trump said that one of his goals – through deportations, shutting down the border and tariffs – was to create a 100 percent American agricultural workforce. Well the Department of Labor just released a report showing that US workers applied for a whopping 182 of 415,000 agricultural jobs advertised last year. 

https://www.wsj.com/opinion/farm-labor-trump-administration-h-2a-visas-immigrants-d028e121

I thought that was a misprint. But farmers report crops rotting in the fields because they can’t get workers. The irony is that agricultural produce is having to be imported because American crops cannot be harvested. And of course, due to the tariffs, food prices are going up. Do you think that the farmers can push Stephen Miller to agree to a guest worker program?

Trump throws as hissy. GOP endorses socialism.

Thar she blows!

The president’s profanity laden tweet on his war on Iran was embarrassing – to me. He said:

“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the [F***in’] Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

He also said “I think there is a good chance tomorrow, they are negotiating now. If Iran fails to make a deal, you’re going to see bridges and power plants dropping all over their country.”

“If they don’t make a deal and fast, I’m considering blowing everything up and taking over the oil.”

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,”

Let’s just be kind and call this rant “unhinged.” 

Well Iran’s leaders (the aforementioned crazy bastards) rejected Trump’s ultimatum and rejected a proposed 45 day ceasefire. Although I hate the term “TACO” (Trump always chickens out), I wonder if people will say it applies here. Well the breaking news is that Trump did decide to “chicken out”. After announcing an 8 p.m. Eastern deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of every bridge and power plant in the country, Trump announced that Iran had agreed to re-open the Strait of Hormuz and the United States and Israel will engage in a two-week ceasefire.

GOP: Let’s legalize socialism!s

Once upon a time being a republican meant small government, less regulation, economic growth, embrace of capitalism, individual freedom and private property. No more. What now seems to distinguish republicans are the stance on abortion, DEI, trans and social – not economic – issues. The latest embrace of socialism comes from Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) who has just introduced a bill to codify Trump’s taking equity shares in private companies. Commerce secretary Lutnick in defending Trump’s demand for equity in firms like Intel said “Hey, we want equity for the money. If we’re going to give you the money, we want a piece of the action.” Well Davidson’s bill in reauthorizing the Defense Production Act allows the Defense Production Act Committee – made up of the heads of federal Agencies – to make take equity in private companies so long as the secretary of the treasury—acting as the “Fund manager” – says the company “is unable to obtain additional equity investment from private sources on commercially reasonable terms.” The bill caps government ownership at 15 percent. Although 15 percent looks like a small number it would make the government the majority owner is many firms.

It used to be that a real republican would say that if the market would not fund the venture then it should not be funded. Again no more. Now if the investment would be unprofitable and the private sector would not fund it, the government would step in and fund it by purchasing shares in the company. Hey, who needs Bernie Sanders when we have Warren Davidson and Donald Trump?

Deport Omar. No Commies. Influencers.

Deport Omar?

Don’t be surprised if Trump tries to deport Ilhan Omar. JD Vance has taken up the old claim that Omar committed immigration fraud saying she “definitely committed immigration fraud against the United States of America.” Omar of course denies it saying that it is a “This is a ridiculous lie and desperate attempt to distract from the pedophile protection party’s unpopular war of choice, increasing gas prices, and rapidly dropping polling numbers.” This is the old claim that Omar married her brother in order to get him into the United States. What puzzles me is shouldn’t this be easy to find out the truth? Apparently not. Omar says of Trump “He needs serious help. Since he has no economic policies to tout, he’s resorting to regurgitating bigoted lies instead.”

Vance said he has spoken with White House immigration advisor Stephen Miller about potential legal action against Omar. We’re trying to look at what the remedies are. That’s the thing that we’re trying to figure out is what are the legal remedies now that we know that she’s committed immigration fraud — how do you go after her, how do you investigate her, how do you actually do the thing, how do you build a case necessary to get some justice for the American people?” Translation: we are going to try to deport her and revoke her citizenship.

At the “No Kings” rally in Minneapolis, Omar said “We are witnessing a full-scale assault on our rights, our institutions and the rule of law. We have an administration that is openly and brazenly breaking the law and acting like the Constitution is optional.” Excuse me, but is this a joke? See below.

Speaking of “No Kings”

That Omar talks about Trump “acting like the Constitution is optional” is laughable because she wishes that it were so but only when the democrats return to power. Does Omar support the Electoral College? Does she support the Second Amendment? Isn’t the Constitution replete with provisions designed to limit the scope and power of the government that the left would love to ignore? Don’t the centralized government and the nationalization of production go against everything embodied in our Constitution? As long as I can remember the left has been at war with the Constitution and now Omar claims that it is “optional” with Trump. If true instead of criticizing him, she should be praising him. Maybe then, he will stop trying to deport her.

No Commies either

I admit that I did not know that there was just another “No Kings” rally. However, I was somewhat distressed to see hammer and sickles on display. That flag needs to be in the dustbin alongside the confederate battle flag and the swastika. It only shows the staggering ignorance of people who embrace the totalitarianism of communism while charging Trump with being an authoritarian. What all those folk out there shouting “no kings” really want is their own brand of totalitarianism with only democrats and leftists allowed. They want to purge all non-believers, much like Mao and Stalin did and have one party rule. Hopefully their emulation of communism doesn’t translate into purging the nonbelievers. 

Speaking of Mao and Stalin, protesters in New York chanted “There is only one solution, Communist revolution.” This is from the communist party USA’s website: “It’s been estimated 5 million people participated nationwide with the June 14 “No Kings Day” protests against Trump and the MAGA right’s billionaire-backed assault on the people’s democratic rights. CPUSA members were in the mix, adding their Communist plus to the day’s events.” What no mention of the left’s billionaire-backed assault on people’s democratic rights? Who were the main financial backers of the No Kings rallies? Huh? 

So to my friends at the No Kings rallies: beware the company that you keep.

Influencers and Big Pharma?

I have often wondered who do influencers influence? Why would anyone go out and buy something because someone on tik tok said so? Then it occurred to me that all the celebrities in all the commercials are actually influencers. I am sure that hordes of people are rushing to Home Depot  buying power tools and garden seeds because Shaq is doing their commercials. So I was wondering if there is some law against celebrities advertising drugs because of all the drug commercials I have only seen one – Serena Williams and a weight loss drug, Ro. Last year the top five advertised drugs were Keytruda (cancer), Ozempic (diabetes), Eliquis (stroke), Dupixent (eczema), and Skyrizi (Crohn’s disease). Not one of them had a celebrity in their ads. Why not? But query: are there celebrity ads for Big Pharma on social media (X, tik tok, etc)?