Biden's "Accomplishments" - Part II

I asked myself this question:  "Why is Biden so intent on reinstating the awful Iran nuclear deal?'  Besides, doesn't Iran already have enough enriched uranium to make nuclear weapons?  What's the point?  I came up with this answer.  The mainstream media is already helping Biden sell all the lies about the "Inflation Reduction Act."  I bet Biden is thinking if he can lock up a foreign policy "success," no matter how spurious, the mainstream media will help him sell that as well, and just maybe the Democrats will be able to hold onto the Congress in the midterms.

With the 2015 Iran nuke deal under the Obama-Biden team, Iran received $150 billion, which, of course, all went to helping the Iranian people.  Nope.  Iran continued its support of the Houthis, Hezbollah ,Hamas and other terrorist organizations.  My suspicion of Iran being able to produce nuclear weapons was borne out, according to Caroline Glick.  She reports that "last month Iran announced it has already crossed the nuclear threshold and can develop bombs at will."  

Glick opines that the post-war ideal of nuclear non-proliferation is over.  Although, one could argue that with North Korea, India and Pakistan all having the bomb, that era had already ended.  But this seems different.  If Iran has nukes, surely Saudi Arabia will want to get nukes.  Which means Turkey will also want them.  Who's next?  Egypt?  The smaller Gulf states?  The Middle East has already been the location and source of numerous conflicts over the decades.  Do we need to add the risk of nuclear war?  And we should never forget that Iran refers to the US as the "Great Satan."  

What about the planned assassination attempts by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, on the lives of John Bolton, former National Security Adviser, Mike Pompeo, former Secretary of State, and others?  Shouldn't that give pause to any deal with Iran?  Glick reports that Iran is demanding that the US do nothing to retaliate, and that Biden is apparently agreeable.  

And where is the outcry from Jews and Jewish organizations, who openly opposed the original deal?  Glick's answer is that they "have been sidelined in the Democratic Party, and have no appetite for further arguments with the party that is not only abandoning them, but empowering lawmakers like Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib who demonize them."   

In March of this year, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke of the problems with the original deal, but claimed the current negotiations to resurrect the deal are "good."  Good how?  Good by demonstrating just how weak Biden is?  Good because appeasing a tyrannical, terrorist supporting regime is supposed to do what?  Demonstrate strength?  

I do not expect any of my fellow Jews who are Democrats to care much about this, because...Trump...January 6...Trump...January 6...Trump...January 6...But the world did not end on January 6, 2021, and the threats from China, Russia and now Iran are growing all the time.  But Trump... 

Biden's "Accomplishments" - Part I

It's hard to argue with success.  After all, Biden and the Dems have managed to pass $3.8 trillion in spending since Biden took office.  Although, in fairness, the infrastructure bill was passed on a bipartisan basis.  But now we have the reduced version of "Build Back Better," aka the "Inflation Reduction Act (I.R.A.)"  But will it really reduce inflation?  Not according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).  The CBO states that the legislation will have "a negligible effect" on inflation this year, and may reduce inflation by 0.1% next year.  Or may raise inflation by 0.1%.

This huge piece of legislation passed on a single party vote.  It was 50-50 in the Senate, so the VP was able to break the tie.  It passed 220-213 in the House.  All the Dems were in favor and all the Repubs opposed.  Was anyone on the left outraged by the bill being called the Inflation Reduction Act, when it will do no such thing?  Of course not.  Only Trump lies, not Biden.  Maybe it was just a cute name.  And does it concern anyone that major pieces of legislation are passed on single party votes?  I thought Biden was going to be the great unifier.    

The IRS, the most hated federal agency, is getting a huge amount of money with this law - $80 billion.  That is enough, some say, to hire 87,000 new agents.  $45.6 billion is marked for "enforcement."  Newsweek reported that the IRS had originally posted listings for new job applicants that said they must "be willing to use deadly force."  That requirement was removed.  Recall that historically tax compliance was always considered voluntary.  Sure, there were cheats, and there were audits, but the vast majority of filings were accepted at face value.  My guess is those days are over.  

The Wall Street Journal claims that, contrary to the Democrats' assertions, "the main targets (for audits) will by necessity be the middle and upper-middle class because that's where the money is."  As the paper reports:  "the super wealthy employ lawyers and accountants who make litigation time-consuming and risky."  There is a new 15% corporate tax, which the Democrats never seem to acknowledge will affect all consumers, as corporations pass on their costs to all of us.   

According to the Dems, $369 billion will go towards investments in "Energy Security and Climate Change."  So what about climate change?  According to climate scientist Bjorn Lomborg, "the new US climate bill will do almost nothing to reduce global temperature."  His estimate?  Anywhere from .0009 degrees Fahrenheit to .028 degrees Fahrenheit.  It is easy to forget that China and India combined have over 1/3 of the world's population, and are perfectly willing to use fossil fuels when necessary to bolster their economic output.  

In fairness, the law reinstates "the largest oil and gas lease in U.S. history," according to Fox.  Specifically, Lease Sale 257 covers over 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico.  Unless, the Dems and environmental groups find some loophole to defeat this provision.  The law does provide for a tax credit of $7,500 for the purchased of new electric vehicles.  I guess people will need that given the cost of electricity that has been discussed on the social media app "Next Door."  One homeowner complained of getting a bill for $1464.99, while another said her bill was $1800.  

The bill does allow Medicare to negotiate the negotiate the price of some high cost drugs.  Which causes me to question if the drug companies (derogatorily called Big Pharma by the left) will do less research and development, and therefore produce less life-saving drugs.  

 I would like to spend some time discussing Biden's other accomplishments.  The record 2 million illegal entries into the US.  The resultant human trafficking and drug smuggling when the border is not adequately protected.  The record number of fentanyl deaths.  The unknown number of terrorists who may have been able to sneak into the country.  I'd like to discuss the real rate of inflation.  The out of control crime.  The homeless crisis.  The reduction in our military readiness.  Biden's bending toward the woke left, and helping to undermine respect for this country, at home and abroad.  I'd like to discuss Biden's foreign policy failures.  But time and space do not permit a discussion of these issues.  Although, I will make an exception for one foreign policy disaster, for which you will need to see Part II.  

Growing Up In 1991

The tide was turning for me.  1991 saw the end of the Soviet Union, the end of the cold war, and a new group of independent countries - the former Soviet Socialist Republics.  There was a renewed hope for peace.  And it was yet another victory for Ronald Reagan.  His military buildup was done at a pace that the USSR was unable to match.  Reagan's idea of "peace through strength" was yet another success of his.  Again, it was hard not to notice.

March 3, 1991 saw the brutal beating of Rodney King by police officers.  As a defender of the police, I remember saying that if the police had given him a dozen whacks, given the danger he put them and the public in, I think people would understand.  But over 50 times?  I predicted that some of the officers would lose their jobs and go to prison.  But after a Simi Valley jury acquitted 4 of the officers, the city of Los Angeles was devastated by 6 days of rioting and looting.  Businesses that had nothing to do with the police or Rodney King were destroyed.  I was disgusted by it.  Property damage was estimated to be over one billion dollars.  I recall Korean shop owners, armed and ready to defend their businesses and their livelihoods.  Ultimately, the National Guard was deployed.  Tanks were on the streets.

Over 50 people were killed and more than 2000 were injured.  Some were shot and killed by the police and the National Guard.  Then there was the case of Reginald Denny, an innocent truck driver who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.  With traffic blocked in the streets, Denny was pulled out of his truck and had his skull smashed.  He was a white man viciously attacked by a group of blacks.  Where was LAPD during this chaos?  Mostly standing by and doing nothing.   

Yet, I still loved cop shows, because there the good guys would get the bad guys.  But in 1990, one of my favorite cop shows had ended.  Miami Vice.  I am not "cool" and never have been; nor have I ever cared about "cool."  But Miami Vice was cool.  It was different.  The music was cool, and early on the music often substituted for dialogue.  The cars were cool.  The clothes were cool.  And the women were hot.  

Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) wore a tee shirt with a white sports coat.  Yes, he was cool, but he was intense, and no one was more determined to get the bad guys than Crockett.  Not that many years ago, my then adult daughters were clothes shopping with me.  They have much better taste in clothes than do I.  As I walked into the men's store, the very first rack had white sport coats.  As I started to reach for one, I heard my older daughter yell "No!"  I asked "what do you mean?"  In her direct fashion (the only way she knows to be) she said:  "This is not the 1980's and you are not Don Johnson."  I replied:  "Then I'll come back when you are not here and buy it."  Her retort:  "And I'll return it!"  No, I didn't get the coat.  

When I was a kid, the Westerns were the shows where the good guys won.  But the Westerns were replaced by police dramas.  Two years after 1991, "Walker, Texas Ranger" began.  I loved the show and the theme music.  In 1993 our kids were only nine, six and six.  But when episodes were shown at 11pm on a Saturday night, we let them stay up to watch.  And we all sang the theme song.

I am not obsessed with cop shows; I am obsessed about seeing good prevail over evil.  However, my wife and I have watched a few other cop shows over the years.  In no particular order:  Hawaii 5-0, Law and Order, Law and Order SVU, Law and Order Criminal Intent, Southland, NYPD Blue, Chicago PD, Blue Bloods, Flashpoint, Rookie Blue, The Rookie, CSI Miami, NCIS, NCIS L.A., NCIS Hawaii, NCIS New Orleans, FBI, FBI International, and FBI Most Wanted.  There are probably others.  

In 1992 Bill Clinton ran for President for the first time.  I voted for him.  Once.  In 1993, Michael Woo was a liberal Democrat running for the office of Mayor of Los Angeles, against businessman Richard Riordan.  But this was no longer 1971 or even 1981, when I would have automatically voted for the Democrat.  My recollection is that I was hearing "identity politics" talk from Woo, and that is an idea that I found to be deeply offensive.  Plus, Riordan just made more sense to me.  So, I voted for Riordan.  

In 1991, a dozen eggs could be had for 99 cents.  A gallon of milk cost $1.05.  And gasoline?  $1.14 a gallon.  Imagine that.  1990 saw the launch of the Hubble telescope.  It was very exciting, as I have always had an interest in astronomy.  With the Hubble, we could look deep into space and far back in time.  Looking up at the night sky with my telescope and binoculars, I was able to see the wonders of other planets.  I could see Saturn's rings, and even about 10 of Jupiter's moons, including the 4 inner Galilean moons.  With my backyard telescope, those moons only were visible as tiny specks of light.  But if I watched long enough, I was able to see the 4 Galilean moons traverse across the much larger body of the planet.  Star clusters were absolutely fascinating.  It was impossible for me to look at the wonders and vastness of the universe without thinking that this could not have happened without the hand of G-d.

After 9 years of walking with a cane, I had my first hip replacement in October of 1992.  The other hip was 6 months later, in April, 1993.  These 2 surgeries were quite the ordeal, as my doctor did not use cement to keep the implants in place.  Instead, the idea was to let the bone grow around the implant.  For two months I could not sit comfortably, as I had to make sure my hip was higher than my knee, in order to avoid a possible dislocation.  I could not drive.  Getting in and out of bed was a challenge.  And the only wat to take a shower was by sitting on a shower chair.  Of course, I was not allowed to put any weight on the operated hip.  Therefore I had to use crutches, or hop with a walker.  And I had to wear the compression stockings around the clock.  But I could not bend my leg to put them on.  Once again, my bride was there to take care of me every step along the way.  (Yes, pun intended.)  By the end of 1993 I was able to walk without a cane.  One's perspective is certainly affected when the simple act of walking is not something that can be taken for granted.   

One other thing was certain.  At this time, I may not have yet considered myself to be a conservative; but I was clearly no longer a man of the left either.