Year End Reflections, Part I

Identity Politics. A Katrina Trinko had a piece in the 12/19/18 USA Today. Citing Yale and Princeton researchers, she wrote "researchers found that it's conservatives, not liberals, who treat everyone the same." Then, quoting Yale Insights, this: "Liberal individuals were less likely to use words that would make them appear competent when the person they were addressing was presumed to be black rather than white. No significant differences were seen in the word selection of conservatives based on the presumed race of their partner." I could have told the author that. Liberals tend to believe minorities cannot achieve on their own without government assistance.

Moving? If so, you may be interested in knowing what states people are moving to. According to the 12/19/18 USA Today, Texas gained the most people in 2017 - 379,128. Florida was next with 322,128. Rounding out the top five are California with 157,696 people, Arizona with 122,720, and North Carolina with 112,820. Three more Western states were in the next five: number 6 Washington with 110,159 people, number 8 Colorado with 79,662, and number 10 Nevada with 61,987. Texas and Florida, two states that remain conservative, have by large margins gained the most people.

Civil Forfeiture. The 11/30/18 Wall Street Journal editorial discussed a recently heard case at the Supreme Court, Timbs vs. Indiana. While the facts in the case are not very favorable to Timbs, the issue of when the government may seize someone's property is extremely important. The issue is when do takings under civil forfeiture constitute excessive fines and therefore violate the 8th Amendment to the Constitution. The problem is that state and local governments have increasingly turned to civil forfeiture as a means of raising revenue. During oral argument, The Journal tells us that "Justice Stephen Breyer asked Indiana's solicitor general whether someone caught driving five miles an hour above the speed limit could be forced to forfeit his Bugatti, Mercedes or Ferrari."

Socialism. Oh, you wanted to know what the solicitor general of Indiana answered Justice Breyer. Did you have any doubt? Yes, he said, the government could take your very expensive car because you slightly exceeded the speed limit. Government, big government, has an unending appetite for revenue - aka your money. California is thinking of taxing text messages. Back to socialism. A letter to the editor in the 12/4/18 Ventura County Star was written by a young voter. "We want a living wage, health care, clean air and water, and an education without being punished for doing so. If you do not support these things, then us young people will not vote for you." We want? I never thought that way, as I was not taught that way. I'm guessing many young people never heard of "rugged individualism."

The President's tax returns. In a letter to the editor in the 12/14/18 USA Today, we are told that "Congress should enact a law requiring presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns before they can run for office...we deserve full and complete transparency before we decide on a candidate." I am curious as to what a candidate's tax returns tells me about their likely policies. Furthermore, Article 2, Section 1 of the US Constitution sets forth who is eligible to hold the office of president. It would likely require a Constitutional amendment to add the further requirement of disclosing tax returns. After all, an Amendment (the 22nd) was needed to limit a President to terms.

George H. W. Bush. The former President (41) died on 11/30/18 at the age of 94. The 12/2/18 LA Times had this headline: "A patriot and servant." The 12/2/18 New York Times headline was "A Genial Force in American Politics." In a special section that day, The New York Times led with "A Genial President Who Guided the Nation to the End of the Cold War." The 12/6/18 USA Today had this headline: "A Great, Noble Man." I recall similarly flattering things being said upon the death of John McCain. I get that it is considered declasse to speak poorly of the dead. However, I just get the feeling that the only Republicans the mainstream media respects are dead ones.