Here are my observations and opinions on my selected news of the day.
(Courtesy Gary Varvel)
WHAT IMPEACHMENT? – While House Mother Nancy Pelosi was announcing her decision to proceed with articles of impeachment against President Trump, Rasmussen Reports’ tracking poll showed that 52 percent of likely voters approve of his job performance, the highest daily rating in the last two months.
THE NEXT DAY – 226,000 jobs were added, including 54,000 in the manufacturing sector, both higher than expected. The number of Americans working rose to 158,593,000, a record high, with hourly wages up more than three percent over last year. Unemployment is now at 3.5 percent, matching its lowest level in 5o years.
MEANWHILE, Apology Joe Biden was predicting a recession.
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION is planning to tighten work requirements for recipients of federal food aid; adults without dependents.
“The new rule lays the groundwork for the expectation that able-bodied Americans reenter the workforce where there are currently more job openings than people to fill them,” said USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue.
Able-bodied adults without dependents in 2018 represented about 2.9 million people, or 7.3 percent of all recipients, according to the USDA. Abut three quarters of them are not employed. The move is expected to save taxpayers $12.8 billion over the next 10 years.
As expected, bleeding-heart liberals on the left, the “free stuff” supporters, have pulled out their crying towels.
TELL ME IT ISN’T SO – I wondered how long it would be before leaks from the DOJ IG report would get to the media. The latest rumor, provided by the Los Angeles Times, reports that Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s long-anticipated report, due to be released Monday, will state that the FBI had enough evidence to justify obtaining a foreign intelligence warrant in 2016 to conduct secret surveillance of a former Trump campaign advisor who had multiple contacts with Russian officials.
The Times also believes the report will effectively reject or dismiss the allegations that FBI officials and agent broke rules and laws in their pursuit of evidence, while uncovering cases of FBI agents and lawyers acting in “careless and unprofessional ways.”
The Justice Department advises that we not speculate about the findings or recommendations in advance of Horowitz’s Monday announcement.
BLOOMBERG CAUGHT – Republicans are frequently unfairly accused of using a “code word,” also called a “dog whistle,” to disguise their perceived racism.
Well, sometimes Republican and now Democrat Michael “Moneybags” Bloomberg got caught using a code word – “well-spoken” – to describe fellow candidate Cory Booker.
The phrase is considered condescending and offensive by many African-Americans, Booker told a CBS This Morning audience on Friday. “I was taken aback by it,” Booker said, adding that he “hoped the multi-billionaire now understood why the comment was hurtful. It’s sort of stunning at times that we are still revisiting these, sort of tired, you know, tropes or the language we have out there … I don’t think they understand, and the fact that they don’t understand is problematic.”
Bloomberg apologized for his use of the code word; not certain if he did so directly with Booker.
I recall, during the 2008 campaign, Apology Joe Biden, was criticized for saying of Barack Obama, “You’ve got the first sort of mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that’s story book, man.” Biden was forced to call Obama and personally apologize.
One thing you can say about most Democrats, however, they generally don’t bother using code words to disguise their feelings. For example, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s reference to President Trump as the “imposter” in the Oval Office.
Of course, there was FBI lawyer Lisa Page who referred to the president as “loathsome” and an “idiot.” And FBI agent Peter Strozk’s text indicating that he “could smell the Trump support” in a Virginia Walmart, a slap at Trump supporters.
THE MEMORIAL AT PEARL HARBOR (traveldigg.com)
FINALLY, I would be remiss if I didn’t honor those who died or were injured during the dastardly Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. If you ever have the good fortune to visit Hawaii, I highly recommend that you visit the memorial where the U.S.S. Arizona’s hulk can be seen. We should never forget the 2,335 service men who lost their lives that day.
THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE (getty/mentalfloss)
SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO – Another important date to remember is December 16, 1944, when our brave military fought in the Battle of the Bulge in what became known as the Ardennes Counteroffensive, the last German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II.
The month-long Battle of the Bulge, considered the largest and bloodiest single battle fought by the U.S. in the war, resulted in 89,000 American casualties, of which some 19,000 lost their lives.
May God continue to bless the United States.
