Our Education System is Off the Rails

 A wise friend once told me...Sometimes the train has to wreck in order to get fixed.  I have to believe that the American education system is approaching that wreck.  Our K-through-12 schools have become infected with the woke mentality that has swept our culture while post-high school academia has continued its devolution towards "too much administration", "too little education", "total lack of self-evaluation", and "continued allegiance to the almighty dollar".  Vocational education, at both the high school and post-high school levels, continues to be effectively ignored in a trend that is costing our society greatly and will have increasingly-adverse consequences well into the future of our nation.  We ignore this segment of our workforce at our own peril.

I live in a rural area that is located in the heart of Kentucky.  We are just about as country as you can get.  I attended public schools 1-12 and graduated from a college within an hour's travel of my home.  My children came up through the same school system as their mother and father; but the system that is currently addressing the education of my grandchildren in this same county is something I cannot understand.  

Within the last week or so, my granddaughter participated in a "privilege walk" at her middle school.  I was somewhat familiar with the "white privilege" aspects of  Critical Race Theory (CRT), but I had never come across the privilege walk.  Upon further research, I discovered that the beliefs espoused by the advocates of this mantra are based primarily on the writings of Peggy McIntosh, a Harvard graduate heavily involved in feminism and civil rights in the late '80s.  Here are some links to her body of work:

https://psychology.umbc.edu/files/2016/10/White-Privilege_McIntosh-1989.pdf

https://www.eiu.edu/eiu1111/Privilege%20Walk%20Exercise-%20Transfer%20Leadership%20Institute-%20Week%204.pdf

http://reparations4slavery.com/peggy-mcintosh-on-white-privilege/

What are these people thinking?  In what universe does this stuff make sense?  I was born and raised in Grayson County.  There have always been certain "privileges" afforded to individual children here; but those privileges have little to do with race or gender.  They have a whole lot to do with the power and influence of parents and their income status in the community.  Those who were fortunate enough to have these advantages had a "leg up" on many other kids when considering opportunities and experience; but these advantages were certainly no guarantee of success later in life and history is a fool-proof testament to that fact.  We all know some of those privileged kids from high school who became epic fails later in life.

The fact is that many children of my home county grew up in limited-resource homes that made it more difficult for them to succeed in life's challenges.  But the incredible story to be told is that many, many of these environmentally-challenged children overcame their obstacles and became the backbone of our community.  They did not demand "equities" over which they had no control; they demanded "equal opportunities" to compete and succeed in the quest for a good and productive life.  

Today, those equal opportunities must be tied to a comprehensive, fundamental, and evolving curriculum that emphasizes the skills and abilities necessary to become a functioning citizen of our great nation.  Some children will rise to great heights; some will tragically fall through the cracks in the system; most will move through the process and simply allow life's circumstances to craft their futures.  The goal must be for EVERY child to receive the dignity, respect, and attention necessary to provide an equal opportunity to learn.

The teachers conducting this CRT exercise were either conducting such in an unauthorized/unapproved fashion or were doing so with the full/tacit approval of the school's and county's administrative individuals and bodies.  In either instance, it is a terrible indictment of our county's school system that an exercise that is so radical, so disassociated from the fundamental purpose of K-12 education, and so removed from the geographic and demographic realities of Grayson County, Kentucky...could be conducted during the normal course of a school day.

If this stuff is happening in my rural part of Kentucky, it's a good bet that it is happening most everywhere in the United States.  It is essential that our education system be re-evaluated and that actions are taken to (1) return to the fundamental goals of teaching our children in the basic tenants of education and thus preparing them to be responsible and productive future citizens, (2) remove from our school system personnel their apparent desire and obsession to assume the role of parents in the lives of our children, (3) dramatically increase the levels of transparency and accountability throughout our public school systems, especially in the areas of administration, teaching performance, and curriculum, and (4) increase our dedication (ALL OF US) to taking the time necessary to find out WHO is running the schools our children attend, WHAT they are teaching in those schools, and WHAT ARE THE RESULTS of the entire educational process.   

If, in the course of their educational endeavors, our school system personnel become aware of unique or challenging issues relating to individual students, then they can utilize an option that should be in place to refer these problems to a third-party...a social-services agency, law enforcement, etc.  But our schools should not presume, through their self-serving and personalized agendas, to substitute their functions as educators for those of parents and guardians.

County School Boards must be held accountable for the Administrators and Principals that they hire.  Teachers must be vetted and held to a rigid performance standard based on thoughtful and concise job descriptions (they should teach what they were hired to teach!), and all the citizens who support public schools through their tax assessments must TAKE THE TIME NECESSARY to insure that the system is functioning in a manner that best serves our children.   Read carefully about the things that are going on today in YOUR schools...

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2022/04/critical-ethnic-studies-come-to-our-schools.php

https://nypost.com/2022/04/20/critical-race-theory-advocates-are-gaslighting-americans-for-power-and-profit/

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/education-tech-policy-leaders-ask-congress-to-investigate-partnership-between-newsguard-teachers-union/

https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/24/joe-biden-teacher-union-toady/

https://nypost.com/2022/04/24/bidens-bribe-to-the-affluent-student-loan-forgiveness/

https://jonathanturley.org/2022/04/22/dartmouth-under-fire-over-cancellation-of-in-person-event-with-journalist-andy-ngo/

When satire becomes truth, we have truly gone through the looking glass: https://babylonbee.com/news/18-year-old-trying-to-file-his-taxes-wishes-his-school-teachers-had-spent-less-class-time-on-polyqueer-trans-theory

The liberal contingent of American culture has taken control of the Democrat Party and is fully and unabashedly flexing its political muscle to shape our world into their vision.  Does that vision conform with your personal beliefs?

https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/20/how-america-became-la-la-land/

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2022/04/progressive-ideology-is-a-lie.php

https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/23/who-is-running-this-show-anyway/

And at the tip of this liberal-lunacy rocket ship is the One...the most corrupt, hypocritical, and egomaniacal person to ever occupy our White House.  

https://nypost.com/2022/04/22/obamas-utter-hypocrisy-on-disinformation/

https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/25/the-ruling-class-pantheon-of-lies/

The transformation of our Department of Justice (DOJ) into a political appendage of the Democrat Party began under President Obama and is proceeding in ways that bode ill for our nation.  There are clearly two levels of justice administered by the DOJ: One for those who think like the Biden Administration and one for those who do not.  

The penalty for those who do not: https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/18/mom-of-j6-political-prisoner-we-are-half-alive/

The penalty for those who do: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2022/03/28/craig-greenberg-shooting-quintez-brown-indicted-all-charges-louisville-mayor-kentucky/7194745001/

Let's see...over a year in jail for non-violent trespassing compared to two days in jail for attempted murder...Is that what you would call equal justice?

https://nypost.com/2022/04/17/democrats-are-campaigning-on-jan-6-hypocrisy/

https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/21/defund-the-capitol-police/

Our DOJ is becoming a truly frightening institution: https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/25/did-a-key-fbi-agent-in-whitmer-plot-attempt-to-surveil-steven-crowder/

In a tragic and slowly unfolding play of epic ineptitude, the Biden Administration's foreign policy decisions do not appear to be making our planet a safer place.

https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/what-will-a-desperate-putin-do/?utm_source=blog-landing&utm_medium=desktop&utm_campaign=continue-reading

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-says-it-plans-full-control-donbas-southern-ukraine-ifax-2022-04-22/

Witnessing the continued follies of President Biden and the Democrat Party leadership, it is difficult to imagine anything short of a red wave in the upcoming mid-term elections.  But then, we have to remember...we're talking about the Republican Party here...the ones who are so adept at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory...the ones who consistently bring knives to gunfights...the ones who make a big show of closing barn doors after the horses have already escaped.

https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/24/gop-gains-could-be-twice-what-the-cook-political-report-predicts/

https://lawliberty.org/book-review/surveying-the-american-right/

https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/?utm_source=menu&utm_medium=desktop&utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_term=second&utm_content=morning-jolt

Is there an alternative to Trump?  Could this be one?  https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/nikki-haley-wants-a-conservative-renaissance

I cannot close this post without a passing glance at Mr. Musk and his blaring pursuit of free expression on social media.  J. Turley has some interesting thoughts on the matter: https://jonathanturley.org/2022/04/18/twitter-faces-the-nightmare-of-being-forced-into-free-speech/#more-187503

An Embarrassing Lack of Embarrassment

Of all the maddening aspects of the ongoing "woke" culture being propagated by liberal America, I believe the absence of shame and embarrassment in their behavior is one of the most disturbing.  It goes without saying that we as individuals have the right to speak our minds and be as ridiculous as we choose to be...within, of course, the legal rules of civility.  But when their words or actions become so untethered from reality as to cross over into the realm of absurdity and they continue to insist that they make perfectly good sense...well, they are pushing the bounds of credibility beyond its limits and have pretty much given up their demands to be taken seriously.  

If you personally choose to preach and adhere to a creed that I deem to be idiotic, it is your right to preach it and it is my right to ignore it.  But please...do not get up in my face, spew that insanity, and then demand that I embrace it.  That is not an acceptable bargain and it will not be sustainable.  How long will it be permitted to rule our lives?

A prime example of this behavior is the Biden Administration's recent decision to "adhere to the law" and reopen leasing of federal lands for oil and gas exploration.  Sounds like a great idea and an indication that Biden is finally beginning to come to terms with his foolish energy policy, doesn't it?  Not!  Imagine that your home, along with several others in the neighborhood, has been subjected to a burglary.  Someone broke into your house and took your stuff.  After months of denying that this scourge is sweeping through your community, you finally get religion because it is YOUR house...YOUR HOME...that has been violated.  In response, you institute a new security policy.  Your home has a combination of ten doors and windows; you choose to lock down two of them.  And the ones you choose not to lock...well, let's leave them cracked open just a bit.

This is similar to some recent actions taken by Biden.  In response to our national energy industry fiasco driven by federal over-regulation, he is releasing approximately twenty percent of the available leases.  And to make his actions even more ridiculous and disingenuous, he is increasing the cost of the new leases to the participating companies by fifty percent.  Yeah...that will make a difference.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/biden-puts-the-lie-to-all-of-democrats-arguments-about-fossil-fuels 

And then there are the recent revelations about how the Black Lives Matter organization has handled its abundance of financial donations.  The BLM spokesperson claims to be "triggered" by IRS regulations.  I think April 15 has a triggering effect on all of us.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/blm-co-founder-charity-transparency-laws-are-triggering

Consider also the teachers' unions that preach constantly about their concerns for our "children".  Is it any surprise to learn that when we examine where they spend their money, their primary concerns lie somewhere other than "education"?

https://www.americanexperiment.org/teachers-union-spent-2x-as-much-on-politics-compared-to-spending-on-members/

There is also the case of our Department of Justice that has evolved into nothing short of a political appendage of the Democrat Party.  The obvious double-standards of justice applied to Conservatives as opposed to Liberals is now open and unapologetic.  To its own shame and demise, the mainstream media has become "part and parcel" of this pathetic trend.

https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/09/justice-has-been-and-will-be-a-long-time-coming/

https://jonathanturley.org/2022/04/12/the-serpent-beguiled-me-the-whitmer-prosecution-and-the-entrapment-defense/

https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/11/questions-loom-after-verdicts-in-whitmer-kidnapping-trial/

The audacity of Democrats to believe in their ability to "airbrush" history in a fashion they find pleasing and advantageous to their agenda is nothing short of breathtaking.  Enter the master of the political misdirection...the One whose allegiance to the truth is tenuous at best...the possible "power behind the throne" of our zombie President.  When the fawning mainstream media slurps up every sugary morsel that crosses your lips, why wouldn't you believe you could get away with saying anything you like?

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/barack-obama-rewrites-history-on-russia-and-ukraine/

Of course, our sitting President was mentored by the man whose function in the area of truthfulness is the equivalent of a wheel bearing with all of its balls gone.  There is a hidden truth in there somewhere, but...whatever.  Joe Biden's handling of our current inflationary issues is typical of the old standby...Keep throwing stuff against the wall and see what sticks.

https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/americas-abysmal-inflation-numbers/?utm_source=blog-landing&utm_medium=desktop&utm_campaign=continue-reading

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/democrats-bidenflation-disaster

It's bad enough when this liberal "laissez faire" attitude with the truth and common sense begins to pervade our domestic governmental policies, but it becomes "very real, very quickly" when it takes control of our foreign policy and national security.

https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/russia-is-making-even-more-money-on-energy-under-sanctions-regime/?utm_source=blog-landing&utm_medium=desktop&utm_campaign=continue-reading

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2022/04/the-uses-of-putin.php

https://nypost.com/2022/04/11/like-obama-biden-talks-tough-but-doesnt-stop-putins-war-crimes/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10700633/Americas-pledge-Ukraine-delusional-historian-WILFRED-MCCLAY.html

The aforementioned stories paint the harsh realities of a liberal agenda that exists with no connection to logic or reason.  The unfortunate aspect of their current influence in our government and our culture is the fact that EVERYONE must bear the consequences of their stupidity.  As usual, Victor Davis Hanson does an excellent job of calling out exactly what is occurring across our country these days.

https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/10/the-debasement-of-our-professional-and-political-classes/

What is the remedy for this silliness that is washing across our nation?  Will a significant mid-term shift in Congressional power really have that much effect on a runaway Executive Branch bent on pushing its powers to the limit?  How can we combat the endless number of patronage-appointed liberals who have been seeded throughout our government over the last year?  Perhaps there is one hope left...

https://www.firstthings.com/article/2022/05/defeating-the-equity-regime

A Walk Around the Block....

Ketanji Brown Jackson has now been confirmed by the Senate as a SCOTUS Justice.  She is the first black female to assume the position of SCOTUS Justice and that is a good thing for America.  Our government...ALL aspects of our government...should look like the people it serves.  She replaces Stephen Breyer, who has been a reliable liberal vote on the Court for his entire tenure.  Jackson's presence therefore should not significantly affect the "tilt" of the Court.  And even though it is certainly fair to say that Jackson's liberal leanings are more radically-left than were Breyer's, there is merit to having someone with her views present on this Court.  Without a doubt, her liberal opinions reflect a significant portion (albeit a minority portion) of our nation's political and social ideologies.  Perhaps this is the type of input we might expect from KBJ...

https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/03/the-nihilism-of-the-left/

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2022/04/understanding-the-progressive-mind.php

Inflation, energy, unemployment, economic growth, employment opportunities...these are all bundled up together in our country and each one significantly impacts the others.

https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/inflation-united-states/

https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/03/renewable-energy-is-an-abundant-source-of-self-deception/

Education in America, and the academic intelligentsia that run it, are continuing to evolve and battle with the public at large over what is best for our children and young adults.  It seems the hard and established shift to the left that has been occurring for decades is beginning to be challenged both from within and without.  If you have children, this is something you should pay close attention to and...at every opportunity...become involved with.  Do you prefer that school admission standards and student progress evaluations be based on "equal opportunity" or on "equity"?

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/the-sat-puts-merit-ahead-of-connections-dont-abolish-it

As I have stated before...I consider the "student loan forgiveness movement" to be a slap in the face to anyone (students, parents, grandparents, mentors) who has (and are) worked their ass off to repay their past student loans.  

https://nypost.com/2022/04/08/with-student-loan-freeze-biden-subsidizes-rich-lefties/

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has put the spotlight on many issues that had been lying dormant for a while.  It is fascinating to hear the varied opinions of both Democrats and Republicans in regards to how America should be involved in this conflict.  This is not an issue that splits along the traditional divide of the two parties.  The many questions raised by it are complex, wide-ranging, and do not lend themselves to simple and easy solutions.  Times like these should remind us all how important our selection of national leaders is.

https://spectatorworld.com/topic/the-next-phase-of-the-ukraine-war/

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-04-03/niall-ferguson-7-worst-case-scenarios-from-putin-s-ukraine-war

https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/04/the-end-of-illusions/

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/apr/4/us-can-do-more-help-ukraine-rattle-putin-former-mo/

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/biden-has-gone-wobbly-on-ukraine

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/milley-concedes-afghanistan-withdrawal-may-have-influenced-putins-ukraine-move

No discussion of current American foreign policy is complete without some attention being given to the fiasco that is taking place in the ongoing JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Actions) negotiations.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-says-it-will-return-to-vienna-only-to-finalize-nuclear-deal-not-to-negotiate/

"If" the SCOTUS were to wipe away Roe v. Wade and Casey as legal precedents, then the issue of abortion in America will largely be determined by the individual states.  How will that play out?

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/healthcare/red-and-blue-states-chart-opposite-courses-as-dobbs-v-jackson-looms 

The undeniable and unreliable persuasive abilities of the mainstream media continue to be an unfolding chapter in the story of our nation.  The questions of what, when, and how they report the news is, and should always be, the focus of the public.  We can choose to be sheep, wandering aimlessly at the behest of our media shepherds...or we can be the thinking, intelligent, sentient beings that the Good Lord created us to be.  

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2022/04/disinformation-american-style-3.php

Of course, subterfuge and deception is not confined to the realm of politics....

https://babylonbee.com/news/10-honest-company-slogans

Even though the punishment seldom seems to match the deed, there is something righteous about seeing political chickens coming home to roost.

https://justthenews.com/accountability/russia-and-ukraine-scandals/ron-johnsons-unanswered-2020-questions-joe-biden-loom

https://technofog.substack.com/p/john-durham-michael-sussmann-and?s=r

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/durham-sussmann-put-his-lie-to-the-fbi-in-writing

As the story of Biden, Inc. unfolds, I have thought about what manner of thinking would involve a man like Joe Biden in a corrupted mess of this magnitude.  This article puts forth a theory that I have subscribed to for some time...

https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/08/a-pure-hypothetical/

Watching the recent media videos of Obama's visit to the White House in which The One sucks all the oxygen out of the room and leaves our President wandering about like a lost child in a Home Depot store, I almost feel sympathy for the empty shell of a man that we have put in charge of our nation's government.  The truly frightening thing is that this man has two and half more years to serve as our national leader.

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2022/04/in-the-foothills-of-his-mind.php

As I have written in this blog many times before...WE GET THE GOVERNMENT WE DESERVE.

https://amgreatness.com/2022/04/04/getting-the-kind-of-government-we-deserve/

Come November, we get yet another opportunity to change that government.  How might that play out?  And the bigger question...Will it make a difference?

https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2022/04/08/how-big-could-the-red-tsunami-in-the-house-get-this-year-n461003

It is unfortunate that the Republican Party never seems to govern the same way it campaigns.  They moan and groan about the federal budget and then, when they are put in a position to control it, they spend money like drunken sailors...or to put it another way...like Democrats.  I will give the Democrat Party credit for this...They told us in 2020 what they were going to do if we elected them and that is precisely what they are doing.  

At some point, the Republican Party must stop making a living off undoing the idiotic edicts of the Left.  They must put forth a responsible and plausible agenda.  They must select candidates that are worthy of the offices they seek.  They must be consistent, sincere, and transparent in the ways they pursue their policies.  I'm not certain we have yet reached that point.  Perhaps the Alan Parsons Project says it best....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLi7Ljcy6n8

Democratic Misdirection

In my last post, I spent some time discussing the radical elements on the far right of the conservative movement.  My point being that there are extremists on either side of the political spectrum.  There are a couple of issues that make the liberal extremists a bit more visible these days than the conservative extremists.  First off, the liberals are in power and they are setting the agenda.  As history has always shown, it is far easier for the minority element (Rs) in government to criticize what is being done than it is for the majority element (Ds) to actually get things done.  Secondly, the extremists in the liberal element have much more influence in the leadership of their party than do the extremists in the conservative element.  The extremists are there on both sides; it is simply the case in the Democrat Party that the inmates are running the asylum.

When considering the far reaches of either political persuasion, I have often tried to put my finger on what differentiates one from the other (apart from policy).  They are both crazy in their own ways, but there has always seemed to be something...somehow...different about them.  I believe I have solved at least part of that mystery for myself.  See if it makes any sense to you.

Given their incestuous relationship with the mainstream media, it has always been a simple matter for the Democrat Party to control political messaging.  At some point along the way, this luxury resulted in the Democrats simply assuming that they could say anything about anything and it would be fact.  In other words, if you tell a lie often enough...it becomes the truth.  Black is white.  Day is night.  Good is bad.  Bad is good.  Up is down...etc.   

The liberal approach to debate on policy typically tends towards the shallow, superficial, emotional arguments that have little or no foundation or substance.  When you control the spin, there is no need for foundation or substance.  There is no need for consistency when you are not held accountable for what you said or did yesterday.  There is no place for reason or civility if you are untethered from logic or responsibility.  If it sounds good, say it.  If it feels good, do it.

An illustration of this strategy can be found in how the Democrat/Liberal elements "evolve" the terms used when debating policy.  "Global Warming", being disproved and exposed as highly suspect in the area of science and reality, morphed into "Climate Change".  No one can deny the climate is changing.  The important questions are why the climate is changing and what is causing it.  

The Constitution of our great nation is based upon the principle of "Equal Opportunity".  But the Liberals and the Democrats, largely through BLM activism and CRT advocacy, have replaced this premise with "Equity".  In a logical world, equity is the result of equal opportunity; but in today's strange world, the Liberals and the Democrats want to reverse engineer equal opportunity from the beginning point of equity.  Two plus two does not equal five; no matter how many times you say it.

I find it particularly amusing that Democrats are shying away from the term "Liberals" and now want to be known as "Progressives".  A rose by any other name is still a rose.

This liberal, gymnastic approach to vocabulary is especially revealing when we consider the issue of "Tolerance".  Both the left and the right lay claim to a healthy dose of tolerance for the rights and liberties of others; but a closer took at their attitudes reveals two sides of the coin.  Conservative belief is that each individual citizen has the right to dignity and the pursuit of happiness, so long as those actions do not infringe on the dignity and pursuits of others who might differ in approach.  The Liberal attitude towards tolerance is much the same and, in fact, traces back to the same origin.  The difference I perceive is how they choose to define "Tolerance".  

A conservative will defend the right of a person to choose their own lifestyle and make their own personal decisions, even if they disagree with those choices or decisions.  This is the area where we can all agree to disagree...within reason.  If you stay out of my face with your decisions that I do not agree with, then we have no problem.  Live and let live.  On the other hand...if you try to jam them down my throat, demand that I publicly endorse the correctness or normalcy of those actions, or allow the rights of the few to infringe on the rights of the many...then there are going to be problems.  Accepting another's right to make choices or decisions is far different than embracing those choices or decisions.

The liberal approach to tolerance incorporates different requirements.  In their view, it is NOT SUFFICENT to simply allow someone the freedom to live as they choose.  No; if you disagree with their actions or beliefs, then you must openly betray your own convictions, endorse those actions as normal or ethical or moral, and subjugate your own principles to theirs.  You are portrayed as the bigot...the intolerant...because simple tolerance is not enough.  You must give yourself over to the collective and heel to the uber-Karens who influence and massage public opinion and mores.  

Tolerance for the sake of tolerance is quite simply a total lack of principle.  Put another way...if you do not stand for something, you will fall for anything.  America is falling hard these days.

Moving on to some current events....The President has introduced his FY23 Budget and it includes $88.2 BILLION in pandemic funding.  This is on top of BILLIONS already authorized and partially spent (wasted?) from prior legislation and prior Administrations.  Will we ever learn that (1) the federal government is likely the most INEFFICIENT mechanism to distribute tax dollars and (2) the solution to all of our problems IS NOT throwing more federal dollars towards them.  

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/03/28/fact-sheet-the-biden-administrations-historic-investment-in-pandemic-preparedness-and-biodefense-in-the-fy-2023-presidents-budget/

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/biggest-fraud-generation-looting-covid-relief-program-known-ppp-n1279664

I say one more time...Yes, there were some bad things going on with our last election.  But...Trump and the Republicans knew that train was coming and still laid down on the tracks.  It does no good to close the barn doors once the horses have escaped.  Are we in for a replay in November of 2022?

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2022/03/more-evidence-of-2020-voter-fraud.php

Two federal entities that should be apolitical to the bone and absolutely above reproach are the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).  The Democrat Party, largely through Presidents Obama and Biden, have converted both into corrupt, partisan hacks.

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2022/03/how-cdc-colluded-with-teachers-unions-to-devastate-americas-children.php

https://amgreatness.com/2022/03/31/more-scandals-envelop-the-scandalous-fbi/

One of the first actions taken by President Biden upon assuming office was to terminate the Keystone XL pipeline.  That pipeline, upon completion in 2022, would have yielded about 800,000 barrels of oil per day.  Last year, the US imported 672,000 barrels of oil per day from Russia.  Crude oil is trading around $100-$130 per barrel.  Do the math.  Why have we helped finance the Russian invasion of Ukraine?  Why are we bypassing American jobs and energy independence and then begging for increased imports of foreign oil?  With energy costs going through the roof, why are we not reopening domestic energy sources?  At a time of national security concern, why are we increasing our energy dependence on foreign adversarial nations while siphoning off our precious crude oil reserves?  Does any sane person actually believe that a barrel of oil can be produced in a more climate-friendly fashion in Russia/Iran/Saudi Arabia/Venezuela than it can be in America?  How much longer will this madness continue?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/biden-to-release-1-million-barrels-of-oil-per-day-from-strategic-reserve-to-drive-down-gas-prices/ar-AAVIJ0A?ocid=mailsignout&li=BBnb7Kz

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2022/03/is-biden-panicking.php

Dangerous times are upon us and our national leadership is weak, unprincipled, incoherent, and ineffective.  

https://amgreatness.com/2022/03/29/emboldened-enemies-and-disappointed-allies-americas-decaying-status-in-the-middle-east/

Unfortunately, the problem does not stop with our President?  You might ask...What could be worse?

https://amgreatness.com/2022/03/31/kamala-harris-mocked-for-speaking-gibberish-after-meeting-with-jamaican-prime-minister/