Aug. 25, 2020
Permission to republish original opeds and cartoons granted.
If Biden wins, we may as well get in line for unemployment right now, because it’s going to be a very long line
Former Vice
President Joe Biden is telling ABC News’ David Muir that if elected President
in November, he is prepared to shut down the U.S. economy again to deal with
the Chinese coronavirus: “I would shut it down, I would listen to the
scientists.” Biden explained, “I would be prepared to do whatever it takes to
save lives because we cannot get the country moving until we control the virus.
In order to keep the country running and moving and the economy growing and
people employed, you have to fix the virus, you have to deal with the virus.” Apparently,
Biden’s plan is to hold the country hostage until there is a vaccine, even
though there has never been an effective vaccine for coronavirus. There are
several candidate vaccines in development, but there is no assurance they will
work. Yet, Biden has already decided there can be no economic growth or jobs
unless and until the virus goes away. The reality is that the virus may never
go away, and the vaccine might not work. In the meantime, health experts are
not recommending another shutdown, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, who says that
with other mitigation, "You don't have to lock down again..." And
we’ve already seen what more lockdowns will do. When the U.S. economy shut down
amid state-based lockdowns in the spring, 25 million jobs were lost as labor
markets bottomed in April, and the Gross Domestic Product contracted a record
32.9 percent annualized in the second quarter. Since then, 10.1 million jobs
have been recovered the past three months, according to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics’ household survey, with millions more expected in August and the
third quarter is projected to be double-digit growth as President Donald Trump
and state governors have been moving forward with plans to safely reopen the
economy and virus cases have stabilized.
Cartoon: Seeing the Light
2020 is a choice
election.
Video: Biden's sweetheart deal with Xi has America investing in China, but consensus is that's a bad idea!
In 2013, then-VP
Joe Biden began a sweetheart deal to allow China access to American investors. Now,
156 Chinese companies are listed on U.S. exchanges with a $1.2 trillion market
cap. But experts say people don't understand what they're investing in when
they put their money on Chinese companies. Hear why a stock trader and a
now-deceased Chinese dissident say this is not a good deal for America.
Competing visions for America: Restore or tear down?
Not since 1860
have the differences between America’s major political parties been so clear.
Republicans opened their convention to nominate President Donald Trump this
week with a promise to restore, renew, and rebuild America, whereas Democrats
seek to deface, dismantle, and destroy our country. As they always do, voters
in this election will vote based on which party’s values most closely align
with theirs. At the start of all the civil unrest, Trump addressed the country
from the Rose Garden on June 1 saying, “The biggest victims of the rioting are
peace-loving citizens in our poorest communities, and as their president, I
will fight to keep them safe,” Trump said. “I will fight to protect you. I am
your president of law and order and an ally of all peaceful protesters.” In
contrast, not a single speaker at the Democrat’s convention last week condemned
the rioting, looting, and street violence in our cities. In the words of the
Black Lives Matter movement, “silence equals consent.” Joe
Biden has said he wants to withhold federal funding from local police agencies
unless they are deemed “honorable and decent.” Biden’s far-left running mate,
Kamala Harris, in June supported cutting $150 million out of the Los Angeles
Police Department and taking the police force below 10,000 for the first time
in more than a decade, saying, “I applaud Eric Garcetti for doing what he’s
done.”
Video: Will schools ever fully reopen again? Millions of children learning remotely as school year begins.
In 2013, then-VP
Joe Biden began a sweetheart deal to allow China access to American investors.
Now, 156 Chinese companies are listed on U.S. exchanges with a $1.2 trillion
market cap. But experts say people don't understand what they're investing in
when they put their money on Chinese companies. Hear why a stock trader and a
now-deceased Chinese dissident say this is not a good deal for America.
National security demands Pebble Mine approval acceleration with rare earth discovery
“The U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers is strongly urged to take every reasonable step to ensure
that Pebble Mine becomes a reality. This Administration has put a premium on
ending our dependency on China for rare earth metals, and now in the wake of the
announcement that rhenium, a key component to aircraft engines, was discovered
at the Pebble Mine, this makes the development of Pebble Mine a national
security must. Our nation can no longer stick our head in the ground to the
reality that China's worldwide rare earth dominance is a severe threat to
national security. The sad truth is environmentalists have never found a mine
they like, and it is largely due to their efforts that the U.S. is now 100
percent dependent on rare earth imports and 82 percent dependent for rhenium
according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Trump administration has rightly
made reversing this situation a high priority. With Pebble Mine’s progress in
addressing the environmental mitigations being required by the Army Corps of Engineers,
the mine meets and exceeds the legal standard for development and should be
accelerated due to the national security concerns. This is both good national
security and resource development policy, and meets the President's
priorities.”
If Biden wins, we may as well get in line for unemployment right now, because it’s going to be a very long line
By Robert Romano
“I would shut it down, I would listen to the scientists.”
That was former Vice President Joe Biden telling ABC News’ David Muir that if elected President in November, he is prepared to shut down the U.S. economy again to deal with the Chinese coronavirus.
“I would be prepared to do whatever it takes to save lives because we cannot get the country moving until we control the virus… In order to keep the country running and moving and the economy growing and people employed, you have to fix the virus, you have to deal with the virus,” Biden explained.
Apparently, Biden’s plan is to hold the country hostage until there is a vaccine, even though there has never been an effective vaccine for coronavirus. There are several candidate vaccines in development, but there is no assurance they will work.
Yet, Biden has already decided there can be no economic growth or jobs unless and until the virus goes away.
The reality is that the virus may never go away, and the vaccine might not work.
And we’ve already seen what more lockdowns will do.
When the U.S. economy shut down amid state-based lockdowns in the spring, 25 million jobs were lost as labor markets bottomed in April, and the Gross Domestic Product contracted a record 32.9 percent annualized in the second quarter.
Since then, 10.1 million jobs have been recovered the past three months, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ household survey, with millions more expected in August and the third quarter is projected to be double-digit growth as President Donald Trump and state governors have been moving forward with plans to safely reopen the economy and virus cases have stabilized.
In an Aug. 24 tweet, President Trump responded to Biden’s call to shut down the country again, writing, “Joe Biden has said he would lock down the Country again. That’s crazy! We’re having record job growth and a booming stock market, but Joe would end it all and close it all down. Ridiculous!”
The President’s plan for reopening includes a proposed $105 billion to incentivize schools to allow for in-person instruction with protective equipment including masks as a stopgap measure while we await the vaccine. Biden’s $92 billion plan in contrast allows states to stay closed forever, without any strings attached.
In the meantime, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told Politico in early August that following the administration’s strategy for virus mitigation that there is no need for another shutdown.
“That would not require shutting down again,” Fauci said, adding, “There seems to be a misperception that either you shut down completely and damage a lot of things, mental health, the economy, all kinds of things, or let it rip and do whatever you want. There's a stepwise fashion that you can open up the economy successfully. You don't have to lock down again, but everybody has got to be on board for doing these five or six fundamental public health measures.”
Instead of another lockdown, Fauci listed things the American people can do instead, even without a vaccine, which he says he is “cautiously optimistic” about: “Universal wearing of masks, six feet or more; avoid crowds; outdoor better than indoor; stay away from bars if you possibly can and in some cases even have authorities close them, that’s a hotbed of transmission; and maintain hand hygiene.”
So, if the American people take proper precautions, there is no need for another shutdown. Biden says he would listen to the scientists, but he failed to note that the experts are not recommending a shutdown presently. It was a hypothetical question.
Like Fauci, both Biden and Trump have supported Americans wearing masks. 49 states already have mask requirements of some sort, although Biden says he would go a step further and issue a constitutionally dubious national mandate for masks. In the meantime, Gallup reports that 86 percent of all Americans say they already wear masks indoors when they go shopping.
In contrast to Biden, President Trump and the White House Coronavirus Task Force put forth a strategy for safely reopening in phases, and to respond to hot spots. In sun belt states like Florida and Texas, when an uptick of cases occurred earlier this summer, states responded with closures of bars and reducing capacity of restaurants.
What Trump is offering reflects our federalist system, where states take the lead, is a responsive and flexible strategy that acknowledges that in certain cases, you may need to temporarily have more restrictions when the virus flares up regionally. Biden is offering a one-size-fits-all strategy, stating, “we cannot get the country moving until we control the virus” including “the economy growing and people employed” and so he “would shut it down.”
If Biden wins, we may as well get in line for unemployment right now, because it’s going to be a very long line.
Robert Romano is the Vice President of Public Policy at Americans for Limited Government.
To view online: http://dailytorch.com/2020/08/if-biden-wins-we-may-as-well-get-in-line-for-unemployment-right-now-because-its-going-to-be-a-very-long-line/
Cartoon: Seeing the Light
Click here for a higher level resolution version.
Video: Biden's sweetheart deal with Xi has America investing in China, but consensus is that's a bad idea!
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To view online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heqiPHV3awo
Competing visions for America: Restore or tear down?
By Catherine Mortensen
Not since 1860 have the differences between America’s major political parties been so clear. Republicans opened their convention to nominate President Donald Trump this week with a promise to restore, renew, and rebuild America, whereas Democrats seek to deface, dismantle, and destroy our country. As they always do, voters in this election will vote based on which party’s values most closely align with theirs.
Nancy Capels,71, and Teresa Edens, 68, of Albuquerque, New Mexico are following the campaigns closely and enjoy talking about the candidates on their daily walks together along the popular Tramway trail at the base of the Sandia Mountains.
“All four of my grandparents came to America from Italy on boats. They spoke no English and had no money,” Edens said. “But they had skills, and a work ethic. One of my grandfathers picked cotton in the South to pay off his boat fare. When he died, he owned a whole city block and a grocery store in Memphis. I don’t believe in freebies.”
Edens says she will be voting for Trump because he shares her values of hard work and a respect for law and order. President Trump has sent in federal troops to quell the violence and protect our neighborhoods.
At the start of all the civil unrest, Trump addressed the country from the Rose Garden on June 1 saying, “The biggest victims of the rioting are peace-loving citizens in our poorest communities, and as their president, I will fight to keep them safe,” Trump said. “I will fight to protect you. I am your president of law and order and an ally of all peaceful protesters.”
In contrast, not a single speaker at the Democrat’s convention last week condemned the rioting, looting, and street violence in our cities. In the words of the Black Lives Matter movement, “silence equals consent.”
Joe Biden has said he wants to withhold federal funding from local police agencies unless they are deemed “honorable and decent.”
Biden’s far-left running mate, Kamala Harris, in June supported cutting $150 million out of the Los Angeles Police Department and taking the police force below 10,000 for the first time in more than a decade, saying, “I applaud Eric Garcetti for doing what he’s done.”
“As I look around my city, I wonder if riots could come here,” said Capels. “And if they do, I’m worried for my safety. I don’t think our Democrat governor will do anything to stop them.” Capels, who does not identify strongly with either political party, supports President Trump because she says he is tackling problems “the political elite” have ignored. “Trump is ending regulations, trying to downsize agencies, and lowering taxes, and my favorite, he is taking on China.”
Among President Trump’s many successful negotiations with China, he successfully negotiated a phase one trade deal with China while leaving in place existing tariffs of 25 percent on $250 billion of goods and another 7.5 percent on the remaining $300 billion of goods that are needed to ensure China complies with the deal — taking on China’s unfair trade practices.
Obama-Biden never got tough on China, and as a result the U.S. ran up a $2.5 trillion trade in goods deficit with China from 2009 to 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In the first six months of this year, the trade in goods deficit with China is down to just $131.7 billion, that’s 18 percent below where it was when Trump was elected to office in 2016.
Capels worries that if Joe Biden wins, there will be no economic growth. “It will be just like it was under Obama, the economy will suffer, and unemployment will be high.”
The Obama years were a lost decade for many Americans who struggled under a low-wage “gig” economy. In contrast, President Trump’s pro-growth policies resulted in a 50-year low unemployment rate of 3.5 percent and robust wage growth, particularly for low-wage earners, until the Chinese-originated virus struck.
For Capels, the choice could not be more clear, “do you want the federal government running your life or do you want to get back to some measure of personal responsibility and not relying on the government?” She says the Biden-Harris is a far-left, progressive ticket that does not represent the moderate party of the past. “They have gone far left.”
Catherine Mortensen is the Vice President of Communications at Americans for Limited Government.
To view online: http://dailytorch.com/2020/08/competing-visions-for-america-restore-or-tear-down/
Video: Will schools ever fully reopen again? Millions of children learning remotely as school year begins.
To view online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_YRDKDxFl8
National security demands Pebble Mine approval acceleration with rare earth discovery
Aug. 24, 2020, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in support of the development of Pebble Mine in Alaska following an Aug. 20 letter by the Army Corps of Engineers requesting mitigation by Pebble Mine Partnership:
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is strongly urged to take every reasonable step to ensure that Pebble Mine becomes a reality. This Administration has put a premium on ending our dependency on China for rare earth metals, and now in the wake of the announcement that rhenium, a key component to aircraft engines, was discovered at the Pebble Mine, this makes the development of Pebble Mine a national security must. Our nation can no longer stick our head in the ground to the reality that China's worldwide rare earth dominance is a severe threat to national security.
“The sad truth is environmentalists have never found a mine they like, and it is largely due to their efforts that the U.S. is now 100 percent dependent on rare earth imports and 82 percent dependent for rhenium according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Trump administration has rightly made reversing this situation a high priority. With Pebble Mine’s progress in addressing the environmental mitigations being required by the Army Corps of Engineers, the mine meets and exceeds the legal standard for development and should be accelerated due to the national security concerns. This is both good national security and resource development policy, and meets the President's priorities.”
To view online: https://getliberty.org/2020/08/national-security-demands-pebble-mine-approval-acceleration-with-rare-earth-discovery/
