California Considering Making Voting Mandatory

                There is a newly proposed bill pending in the formerly Golden State of California which would require registered voters to turn in a ballot, according to the Los Angeles Times. If enacted, Assembly Bill 2070 would “require a person who qualifies and is registered to vote to cast a ballot, marked or unmarked in whole or in part, at every election held within the territory within which the person resides.” The legislation also states, “The bill would require the Secretary of State to enforce this requirement.” There’s a whole lot of “requiring” going on here, without explicit delineation of what the punishment might be for disobeying the government’s coercion. There is a clear “quid pro quo” inherent in the bill: “Do as you are told and cast a ballot, and we won’t take punitive action against you.”

                Marc Levine (D-duh!), Assemblyman and author of the bill, cited examples of other countries that have compulsory voting laws, as if that is somehow relevant, and purported to be proposing the bill “with democracy on the line.” He is right in the sense that, if the bill passes, there will be no more democracy in California. If the government can force you to vote under penalty of law, it can force you to do anything else, as well, and this is not a hallmark of democracy. Democracy implies freedom, self-government, self-rule, self-determination.

                It is but a very short step from telling people they must vote to telling them how they must vote…and who they must vote for. (Oddly enough, these same politicians are pro-choice when it comes to issues like abortion.) The more people voting the better for progressives. This is why they have massive get out the vote drives and try to pass bills allowing felons—and now illegal aliens—to vote. They know that, historically, those who are incarcerated-- or are too lazy, stoned or ignorant to vote, vote for Democrats overwhelmingly when Democrats force/help them to do so. This bill is reminiscent of the Third Reich: “We have ways of, shall we say, convincing you to vote….ja?”

                A Canadian band once wrote a song with the following lyrics:

                If you choose not to decide

                You still have made a choice

                You can choose from phantom fears

                And kindness that can kill

                I will choose a path that’s clear

                I will choose free will

               

                In California, you may soon not have that choice. Leftist legislators may like Free Willy, but they are not fond of their subject’s free will.

Ninth Democratic Debate

Ninth Democratic Debate

Las Vegas, Nevada

February 19, 2020, 9PM-11PM EST

NBC News, MSNBC

Moderators: Lester Holt, Chuck Todd, Hallie Jackson, Vanessa Hauc, Jon Ralston

Lester Holt: “Good evening everyone and welcome to the ninth Democratic debate of the 2020 presidential election cycle. Good evening candidates. Senator Sanders, let’s start with you. Some folks say that you still haven’t adequately explained how you would pay for the many trillions of dollars in new spending that the programs you are proposing would cost….programs such as a version of the Green New Deal, Medicare for all, etc., etc. Have you an answer for them now?”

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT): “Let’s take that question from the other side. How can we afford not to have these programs? Huh? Riddle me that! With Capitalists its always about money!”

Holt: “That’s certainly true sir, and well stated, but…at some point don’t these programs actually have to be funded somehow? I mean in reality?”

Sanders: “Okay. Pull-tabs.”

Holt: “You’d…you’d fund them with pull-tabs? Gambling?”

Sanders: “Hell, yeah. Why not? Capitalism is a gamble and the odds are stacked against the little guy. Why not even those odds up? And, this is Las Vegas, right? You guys should like that plan!” (Holt briefly looks perplexed, but quickly shrugs it off)

Hallie Jackson: “Mayor Buttigieg, what do you tell those who are concerned that your only really leadership experience has been being the mayor of a relatively small town, that, frankly, has its issues”

Mayor Pete Buttigieg: “First off, let me just state that I am gay and so proud of my husband Chasten Glezman!”

Jackson: “That’s wonderful sir, but I think we all know that by now.”

Buttigieg: “A guy in Iowa didn’t!”

Jackson: “True. Anyway, please proceed.”

Buttigieg: “Well, we need to remove the rancor and viciousness from the political arena. We need to channel the ‘better angels of our nature.’ We must stick together or fall apart. My administration will bring back decency and decorum to the White House.”

Chuck Todd: “Senator Klobuchar, you’ve recently said that you don’t believe that English should be the official language of the United States. Do you stand by that statement, and, if so, why do you believe that?”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN): “Si Señor.”

Todd: “That’s it?”

Klobuchar: “Yes, why?”

Todd: “Whatever. A follow-up question: when asked recently, you didn’t know who the president of Mexico was. Do you now know?”

Klobuchar: “Si Señor.”

Todd: “Alright, who is it?”

Klobuchar: “I think his first name is like Chico or José or Manuel or something. And his last name is…I wanna say…Labrador.”

Todd: “It’s Andrés Manuel López Obrador.”

Klobuchar: “Manuel! Like I said! And, speaking of presidents, did you know I am the same height as Abraham Lincoln was?”

 Todd (rolls eyes): “Senator Klobuchar, President Lincoln was 6 feet, four inches tall. You are closer to five foot four.”

Klobuchar (chastened): “Oh. Si, Señor.”

Michael Bloomberg (laughing, interrupting): "What a dumb broad!"

Vanessa Hauc (clearly angry): "Mr. Bloomberg, you are out of line. We'll get to you later. Now, Mr. Biden, with all due respect sir, you did not fare well in Iowa or New Hampshire. Some have even called for you to drop out of the race. What would you tell those who now say you are a long-shot at best to capture the nomination?”

Former Vice President Joe Biden: “I’d tell those lying, butt-faced, dog-eared, buffalo-soldier corn-poppers to go to hell. That’s what I’d tell them. And I’ll tell you another thing, I’m going to do very well here in Nebraska! Go Cornhuskers, woo-hoo! Yeah!” (Hauc stares straight ahead in disbelief, no expression of her face)

Jon Ralston: “Senator Warren, do you still stand by your earlier statement that Senator Sanders told you a woman couldn’t be president?”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.): “I do. And, as a woman, and a former woman of color, and one who was wrongly dismissed from a job because I was pregnant, I am utterly appalled by that statement. It’s so patriarchal and misogynistic that it makes me wanna go get me a beer. Um, Jon, do you want one too?” (Starts walking off stage…everyone stares incredulously)

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Bloomberg To Pick Hillary For Vice President?

Mini-Mike, say it isn’t so.

The formerly conservative news aggregator site, the Drudge Report, reported Saturday that Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is considering asking Hillary Clinton to be his vice-presidential running mate. Citing a source close to Bloomberg’s campaign, the website stated that Clinton was under consideration due to internal polling revealing that a Bloomberg-Clinton ticket would be a “formidable force” to be reckoned with in the lead-up to the upcoming 2020 election. The report noted that Bloomberg would even consider changing his legal residence to a home he owns in either Colorado or Florida, “since the electoral college makes it hard for a POTUS and VPOTUS [to be] from the same state.”  

The Bloomberg campaign, though quick to diminish the veracity of the report, did not deny it outright. Jason Schechter, Bloomberg’s communication director, issued a statement saying, “We are focused on the primary and the debate, not VP speculation.”

There have been numerous reports that Clinton may not yet be done with national politics. One source told Fox News that Clinton would seriously consider joining a ticket as Vice President, saying “She wants back in.” While appearing on a recent edition of “The Ellen Show,” Clinton was asked if she might accept an invitation to be a Vice President on a ticket this November. She replied, “Well, that’s not going to happen, but no, probably no,” leading most rational Clinton observers to conclude that she would jump at the chance.

It would be odd if three of the four people on the ballot to be the next President and Vice President were from New York. Perhaps Trump should replace Mike Pence with Rudy Giuliani and make it a clean sweep for the Empire State. To heck with the rest of the fruited plain. In that case we would have the two 2016 presidential finalists and two of the last three mayors of The Big Apple facing off. What fun! 

But seriously, if I were counseling Bloomberg, I would strongly advise him against picking Clinton for Veep and giving her a chance at revenge. If Crooked Hillary was under Mini-Mike on the same ticket, it might have a profound affect on the latter’s life expectancy. Come to think of it, the rest of the Democratic candidates might start “disappearing” as well.    

They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. That goes twice for Hillary.

               

Schools Employing New Grading Systems For Students' Self-Esteem

                Many schools—and school districts—are abandoning the long-time standard “A-F” grading system in favor of a less judgmental series of classifications designed to make every student (and parent) feel good about themselves. Some have replaced the old, stodgy, inflexible A-F denotations with “EX,” “M,” “DV,” and “E.” EX means the student is consistently exceeding grade-level expectations, M means he or she is meeting them, DV denotes a student is developing understanding and approaching grade-level expectations, and E means the young scholar is emerging, or beginning to show initial understanding of the material covered. In other words, rocket science here we come!

                Other schools are taking a cue from the wackos who promote a “minimum basic income” and are proposing a concrete “grade floor,” below which it is impossible to go even if the student never does any work. For example, a pupil might get 40 or 50 percent credit for not turning in assignments. What an incentive for all to do their very best! The public-school system will produce endless cadres of full-on Socialists before the kids matriculate to middle school. 

                In some cases, schools have entirely dispensed with grading kids on how well they know the subject matter and replaced that antiquated measurement with noting how well a student “tells a story,”  “describes an experience,” or “cooperates with partners or groups.” Because, of course, individuals are moot, what matters is the collective. In California, it is now impolitic to speak of “at risk” students, those from troubled homes and/or who have criminal records or abuse substances. Legislators have revised the state’s penal code to instead refer to “at promise” students. California is “at promise” of becoming impoverished—intellectually as well as socio-economically.

                As my faithful readers know, I am nothing if not progressive. Therefore, I am proposing several new grading systems myself. Schools could simply use colors in place of the archaic, cold and unforgiving A-F grading system. According to the good folks at colourtheory.net, purple “speaks to the intellect” and “is considered a very cerebral colour.” This could be used for those students who are truly excelling. Whereas green “is a well-balanced colour, good for speech development” and “contemplation.” This could be the equivalent of a “B” (or an “M”). Perhaps blue could replace a “C,” yellow a “D,” and red an “F.” Or, maybe it’s best to use softer, kinder, gentler, pastel colors…like lavender, violet, plum, light pink and teal.

                Alternately, a sequence of “thumbs up” could be used, five opposable digits (👍👍👍👍👍) representing an “A,” 4 (👍👍👍👍) a “B,” and so forth, down to one (👍) denoting the dreaded “F.” This would still be telling the student “good job,” while implying room for improvement.

                Or perhaps the best grading system of all, consistent with today’s values and feelings, would be emojis. Consider:   😊 replaces an “A,” 😀 a “B,”  😐 a “C,” and 🤨 a “D.”    The replacement for “F” (or “E”) could be 😥 or 🙄, immediately followed by 😇, to show that the student is loved and everything will totally turn out super good in the end, so there is no need to be concerned!

                It is likely that, in the final analysis, there will be no final analysis, and the concept of “grading” (i.e. “judging!”) will be done away with completely. Students in the not too distant future will simply be asked, “How do you feel about what you’ve learned?”

                NASA, here they come. The sky is the limit. 👍. 😊.

Trump Extends Travel Ban To California

February 21, 2020

News Services—

The Trump administration announced today that it is extending its current travel ban to California, making the erstwhile “Land of Milk and Honey” the first U.S. state to have stringent travel restrictions imposed on it. California joins Nigeria, Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan, Tanzania, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, North Korea and Venezuela on the list of states from which immigration is deemed too dangerous or problematic to be permitted. (Chad had been on the list but was recently removed due to good behavior.)

A high-level administration official, who wished to remain anonymous, said that Californians will no longer be allowed to seek refuge in any of the other 49 states “until the state gets its sh*t together,” noting the formerly Golden State’s high rates of poverty and drug abuse, feces-strewn streets, homeless camps, and prevalence of anti-American activities and policies. The official added, “It’s a rogue state, a ‘sanctuary state,’ it is dangerous, it may now harbor more criminals, idlers and radical Muslims from Sh*t-hole countries than the sh*t-hole countries themselves do.”

(As of this writing, President Trump is still pressing Congress for funds to build a “big, beautiful, border wall” around California, but Congress has, as yet, refused to grant the money.) 

New York Art Exhibit: "Abortion Is Normal"

                “Abortion is Normal” was the title of a recent “art” exhibit in New York City. The exhibit was organized by the group “Downtown for Democracy” and was billed as an “urgent call-to-action exhibition to raise both awareness and funding in support of accessible, safe, and legal abortion” and featured a “heterogeneous array of artists countering with their personal response to abortion and abortion access in order to create an inclusive and empathetic entry point to this conversation.” This raises the age-old question: “WTF?!?!” Was an actual abortion performed at the exhibit and termed “performance art?”

                Organizers intended to use the show, which ran through the month of January, to combat anti-abortion sentiment and raise money for Planned Parenthood. Apparently, the half a billion dollars in taxpayer funding the organization receives each year is not enough for the nation’s largest—and greediest—abortion mill.

                Downtown for Democracy is an odd name for a group that obviously doesn’t care about the little guy—or gal—and doesn’t give them a say (vote) in the small matter of whether they live or die. The group says the exhibit’s message is “intended as a statement of camaraderie and caring that in short says: ‘What you choose to do with your body is OK.’” Which is complete bullshit. As I’ve often noted, you can’t get drunk and drive your own body home, you can’t steal somebody else’s money, you can’t even walk into a convenience store and buy a pack of cigarettes with your own body if you are under 18. And you certainly can’t take another innocent person’s life with your own body. This is perhaps the stupidest argument in the long history of leftist insanity. And that’s saying something. But that doesn’t stop “pro-choice” advocates from averring that abortion is a “basic human right.” No, it isn’t. The rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are “basic human rights,” which necessarily means that there is no right, basic or other, to deprive someone else of their life. Slavery and abortion both violate the legitimate rights of other human beings.

                Incredibly, Downtown for Democracy was at pains to explain that the word “normal” in the exhibit’s title was not used in an “ableist” sense. Because, you know, that would be offensive and wrong.

                Proceeds from the event were given to “voter education and advocacy efforts,” meaning the Democratic Party. Helen Holmes, of England’s The Observer, “the world’s leading liberal voice,” happily observed that the exhibit featured “a true murderers’ row of incredible artwork for sale.” Well, at least she’s honest. Vomit. And I bet she’s an anti-capitalist. Sickening doesn’t begin to describe her description. The Abortion Is Normal website (non-ableist!), and several others which will go unmentioned here, displayed several examples of the event’s “art,” much of which is sexual in nature, including nude photographs. Imagine that. In addition, there were paintings of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (thankfully not nude), and figures bedecked in “Thank God for abortion” shirts. No, we thank God for life, in this world and, hopefully, the next-- and for all eternity. There were also delightfully witty bon mots such as, “Dear Judge Kavanaugh, if you don’t like abortions don’t get one.”

Yes, and if you don’t like murder…don’t commit one.

MSNBC: Breaking News February 14, 2020

MSNBC—Friday, February 14, 2020

“Good evening. It was another record week for the stock market, but that has been completely overshadowed by breaking news of bombshell revelations pertaining to yet more malfeasance by President Donald J. Trump. Washington has been rocked by the latest reports, this time pertaining to a series of incidents, that, if proven, will surely lead to the president’s ouster. In what some of Trump’s opponents are calling the ‘Valentine’s Day Massacre,’ allegations kept coming throughout the day. First off, early this morning, anonymous sources claimed that the president has knowingly—and possibly premeditatively— refused to take a one-stroke penalty after incorrectly placing his ball marker on several different occasions while playing golf during his presidency. Democrats have pledged to investigate the allegations thoroughly and are planning hearings in the House starting tomorrow morning. Not long after this story broke, another anonymous source alleged that Trump bet his own Vice-President, Mike Pence, $10 that LSU would defeat Clemson in the recent college football national championship game. Gambling of this sort is illegal, and, if these allegations are proven accurate, it would also show favoritism and a lack of judgement on the part of both Trump and Pence. Democrats in the House quickly vowed to fully investigate the matter and are also expected to demand that Trump and Pence submit to treatment for gambling addiction. Then, just after noon Eastern time, a third whistle-blower came forward to state that he overheard one of the president’s childhood friends say that Trump used a #4 pencil in place of the mandatory #2 pencil on an 8^th-grade social studies unit test in 1961. The whistle-blower, who Trump supporters claim works for the Bernie Sanders campaign, was immediately placed into the witness protection program by Democrats. In the interest of journalistic integrity, it should be noted that there is absolutely no concrete evidence to support the Trump supporters’ claim. Finally, late this afternoon, a highly placed White House source shockingly averred that Trump willfully and wantonly tore the tag off the underside of his mattress in the Presidential Bedroom shortly after taking office. A separate House Committee, chaired by the venerable Adam Schiff, has been formed to investigate this potentially criminal action on the part of the 45^th president—”

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Bloomberg's Campaign To Crumble?

                The colorless little billionaire, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, recently launched a campaign video attacking President Trump in which an animatronic gingerbread man dances on Trump‘s shoulder, while Trump repeats the word “lie” for over two minutes during his post-acquittal speech. Smoke comes out of the gingerbread man’s head and eventually his feet burst into flame, apparently signifying “liar, liar, pants on fire.” Get it? Trump is a liar.

                Unfortunately for Little Mike, audio and video of the then mayor saying derogatory things about African-Americans has surfaced even more recently. Perhaps the Trump campaign will produce a video of a gingerbread man in blackface—or a chocolate-colored gingerbread person—tap-dancing on Bloomberg’s shoulder while he utters the word “racist” until the Rev. Jesse Jackson ties him up and takes him back to seedier areas of “Hymietown” to face justice.

                Bad timing, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles, Mr. Bloomberg. Don’t worry, though. Be happy. If you stay in the Big Apple instead of going to Washington, you can spend more time in your beloved “Big Gay” ice cream parlors.

Trump Impeachment Hearings 2.0: Déjà Vu All Over Again

May 22, 2020: Second House Impeachment Hearing of President Donald J. Trump

Capitol Hill

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler: “Indiscriminate Tweeting is clearly an impeachable offense under the Constitution. To be honest, this should not be a controversial statement. Trump thinks he can do anything. He is a dictator.”

Rep. Adam Schiff: “I heard—and I do not know this, but it sounds right—that President Trump threatened to eat the children or grandchildren of any Republican Senator that voted to convict him. Again, this is what I hear…I hope it isn’t true, but it shocked and repulsed me to my core that he would say such evil things. Ladies and gentlemen, sadly, that is who we are dealing with. If threatening to eat children and grandchildren—cannibalism!—isn’t grounds for impeachment, I don’t know what is. We must remove this kid-eating dictator! Also, if he is not removed from office, I believe he might give Texas back to Mexico. I encourage you all to 'Remember the Alamo!'”

(Sadly and bizarrely, this isn’t far off from how Democrats and their (as yet) unindicted co-conspirators in the mainstream media actually speak of the president. There is very little hyperbole here. Nadler really did call Trump a dictator on the Senate floor. Schiff really does--repeatedly-- make things up and traffic in hearsay…in an impeachment hearing. He really did speculate about Trump giving Alaska to the Russians. And the House really did impeach President Trump without accusing him of a crime.) 

A Treatise On History And Economics By Renowned Scholar Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

A Treatise on History and Economics by Renowned Scholar Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

                First of all, let me, like, say that I am like our first president, Thomas Washington, who told his dad about chopping down the berry tree and said, “I cannot tell a lie.” I, like, don’t like lying…or liars. So I always tell the truth. That’s why I’ve, like, got to tell you that Adam Hayek and Frederick Smith, the two famous Australian economists who thought capitalism and free markets were, like, good or something, were so wrong. Harpo Marx, in his great book “Das Krapital,” like so totally refuted the Australians that it’s not even funny. You know, a couple of our great progressive presidents, FDK and BJL, realized that it was up to the government to create a “Great Society” for the people. And, speaking of FDK, he was a great war leader, too. In fact, when he met with the head of the USSR, Nikita Stalin, and Britain’s Winston Spencer Hitler at Hotsdamn, Germany, near the end of World War I, he praised the USSR, much like Bernie Sanders, and realized we should model our economy after theirs. Unfortunately, after him, we had some not so progressive presidents like, like, Truman, White David (‘Dyke’) Eisenhower and Bobby Kennedy…before BJL. Then, when ‘Tricky Dick’ Reagan took office…………..

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