Despite recent successes with the economy (tariffs), immigration and peace initiatives (Syria, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine), the resistance to the new administration continues to be relentless. Trump is just not likeable. His self-aggrandizing actions are disturbing.

The only problem is Democratic jawboning about the new Trump administration by liberal leaders has not generated any productive ideas. It must be attributable to a lack of effective leadership. Singing songs and using foul language has not paid any dividends. Now liberal politicians are storming places where illegal aliens are being jailed.

The political environment in the US has been increasingly antagonistic and nothing close to accommodative for the past decade. Dems and Republicans have been acting like street gangs taking verbal potshots at each other and making it impossible to do the people’s business. Control and power have replaced the quest for effective, productive and sensible governance. Republicans continually belittle Democratic chatter for no good reason; the complaints are moot and naïve. They should just let the liberals drown in their pitiful rhetoric.

Dems spend every waking hour trying to think of ways to incarcerate Donald Trump, or at least embarrass him. They fail miserably time and again and have infuriated Trump. Trump certainly believes in a strong presidency but claims that he is a dictator who wants to decrease the rights guaranteed in our Constitution are absurd. He in turn is now using his political clout to tear apart the Democratic Party by constantly reminding voters that Biden and his sycophants are responsible for so much chaos in our country including a weak economy and flagrant crime.

Trump effectively uses his political prowess and his bully pulpit to upend ineffectual attacks by his detractors. The liberal left was unable to prove that Trump broke the law on a number of occasions. A great number of voters no longer give credence to liberal accusations about any Trump “scandals” they claim to have uncovered.

It’s amazing that so many politicians get away with outright lies, distortions and improper use of government funds. Musk’s Doge group has uncovered billions of dollars of fraud and lies in their review of government spending. These include Social Security payments to deceased Americans and continued funding of scandalous projects that are frivolous and/or completed. Did you ever notice that money provided to needy groups in the US and overseas never runs its course? This funding never ends, even when they are not needed. There is no accountability. Democrats use federal funds to bolster political ideologies.

The real question is, why don’t Americans support Trump more enthusiastically, even when he is successful? He has assumed the role of caretaker of government spending, something disparately needed. Ten and twenty year projects are still being funded, but funds are forever going into the pockets of sham artists, not needy causes. These situations are being identified.

Trump closed the southern border in record time. Now, no one is crossing our borders illegally, and criminals are being rounded up and sent back to their countries of origin. Twenty million people have illegally come to the US. In the future, we will see dramatic situations in politics, social behavior, economic stability and legal standing as the country tries to digest these interlopers.

While protecting their incompetent past president, Democrats enacted and supported mandates that impacted every part of our nation. The rule of law and due process that critics say Trump is discarding were not practiced by liberals who established sanctuary cities and ignored crime. There has been criminal destruction of property and had total disregard for rights of law-abiding fellow citizens. The legal system fell apart while Biden was in control.

Biden didn’t stop there. His subordinates spent millions of dollars to portray Republicans, including Trump, as unpatriotic. Not one of their outrageous charges proved to be true.

And then you ask, why Trump is defamed that every turn?

No doubt Trump’s aggressive style is tough to swallow. But closing-down ineffectual and illegal programs that are costing taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars will benefit our country. Let Doge have at it.

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In the interest of full disclosure, I was born a Catholic and attended a major Catholic university. I stopped participating in Catholic holidays and rituals during my first year at college.

The recent death of Pope Francis is a sad event. But the adulation he has been receiving does not reflect his actual accomplishments. I do, however, feel a bit guilty criticizing a man who dedicated his life to God.

Pope Francis was no more than a satisfactory pope. He seemed concerned with global problems and world peace, and anxious to opine on some very controversial global issues affecting individual countries. Unfortunately, his followers are giving him too much credit for accomplishing any meaningful changes in the Church. And from my perspective, Francis could have done much more for his flock.

Francis and his conservative allies shot down many significant proposed changes in Catholic doctrine. The wide scale sex scandal has still not been fully addressed or adjudicated. Abuser priests of young boys, young girls and adult women should be tried by laic authorities and drummed out of the priesthood. There should be no Mulligans for guilty priests. What could be more distressing to the parents of an abused child than an abuser who has been under psychological control of the Church committing yet another abusive action. Changing venues is not adequate punishment that should be doled out to offenders of helpless people.

I believe that many Catholics who gave up their faith in the Church in recent years will not return until the situation is cleaned up and all abusers are defrocked and put in jail.

Francis did not appoint new blood to the College of Cardinals. He was elected by conservatives who accept nothing but the old dogma of Catholicism.

Women should play an equal role in the world of Catholicism, yet they cannot play the part of a priest, much less a cardinal who has the power to change Catholic doctrine. The whole world has accepted the fact that 1/2 of the population, women, deserve the right to be heard in the policies and teachings of very important groups of people. No efforts were supported by Francis to enable women to serve as priests.

The ability to end a marriage and continue to practice Catholicism has been discussed, but nothing has changed. To make matters worse, church leaders often give special dispensation to powerful people who are divorcing and want to remain practicing Catholics.

The right of a woman to choose is another issue that haunts Catholics. Francis has not helped the cause of women in this regard. His adamant stand against abortion and contraception has delayed the ability of millions of women to control their families and avoid disease.  

And then there is an issue that diminishes a priest’s ability to advise members of his flock. Since most family disputes usually involve marital affairs, money, and children, why would any person seek out a Catholic priest as an advisor? They have no first-hand experience in these areas. Allowing priests to marry and conceive children would be beneficial.

And a final note. Catholicism is generally a religion of poor people. Collecting money from poor people and amassing billions of dollars of financial assets is disingenuous. The Vatican should be more generous giving aid to its followers.

I’m sad to report that Francis left many issues unresolved. And the cardinals he ordained during his tenure will do little to change the current situation.

Brett Stephens, New York Times columnist, published a piece titled “A Tough But Sensible Way To Solve the Iran Problem.” I like Stephens’ work but was stunned by his outlandish proposals that he says would transfer Iran into a peace-loving, productive country. Note: I used Stephens’ words verbatim from his op-ed dated April 16 on many occasions to present his proposal.

On the other side of the coin is President Trump, who said he will solve the Iran problems without too much effort. This is nothing short of bloviation on the part of the president. Iran is not going to roll over under any circumstances. And the development of nuclear weapons by Iran represents a clear and present existential risk to the Middle East and the entire world.

What is the Iran problem? Stephens says it is that Iran will soon have weapons that they can’t be trusted with.

“Tehran has been playing Western diplomats for fools for decades.” The nuclear restrictions relating to Obama’s deal will soon be expiring. The arrangement expanded Iran’s regional influence by negotiating the elimination of economic sanctions, which increased Iran’s cash flow and enabled Iran to finance more terror activity. Also, Iran has a well-documented record of cheating on agreements that it signs. Stephens indicates that Witcoff is really naïve if he thinks that any kind of inspection or verification process will keep the Iran regime in check.

There are two paths that can be taken by the US. One is a new deal that is similar to the 2015 agreement and that Iran says it wants today. The deal is likely to fail because it does nothing to change the “character” of the regime. This is a very strange comment. It sounds like the ayatollahs need therapy.

The second path is a more ambitious and more promising way to negotiate. It’s what Stephen’s calls normalization for normalization.

Here is a list of normalization items for the United States:

The resumption of full diplomatic ties between Tehran and Washington. The end to all US economic sanctions on Iran.

Thousands of student visas for Iran. United States arms sales to Iran, at least of a conventional kind.

The normalization list for Iran would have the following items:

Iran would behave like a normal country. Note: I would like to be in the room when this item is negotiated. Iran’s definition of normal is quite different than most countries. What would normalization for Iran entail?

A normal country doesn’t finance and arm terrorist groups that start regional wars and disrupt global commerce. A rich country with proven reserves doesn’t need to spend billions of dollars to enrich uranium or produce plutonium. A normal country doesn’t call for the elimination of other countries, even hostile ones. A normal country doesn’t seek to assassinate former US government officials. A normal country doesn’t hang gay people. A normal country doesn’t gang rape women in prison to enforce its honesty code.

Stephens’ list of normalizations is absurd. The first thing that one must be aware of is that Iran has never lived up to a contract that it’s made with another country. There’s no way that our negotiators can believe anything that is promised in peace negotiations. The only effective method of dealing with Iran is to actually attack them or indicate that an attack is under way if they don’t behave.

The world is in jeopardy so long as there’s a possibility that Iran can build nuclear weapons. If they did build them, they would be used to intimidate other countries in the region as well as the United States. The actual use of a nuclear weapon is something that we have to consider as a potential reality.

Stephens did not give any consideration to religious aspirations in the region. Iran is a Shiite country. Its objectives are to stop the United States from being involved in Middle East issues and to eliminate Sunni Arabs. The religious spin on the whole situation will be a major item that would need to be dealt with  in order to gain any progress in a negotiation.

Opinions like Stevens’ in this essay are bogus. The only solution is all out war where Iran’s nuclear facilities and nuclear bombs are destroyed. I fully expected President Trump is going to agree with this perspective.

The Democratic Party is in disarray and fumbling as it attempts to regain its traditional hold on approximately half of all voters. It is completely leaderless.

Incredibly, liberal talking heads are trying to convince voters that they need the Democratic Party to fight against Donald Trump, so soon after Trump received resounding support from a clear majority of voters.

What are the issues that have had the most devastating effect on the Democratic Party? The list is very long so I will focus on just three of the major items: nominating Joe Biden for president in 2020 and not and nor replacing him as he rapidly deteriorated mentally; insisting that the border crisis was under control; and doubling down on inane woke issues.

Joe Biden started to fall apart mentally after the 2020 presidential campaign. Democrats in a moment of weakness nominated Biden to run against Donald Trump. It was a sentimental ploy, as liberals wanted to reward Biden for years of loyalty to the Democratic Party. Any halfway competent candidate would have trounced Trump, but Dems got lost in their sentimentality.

Soon after the election, it was obvious Biden was losing it mentally. He was fragile, unable to work long hours, absent from the White House too often and unable to put two sentences together.

Biden became an embarrassment, and White House insiders proceeded to take control of his presidency. It is a mystery who was running the White House for the last four years. If Trump had not attempted a coup d’état of the country (a completely stupid plan), Democrats could have focused on the aged man in the White House. But, Dems were too anxious to convict Trump of frivolous crimes. The result was an ineffectual presidency that was further stymied by a Republican run Senate.

When Biden announced he was running for a second term, it became obvious that he was in no condition to campaign, and Democrats looked to Kamala Harris to replace him on the ticket. As it turned out, Harris could not put two sentences together either and was total uninformed about the issues facing our country. Thank goodness she was crushed in 2024, leaving the Dems with no leaders of consequence.

Biden left Trump a mess at our borders. He and his people repeatedly said the border was under control while illegals flowed through by the thousands. The US government had no control whatsoever over the massive number of people approaching our borders, many of which were criminals and drug dealers.

It has taken only a few weeks to expose the incompetence of Biden. Illegal immigration has been halted by Trump, the flow of criminals has been stopped and border police and immigration agents are collecting the criminals who were able to gain entry under Biden administration. Every day, the border police are announcing the capture of dangerous felons that gained entry.

In retrospect, Biden did everything wrong and had no control over immigration. It’s a shame that Biden did nothing and allowed bad people to cross our border. He changed the political, social and financial landscape of this country.

The final issue is “woke.” Democrats are enamored with woke situations. They double down every time a woke situation arises. Be it the transgender controversy, including bathrooms usage and transgender men playing on girls’ teams, sex education that includes underage children deciding to change their sex without their parent involvement, etc.

And then you have the college aged children supporting Hamas even though it kicked off the latest incidents of anti-Semitism. Hamas kidnapped and killed hundreds of innocent people. What is the basis of support of the murderous Hamas organization?

Democrats will never be the same force in America so long as they use woke issues as the basis of their party.

Last Friday was an epic news day. Americans were able to witness what happens behind closed doors when two leaders have a disagreement.

President Trump and President Zelensky met to sign an agreement that would have provided the US with badly needed rare earth minerals, representing repayment of billions of dollars lent by the US to Ukraine.

Trump and Zelensky held a news conference in the Oval Office where the men started to bicker over the agreement. Trump wanted to get assurances that Ukraine would stop fighting the Russians who have occupied the Ukraine. He demanded an end to the violence and deaths of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers.

Zelensky, in turn, wanted clarity about how the US would provide security for his country moving forward, should Putin renege on the deal. Trump repeatedly said Ukraine was in no position to renegotiate any of the terms. Trump was demanding that both sides end the confrontation, which could lead to World War III. At some point, the bickering intensified.

Trump was distraught that Zelensky was not respectful or thankful for the approximately $174 billion worth of aid that the US provided to Ukraine to fight Russia. VP Vance said that Zelensky was not showing respect to President Trump or to the Oval Office. Trump effectively told Zelensky to leave and come back when he was prepared to sign the minerals deal.

Who was right, and who was wrong? Zelensky wanted to know what the US would do if Russia broke the terms, something that Putin is famous for. Maybe it was the way Zelensky told Trump that he was fearful that the Russians would not stop fighting.

Trump was looking for a very big win and decided to close the mineral deal in public. When Zelensky brought up a legitimate concern and delayed the signing, Trump lost his cool.

Shortly thereafter, Zelensky went to the Fox News studio to be interviewed by Bret Baier. The Ukraine president was shaken by what had transpired with Trump at the White House. He kept on saying he wanted to be sure the US would intervene militarily if Russia violated any of the terms of the agreement.

Trump had no intention of signing any deal that could cause Russia soldiers to encounter U.S. soldiers on the battlefield. He repeated this several times as he prepared to travel from Washington to Florida. Trump aides did  a terrible job by agreeing to a public signing of the agreement Ukraine. Ukraine is fighting a superpower for its freedom and needs to know that it is being protected by the US.

Was it wrong for Zelensky to confront Trump in the Oval Office in front of the press. Yes.

Did the European Union encourage Zelensky to pressure Trump? Probably.

Was Trump disappointed he didn’t get a photo op? Very.

The fighting in Ukraine must end before it becomes a larger conflict. Trump is right to demand a ceasefire. He should have taken up his issues regarding security in private with Zelensky. It was very lousy diplomacy that ruled the day.

Liberal talking heads and Democrats are completely missing the ultimate intentions of the new administration as they pertain to the use of trade tariffs. The greatest misconception is that Trump is trying to rectify the current debt crisis in America by instituting tariffs on our trading partners. The effect of more tariffs by the US are speculative at best. New tariffs are often followed by retaliatory tariffs and higher prices.

Trump’s tariff strategy is to use economics to gain the cooperation of other countries regarding many sensitive issues. Why is this wise? It’s better than going to war with our adversaries. Economic strength is the new nuclear weapon that only the US can implement effectively.

It’s also obvious that Trump is using tariffs as a bludgeon in bilateral and trilateral negotiations with our allies and enemies. It’s highly unlikely that the US will unleash tanks onto Mexico and Canadian soil.

Take Canada. Trump is prepared to sanction Canada for previous trade decisions by our neighbor that have resulted in huge trade deficits. Canada and the US have sanctioned each other on many occasions in the past. They also are negotiating strategies to end illegal immigration into the US and the proliferation of illegal drugs into our country.

Trump’s aggression towards Canada does not include military force. What we want are fair trade agreements and other courtesies like a limitation on drug smuggling.

Consider Iran. This rogue nation supports terrorism throughout the Middle East and is working diligently to develop a nuclear weapon. It gains influence by force and intimidation.

The US has two choices to deal with Iran. One is to launch an all-out multi day attack on Iran to obliterate its military and stop its nuclear programs. This strategy will result in a mini World War III. It would upset the current fragile relationships and order in the region. It could cause Iran’s allies, Russia, China and North Korea to enter the fight, although this is doubtful.

A wiser strategy is to bankrupt Iran and inspire financial and political Armageddon in the country. The US can deprive Iran of cash flow from its oil sales, breakdown political ties with other Arab countries and stir the population of Iran against the ayatollahs.

Why haven’t any past presidents applied this strategy? Instead, they continued to contribute to other countries by establishing NGO’s like US Aid in which most money is used to support nefarious activities or line people’s pockets.

The US must use its economic strength to control other countries who step over the line. It’s a far better plan to sanction misbehaving countries with tariffs then marching into their country with soldiers. It’s pretty clear that Donald Trump is not going to sanction all countries that trade with the US. He’s using the threat of tariffs to get the attention of leaders who are not playing fairly with the US.

Should President Trump act aggressively with both his allies and enemies?

The answer is unquestionably yes. The US is too powerful, too wealthy, too kind and too forgiving. This has fostered many years of bad behavior by both friends and foes.

Mexico is our closest neighbor. For years its government has encouraged migrants from their own country and from places further south to cross the river that separates Mexico from the US. Over time, 20+ million people have entered the US illegally. This group has taken advantage of the free educational system, free medical services, has stretched the resources of border states and has wreaked havoc on the citizens who live in these places. The current and future impact of this demographic will be titanic. These immigrants are creating social, financial and other issues that will last for a whole generation.

Trump has rightly recognized the magnitude of this problem and is taking action to send the worst of the immigrants back to their home countries. Is this xenophobia, or good government? Is it inhumane, or will Trump decrease the strain on our border towns and large urban centers across the country? The answer is obvious. The US cannot accept all people who are living under duress around the globe. The US must legislate a comprehensive program to encourage migration of qualified and law-abiding people. The diversity of our population is a large factor in the successes of our country historically. Trump must demand that potential immigrants follow our laws and rules.

Rogue countries such as Iran and North Korea are challenging the US to a game of chicken. If the US ignores the efforts of these two countries to destabilize their neighbors, the problem is going to grow. During the Biden administration, the US has been unsuccessful in dealing with Iran, which is building nuclear weapons and financing terrorism against Israel, the US and Sunni Arab countries. When Iran has a deliverable nuclear weapon, it will accelerate its nefarious plans to control the Middle East. In partnership with Israel, the US must force Iran to give up its weapon develop plans. If it does not accede to our demand, military action is warranted. Tough talks with Iran should be a precursor to military action.

North Korea is further ahead of Iran in its efforts to build a nuclear capability. The country is governed by a deranged individual who seeks to command the respect of other nations by using its military. Ukraine is the latest victim of North Korea’s deadly plan.

Russia and China are encouraging Iran and North Korea in these despicable activities in the Middle East and Far East. Trump must treat these rogue nations with disdain. This blog has recommended on several occasions that the group of bad actors be punished financially, but, to use military action if our warnings are not heeded.

Trump is seeking to identify wasteful spending by the US. It’s about time. US Aid is one of his first targets. The organization was originally founded by JFK when he was president. Although it’s a bit cloudy, the actual mission of the group was to win accolades from countries around the world that benefited by our generosity. The reputation of the US was and is at stake. The organization has turned into a funding source for politicians as they sought favors from other nations. No one knows how much money has been paid for bogus projects that do nothing for our country. Elon Musk is leading the effort against US Aid. The people who take advantage of US Aid are trying to smear Musk and the president. If the US doesn’t try to shut down wasteful projects, the country will never see another balanced budget.

Ever since the last world war, Europe has taken advantage of the US generosity. The formation of NATO to defend against Soviet and Russian aggression was and is a grand idea. The only problem with the concept is that the US provides most of the funds. Other members refuse to pay their fair share. Trump has been fighting this battle for a long time.

Many countries in Africa receive money for a plethora of projects. Time and again the same nations are critical of the US. The US should stop funding disloyal countries and propose that the United Nations move to another location. The US should not be disrespected by these countries. Trump is going to use the financial strength of the US to threaten these countries. Tariffs may have a certain negative impact on the world’s economy. But I’ll bet Trump will not have to impose these sanctions in most situations. His targets will cave just as Columbia, Mexico in Canada have just a few days into the new administration.

Trump’s aggressive form of diplomacy will be a good thing for our country. The US will be ale to once again be the leader in the world as we search for peace.

For the last four years, I’ve been waiting for my government to initiate programs that would make the world safer and improve the lives of Americans.

Sadly, I was disappointed time and again as terrorists killed innocent people, our enemies attacked sovereign countries, Americans protested violently, the rights of my neighbors were diminished, free speech was hampered, and our political parties could not enact laws because of petty feuding.

Our enemies were trying to take advantage of our weak former president. The US was no longer the leader of the free world, and no longer would rogue countries big and small shutter when an American president pursued military or economic action. The former administration kowtowed to other nations to a disgraceful level.

One of the more serious situations is the illegal stream of migrants entering our country. I cannot understand how liberals could support open borders and unchecked flow of people into our country. The financial, social, religious, and economic implications of this phenomenon are tremendous, now, and far into the future. Twenty million people is often cited as the number of illegals in our country. And even though we were told that immigrants were being vetted, many murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and common criminals have settled in our country.

Joe Biden was an empty suit president. He accomplished very little in the past four years. His second in charge was as bad as her boss. The pair lied to the American people and let things including all kinds of lawlessness prevail. The streets of our major cities are now more dangerous and filthy. Local politicians are turning a blind eye to outrageous and illegal activities.

Donald Trump is a flawed man whose character has been character has been exposed by many. His style is a major impediment to his ability to get things done. But he’s rallied on the backs of people who supported him for the last eight years and many new people who voted Republican for the first time.

There’s a new optimism prevalent in the country that many Trump haters are beginning to appreciate and encourage. For one thing, the new president immediately began to make good on his promises during the presidential campaign. Much of the work he has done so far is related to his ability to mandate action for the short run, but it cannot be used indefinitely.

Trump has undone hundreds of inane orders that Biden mandated during his tenure. The most impressive action so far has been the policy of finding the worst of the illegal immigrants who entered our country. Hundreds of bad actors have been incarcerated or targeted and will be sent back to their countries. Even Trump haters must applaud this very successful endeavor. Related to this is the dramatic decrease in the number of people entering the US on a daily basis.

Trump has already begun to flex his muscles by putting countries on notice to meet their guarantees and assurances, by threatening to use economic sanctions. Columbia defied the US for a few hours and caved in relating to taking back criminals from Columbia that migrated to the US. Trump threatened to tack a tariff on Columbian coffee, and the president of Columbia relented because a tariff would hurt the county economically.

Military force is the most dramatic power the US has, yet economic sanctions are also very powerful. By installing tariffs to gain acceptance of proposals, the US can clean up messy diplomatic situations without the loss of lives. So far Trump has been letting the world know he is not averse to using tariffs to force compliance. But he has many other tools at his disposal such as cutting back foreign aid and disrupting the movement of money and other products, most important are energy restrictions on oil. It’s possible for the US to effectively bankrupt other countries such as Russian, Iran and North Korea. This can be accomplished without firing a shot or a missile.

Trump is ready and able to use non-military strength to elevate the US to the levels it once enjoyed and have been flittered away by Joe Biden. His first targets should be the aforementioned rogue nations and China. The US must take action to head off escalated violence perpetrated by the likes of Iran and North Korea. Both of these two-bit governments are using military assets directly or through proxies, Iran in the Middle East and against Israel and North Korea in the Ukraine. Iran’s nuclear development must also be addressed in the near future.

There is a tremendous surge of optimism throughout the US. I hope all Americans give their support to the new president. Perhaps this support will lead to peace and unity among all nations.

The LA fires have gotten a tremendous amount of attention in the press, as well they should.

Billions of dollars of damage resulted from out-of-control fires in several of the most elite neighborhoods in America that were seemingly unprepared for what happened. The owners of the homes were left in the street as their houses and prized possessions burned or melted in fires.

As I watch the news casts depicting the damage, I can’t help feeling sorry for those who have lost so much. There is a lot of blame that will ruin the careers of many politicians in California as the causes and responses to the fires are investigated.

How are the residents of the LA neighborhoods going to put their lives back together? The insurance companies that sell them fire insurance certainly will have financial problems. Moving forward, the same companies, if they survive, will likely not insure homeowners against wildfires again in the future.

If potential homeowners can insure their homes, will banks underwrite mortgages. If mortgage money is not available, only people with significant resources will be able to rebuild. Will the State of California help home builders, the insurance companies and the banks? It’s an issue given California’s precarious financial condition.

And what about the cleanup. A huge area has been destroyed. The area contains a serious amount of toxins that need to be cleaned up before new structures are built.

The square footage of the 9/11 and its cleanup was small compared to the LA situation. Hundreds of people were poisoned by toxins exuded by the remains of skyscrapers after 911 during the cleanup. The California situation is far greater in scope.

Presumably, the entire infrastructure of the neighborhoods that were destroyed needs to be rebuilt. You can’t build a house unless the homes have access to electricity, plumbing, sewage, etc.

The 500-pound gorilla in the room is whether LA will be able to finance the next Olympics as planned. What’s more important, rebuilding the neighborhoods afflicted by the wild fires or financing an athletic contest? Perhaps Paris will step up and agree to host the next Olympic Games.

I can’t stop thinking about the devastation. Why would the same homeowners build another house on the old site when wildfires may overwhelm the area again, again and again?

Dysfunctional politicians are looking for people to blame for the catastrophe. Whose fault is it that there was not enough water or firefighters to battle the wildfires? It’s going to take several years before the affected land will be ready for new homes.

This devastation caused by Nature and/or some idiots who dropped a cigarette in a bad place is going to take years to rectify. Good luck with this project.

President-elect Donald Trump hit the ground running. He’s just as aggressive as he was four years ago. He is selecting cabinet members and aides that are well suited to carry out his agenda.

What does Trump need to do to get America back on track? To gain respect from the rest of the world should be first to-do item on his list.

It’s perfectly clear that most other leaders of the world resent the US. They are jealous of the power of our nation, the wealth of our citizens, the freedom of our country and the creativity and intelligence of our people. There is no other country in the world that has the same quality of life and democracy that Americans enjoy.

Naturally, when one person has more freedom, talent, creativity, money and a better lifestyle, others will be jealous. Americans have a bullseye on their backs.

Many countries partake in the generosity of the US. Many of these same countries hate America. Still millions in these countries want to immigrate to the US.

I’m amazed that so many countries accept our help and still harshly criticize us. Frankly, the way they speak at the United Nations about America is an abomination. The US provides a safe home for the UN to meet and pays most of the expenses, and yet most of the countries that benefit by the UN harshly criticize us. With friends like this, we don’t need enemies.

I confess, I am a patriotic supporter of the country. For the most part, I stand behind the US as it tries to make friends by giving others aid and security.

In summary, I believe the US has an angel on its shoulder. We do not steal from other countries; we want peace; and the only strings attached are that those participating in our generosity should support us diplomatically. This has not been true under the Biden administration.

Donald Trump has zeroed in on countries that accept our aid and do not pay their way. NATO is primarily financed with US funding, and certain members of NATO refuse to pay their fair share of expenses.

Canada is protected by the US military and the Canadians tax goods exported to the US.

Mexico has done next to nothing to assist the US in stopping illegal immigration.

Trump is right to demand loyalty from countries around the world that we support.

Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, Iraq and many Arab states have behaved intolerably. It is only right for the US to sanction bad behavior of these countries.

Russia is governed by a megalomaniac and has attacked a sovereign nation.

China wants to rival the US, and it does things that prove that they want to fight the US for world domination.

Iran is destabilizing the Middle East. The country is controlled by Ayatollah thugs who terrorize other countries. And soon Iran will have a nuclear capability.

Donald Trump is saying he will be aggressive and take on countries no matter how powerful they are. He has the perfect weapon to accomplish his goals, economic sanctions. The US should bankrupt Russia, Iran and North Korea.

Unfortunately, Trump is still trying to convince Americans he is the right person to lead the US. This is unnecessary. He will only be serving one term. He is a lame duck right out-of-the-box. He should stop worrying about politics and do things that will make America great again.

Joe Biden is going away, thankfully. The Democrats are a poor excuse for a national political party. This status is going to affect national politics for many years.