Common Sense

To me this issue is a common sense issue. What issue? … one of Trump’s ideas. Certainly, President Trump has many ideas, some of which are deemed frivolous and not commonsensical. However, this particular idea of his makes a lot of sense to me … the idea being the U.S.’s acquisition of Greenland.

Let’s think about this for a minute.
A lot of what follows is from shortlists.com:
Greenland joining the United States would have strong economic, military, and geopolitical advantages. The island is rich in untapped resources, which include rare earth minerals that are crucial for modern technology and defense industries.
As China continues to aggressively expand its influence in resource-rich regions, the idea of America obtaining control over Greenland could potentially secure vital materials needed for national security and U.S. technological advancement.
Beyond its wealth of natural resources, Greenland also holds strategic military value. The United States already operates the Thule Air Base there, which is a key site for American missile defense and Arctic operations.
In a scenario where Greenland joined the U.S., America would gain a much stronger foothold in the Arctic. This is an increasingly contested region where both China and Russia are expanding their presence.

But would Greenland becoming the 51st state benefit Greenland?

Acquisition by the United States would likely boost infrastructure, create jobs, and modernize the island’s economy, which would make the island far more self-sufficient than they are currently under Danish rule. Although many Greenlanders favor independence, achieving it as they currently stand is highly unlikely, and U.S. investment could help them build the stability they need.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede has resisted at every turn, arguing that the island values its autonomy and prefers to foster relationships with nations that respect its sovereignty. Despite Egede’s claims and recent polls that suggest 84% of Greenlanders support its independence, the island is not able to financially support itself.
Greenland’s economy heavily relies on an annual block grant from Denmark, which covers around 60% of its budget. This makes economic self-sufficiency a major obstacle. The island’s economy is primarily based on fishing, although there are hopes that resource extraction (rare earth minerals, oil, gas) could eventually provide the revenue needed for their independence.
However, these industries are still underdeveloped, and the infrastructure required would need a vigorous economic foundation — something Trump’s proposal claims to offer.

And finally from Denmark’s perspective holding on to Greenland is now, and will to be a continuous drain on its economy, with little if anything in return. The enormous distance between Denmark and Greenland is just a small part of the problem, and the finances that would be needed to develop Greenland is out of reach for Denmark.
In conclusion, I look for the U.S. to acquire Greenland in the next four years. It’s just common sense!
3/14/25

Doing What the People Want

Those of you who have followed this blog for a while know that I have been a consistent advocate of school choice.
“Every child deserves the best education available, regardless of their zip code. However, for generations, our government-assigned education system has failed millions of parents, students, and teachers,” a fact sheet from the Trump White House stated. Trump’s ultimate goal is to bring school choice to every state in the nation.
What do the people feel about the issue?

Texas Southern University poll
February 2025
63% of Texas voters support universal school choice.
This support includes:
78% of Republicans
69% of Black voters
65% of Parents
64% of Independents
(FYI: Democrats were <50% supportive.)

Many states including Wyoming, Tennessee, Idaho, and Texas are presently in the process of passing school choice laws, and I foresee many more following this same trend. Furthermore, if this continues, look for a continued exodus of parents and families from blue states to red states.

To me it looks like President Trump has picked another winning issue … again doing what the people want!
3/12/25

Well Worth the Risk

Those of you who read this blog regularly might recall that recently, I suggested that perhaps RFKJr might suggest a study in which a few counties in some, and perhaps many, or all states might serve as the participants in a study. The study would involve withholding something in these selected counties which would be different from the rest of the counties in that state, which would then serve as the control group, doing just as they are doing now. I opined that this sort of study could involve looking at some childhood vaccines as well as the fluoridation of water.
As it turns out some of this is already being done.
From C&C:
“While Florida became the first state last year to recommend against county-level fluoridation, Utah is taking it one toothier step. Last week, Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) said he will sign a bill banning fluoride from public water systems. “It’s got to be a really high bar for me if we’re going to require people to be medicated by their government,” Governor Cox told ABC4-Utah. In other words— medical freedom.”

But … what about those poor kids who are not getting fluoride in their water?
“Half of Utah already does not fluoridate their public drinking water. Governor Cox said dentists in those counties reported no higher levels of tooth decay than dentists in fluoridated counties. Grocery shelves are flooded with fluoridated toothpaste for anyone who wants it. So why force everyone to drink the chemical, which is not meant to be drunk anyway?”

But … what about those that suggest that there may not be a downside to fluoride?
“Last September, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen issued an 80-page ruling finding that the evidence — based on 72 different studies — supported a conclusion that fluoride was possibly a neurotoxin associated with IQ loss in children. The EPA, corporate media, and dental associations reflexively dismissed the finding as another conspiracy theory and have never looked back.”

So my suggestion that some sort of controlled study be done to look at the benefits and possible downside of putting fluoride in the drinking water is already inadvertently being done in both Florida and Utah. Granted it may take ten years or so to see if there is a downside to fluoride in drinking water, but, to me, this is well worth the risk.
3/11/25

Exhibit A vs. Exhibit B

One of the things that is becoming increasingly clear to me is the contempt that President Biden, or whomever was making the decisions for him, had for those who had been in the military.

Compare the dichotomy between Exhibit A and Exhibit B and then think about it.
Exhibit A from the Epoch Times:

Along the lonely stretch of highway between Navajo and Apache counties in east central Arizona, homeless veterans set up tents and shelters to find peace and privacy away from others.
Marty Jarvey, an outreach volunteer, frequently visits this remote area near the White Mountains to assist homeless veterans and people in need. The encounters are usually productive. But, she never knows what she will find.
This winter, Jarvey discovered the bodies of four male veterans who had succumbed to hypothermia. They had been living in makeshift shelters with little to call their own.
“I may seem strong on the outside,” said Jarvey, a former member of the Nurse Corps during the Vietnam War. Still, she said, it’s difficult to maintain that strength in the face of tragedy.
With each grim discovery she made, Jarvey found herself kneeling, crying, and praying for these lost souls.

Exhibit B from Daybreak Insider:
Biden’s HHS Left Taxpayers on the Hook for $22.6 Billion for Giveaways to Illegal Immigrants
New York Post: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ramped up grants for migrants from 2020 to 2024 — which included cash assistance to buy cars, homes and even build credit for startup businesses, according to a shocking watchdog report that found taxpayers were left on the hook for $22.6 billion. HHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)

So compare Exhibit A and Exhibit B:
Homeless veterans freezing to death in Arizona vs. giving billions to illegals.
Hmmm!
3/10/25

Xavier Hamlett

On Sundays I write about individuals that we can praise and respect. Xavier Hamlett is such an individual.
From ABC 10News, San Diego:
“I’m from San Diego actually, Southeast, and I’ve seen a lot of homeless people growing up,” said Xavier Hamlett, a senior cornerback on the San Diego State University football team.
Hamlett said he always had a heart for those in need of some help.
“I always told people when I was in elementary school and they asked us what we wanted to be when we grow up and I told them I wanted to be a football player so I can give money and help people,” Hamlett said.

He’s making good on his goals of years past.
In January, he started a GoFundMeto help raise money to help the unhoused.

The SDSU senior told ABC 10News that he and others used that funding to help the homeless in downtown earlier this month.
Hamlett said those who attended the donation handout helped give food, clothing, and haircuts and donated sleeping bags from the Lucky Duck Foundation to the unhoused.

Hamlett told ABC 10News the goal is to eventually move beyond the GoFundMe as Xavier plans to build more partnerships with local businesses. He said he currently has partnerships with Tony’s Pepperoni Pizzeria and SimplyG Meals.

Xavier Hamlett not only talks the talk, but he also walks the walk.
3/9/25

More Attuned To Patient Needs ?

In 2021 I asked a group of five retired physicians if any of them would take Ivermectin for Covid if it were readily available. I was surprised when each of them individually said, ‘no,’ as I would have taken it in a New York minute back then if I had Covid and it were then available. Subsequently, after I was able to acquire Ivermectin from south of the border, I did take it twice for two separate episodes of Covid … another story for another day.
However, despite the reticence of some, Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine prescriptions “soared far above” levels before the COVID-19 pandemic.
From the Epoch Times:
“According to a new study researchers from the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) and other institutions said that nearly 3 million ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine prescriptions were issued during the pandemic, totaling some $272 million, according to a news release issued on Feb. 20.
The dispensing of ivermectin “from US pharmacies was nearly 1,000 percent higher than prepandemic rates,” the study said.

Usage of the two drugs was three times higher in people aged 65 and older, compared with people aged 18 to 64, according to the study published in the Health Affairs journal.
“Ivermectin use in particular was higher among people living in the most socially vulnerable neighborhoods and markedly higher in the southern United States,” they stated.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that it has not authorized ivermectin for use against COVID-19 and that it has received multiple reports of people using ivermectin that was designed for animals. The agency said that it has received no evidence to suggest that ivermectin, which is approved as an anti-parasitic medication, is effective against COVID-19.

However, some studies have shown that ivermectin has led to positive outcomes for some people who took the drug for COVID-19, including one study that showed it led to “large reductions” in deaths from the virus.”

After reading this I have a few questions.
First:
$272 million spent for 3 million prescriptions amounts to an average of $90+ for each prescription. Somebody was making a lot of money here as Ivermectin is dirt cheap. (I paid $20 for my three day course of surreptitious Ivermectin, fully realizing that I had overpaid. But $90+ … outrageous!)
Second:
Why was Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine usage markedly higher in the southern United States? Are physicians in the southern U.S. just smarter or more attuned to the needs of their patients? … Hmmm!
2/8/25

It’s Easy

As many of us who live in San Diego are aware the city has a substantial budget deficit of $252 million. Of course the city politicians are blaming this on the fact that the voters recently rejected a sales tax increase, but do not comment on the real reasons for this deficit. The major cause for this deficit is easy to ascertain … bloated spending and very generous pension benefits.
For instance, the city of San Diego spent about $230 million last year on homelessness (the 2024/2025 budget year), and
since 2015, the City of San Diego has invested $55 million on bike lane projects, some of which will be built out through next year. Very very few use these bike lanes, and even fewer want them.
According to recent reports, San Diego currently spends around half a billion dollars annually on pension costs, with the city’s yearly pension payment recently exceeding $500 million.

After reading about how much financial difficulty the city of San Diego finds itself in, the question must be asked if the city of San Diego is unusual in this regard.
From Just the News:
A large majority of the 75 largest cities in the U.S. are in financial trouble, according to a new report.
Truth in Accounting released the report, which evaluated the 75 largest cities in the country, arguing that the majority of cities have financial problems and owe thousands of dollars in debt per taxpayer.
“This means that to claim their budgets were balanced – as is required by law in the 75 cities – elected officials have not included the full cost of the government in their budget calculations and have pushed costs onto future taxpayers,” the report said.
According to the report, retiree health benefits and pensions are a major weight around the necks of many city budgets, dragging them into debt.
“The 75 cities had $321 billion worth of assets available to pay bills; their debt, including unfunded retirement benefit promises, amounted to $621.7 billion,” the report added. “Pension debt totaled $192.1 billion, and other postemployment benefits (OPEB), mainly retiree health care, totaled $136.4 billion.
The report evaluated the cities as of fiscal year 2023. It found New York City as the worst city fiscally, followed by Chicago, Portland, New Orleans and Honolulu. The best city came in as Washington, D.C., followed by Lincoln, Irvine, Tampa and Cleveland.

I guess these stats across the U.S. just prove the feelings of many politicians … it’s easy to spend other people’s money!
3/7/25

Character … No Character !

Obviously the Congressional Dems made fools of themselves in a multitude of ways during President Trump’s speech on Tuesday, March 4th. As has been pointed out by many their actions were juvenile at best, and I see no need to focus on them. As to why they decided to act like spoiled brats is anybody’s guess.
Perhaps they could a take a look at DJ Daniel and learn something about what character looks like. Almost all, but apparently one of them, refused to look at DJ Daniel during Trump’s State of the Union Address when he was cited by the President.
For those of you who may not be familiar with DJ Daniel, the following is from PJMedia:
“Devarjaye, ‘DJ’ is a 13-year-old boy who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in 2018 and given just a few months to live. However, after 13 brain surgeries, he’s survived the odds and, while he still suffers from some health issues, like advanced cataracts, and has dealt with terrible bullying in the past, he is thriving and enjoying life.
This young man has always wanted to become a police officer when he grows up, and he is a big supporter of law enforcement. As a matter of fact, he and his father have traveled around the country to various law enforcement agencies over the last few years, and he’s become an honorary member of over 900 of them.
Because of this, the president and first lady invited DJ and his father, Theodis, a Navy veteran, to be guests at the president’s address to a joint session of Congress on last Tuesday, but Trump took it a step further and honored DJ as an honorary Secret Service agent. Secret Service Director Sean Curran himself presented DH with a badge.”

This presentation was follow by standing, staccato clapping, and chants of “DJ, DJ, DJ!” by those on one side of the aisle. Most on the opposite side of the aisle silently sat of their hands, although admittedly some could not sit on their hands as they were using them while looking at their cell-phones … perhaps answering important emails!
Quite a classy group wouldn’t you say!
That night a striking dichotomy that was clearly brought out between real character (DJ Daniel) and no character (Congressional Dems)!
3/6/25

Note …

Note: … Next the Dems in the Senate will be trying to figure out way to escape the deep hole that they have drug for themselves as a consequence of every Senate Democrat voting against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which is a piece of legislation that passed the U.S. House in a 218-206 vote in January. It would have prohibited federally funded school athletic programs from allowing men to participate in programs intended for women or girls, effectively codifying an executive order President Donald Trump issued last month.
From the Blaze.com:
“To overcome a Democratic filibuster of the legislation, 60 votes were needed. Every single Democratic senator voted “no.”
Democrats led by Sen. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) blocked the corresponding bill in the U.S. Senate on Monday, March. 3, demonstrating both their apparent indifference to opportunistic cross-dressers’ brutalization of female athletes and to the supermajority of Americans’ desire to see athletes compete in sports teams that conform to their sex.

According to a survey conducted last month by the Pew Research Center, 66% of respondents support policies requiring transvestites to compete on teams that match their actual sex. A January New York Times/Ipsos poll found that 79% of Americans — 94% of Republicans, 67% of Democrats, and 64% of Independents or “something else” — said that male transvestites should not compete against women.”

Occasionally I listen to Megyn Kelly’s podcast, and I have never seen her so angry. Note that Megyn Kelly has three teenage daughters. After she individually named the Dem Senators from red/purple states that voted against this bill, the PG version of what Megyn Kelly said is, “They disgust me.”
The White House suggested the Democratic senators responsible for killing the bill were cowards and noted, “Never let them forget it.”

From my perspective, if this is the hill on which the Democrats wish to die, so be it! I will be more than happy to help bury them! … note that I have seven grand-daughters!
3/5/25

Potential Train Wreck

From the title, you are probably assuming that something not-good is on the horizon, and you would be correct. According to the latest data Americans are becoming more and more in debt, and this cannot be a good thing.

The steady rise in household debt reflects ongoing economic pressures, including high interest rates and elevated living costs.
Meanwhile, inflation data released earlier this week showed that U.S. consumer prices rose at their fastest annual pace since June 2024.
From the Epoch Times:
Americans piled up debt at the end of 2024, with credit card balances reaching a record $1.21 trillion in December, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s latest report on household debt and credit.
Debt levels increased across several categories, with auto loan balances climbing by $11 billion to $1.66 trillion, while total household debt grew by $93 billion to reach $18.04 trillion, according to the report.
The report highlights an uptick in delinquency transition rates for auto loans and credit cards, signaling that more Americans are struggling to keep up with payments.
The share of credit card debt transitioning into serious delinquency—defined as 90 or more days past due—rose from 6.36 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 7.18 percent at the end of 2024. Auto loan serious delinquencies also increased, rising from 2.66 percent to 2.96 percent over the same period, the New York Fed said.

So to me, this combination of economic data portends a potential train wreck. When is it coming? … Hard to say, but, for sure, when it comes the Main Stream Media will blame it on Trump, even though common sense would dictate that years of Bidenomics is what has fueled the train!
3/4/25