Hillary's Chutzpah

          We are all familiar with the Yiddish word “chutzpah.”  Its synonyms are nerve, cheek, insolence, and audacity.  A man murders his mother and father and then asks the judge for leniency because he’s an orphan—that’s chutzpah. 

          Better yet, chutzpah is Hillary Clinton claiming she and Bill were dead broke at the end of his presidency after they walked away with $190,000 worth of White House china, silverware, rugs, TVs, furniture and gifts. 
          Chutzpah is Hillary promising to get big money out of politics after funneling millions from foreign governments into the Clinton Foundation while she was Secretary of State—and she continues to do so. 
          Chutzpah is Hillary deriding CEOs for their high salaries when she gets $200,000 and more for a one-hour speech, money on which she pays zero income taxes.  And none of which, I might add, went into the tip jar at an Ohio Chipotle restaurant where she had lunch a few weeks ago.  So much for her empathy for the working class.
          Hillary Clinton’s chutzpah is all part of what many in the media are calling a lack of authenticity.  How can she claim to be the champion of ordinary people when she insists on flying for free on private jets, staying only in royal suites at supporters’ expense, all the while in the process of collecting a projected $2.5 billion in campaign funds from fat cats on Wall Street and in Hollywood?
          Hillary Clinton has a long history of scandals to her credit (Rose Law Firm records, Cattlegate, Benghazi, scrubbed emails, etc.); she has repeatedly earned William Safire’s description of her as a congenital liar; her record of accomplishments as a senator and the Secretary of State is dismal.  Yet, she acts entitled to follow her priapic husband to the Oval Office he so ignobly dishonored. 
          Italian historian Francesco Guicciardini (1483-1540) witnessed both the flourishing and the end the Italian Renaissance.  As a supporter of Cosimo di Medici, he knew something about the advantage of belonging to a prominent family.  As a friend of Nicolo Machiavelli, he also knew something about what it takes to get to the top.  He wrote that to be successful a politician must set aside principles and act only in his self-interest.   He would have loved Hillary Clinton.

More Than Frozen Feet

          The State of Maine is an interesting place.  Stuck in the farthest northeast corner of the country, it shares a longer border with Canada than it does with the rest of the United States.   Yet, its geographical isolation is probably a factor in its refusal to be dominated by its liberal neighbors to the west and south.  A case in point is what Maine is doing about Food Stamps.

          Last year Maine imposed a three-month limit on Food Stamps for able-bodied adults without minor dependents, unless they work 20 hours a week, take state job-training courses, or volunteer for six hours a week.  Lo and behold, the number of Food Stamp recipients in this category has dropped by 80% since the law was passed.
          Food Stamp enrollment under President Obama is up 70%.  Work is not a requirement.  Do we see a connection here?
          I would love to see North Carolina adopt the same program as Maine.  Would it be disrespecting able-bodied Food Stamp recipients who can’t find a job to require them to spend six hours a week as volunteers?
          I spent my entire teenage years in the State of Maine.  My most vivid memory is of frozen feet in sub-zero temperatures.  I have never wanted to go back.  But I tip my hat to that state for its bold, independent policies.  Common sense does come from unexpected places.