Neglect and Indifference

            We have been inundated by commentary on the Mueller testimony. There is no point in my adding to the babble. But there is one other piece of news that isn’t getting the attention it deserves, and that is the ongoing disaster in Puerto Rico.

            Millions took to the streets this week to demand the ouster of President Ricardo Rossello after recordings of private conversations revealed that he is the ultimate creep, not to mention a cheap crook. The crowd succeeded. Rossello is headed for the door and well-deserved oblivion. But that is not the end of Puerto Rico’s problems.

            The devastating effects of Hurricane Maria showed what a basket case the island has become under the leadership of a string of incompetent and venal politicians. What a pity. This tropical paradise is blessed with so many gifts, one of which is a wonderful climate that makes it a tourist mecca, and another a population noted for its warmth, its generous spirit, and— yes—its loyalty to America. But investments in industry and infrastructure have been lagging, to put it mildly. The reason is endemic corruption.

            My wife’s parents emigrated from Puerto Rico to New York in the 30’s in search of a better life. So did many of her aunts, uncles, and cousins. The exodus continues, as Puerto Rico’s principal export is its people. As American citizens, Puerto Ricans are free to seek a better life in New York, Miami, or anywhere else in the land of opportunity. But why should they continue to suffer under the desperate conditions that compel them to do so?

            If anything, the images of a million people massed in the streets to demand Rossello’s ouster should focus our attention on the problems that continue to plague Puerto Rico. The people deserve better than our neglect and indifference.

Nike vs. Betsy Ross

            By now everyone should have heard or read about Nike’s recall of sneakers featuring the Betsy Ross flag on the heel. The recall was in reaction to former NFL player Colin Kaepernick’s objection to what he said was a symbol of oppression.

            Nike said in a statement that “it pulled the shoe based on concerns that it could unintentionally offend and detract from the nation’s patriotic holiday.”

            What utter garbage. The only people the shoe might offend are America-haters like Kaepernick. The real offense was to the vast majority of people who love America and resent Nike’s insult to patriots everywhere.

            Actually, Nike did us all a favor by reminding us that there are America-haters all around us: in the media, in academia, and even in Congress. When Alexandria Ocasio Cortez spews lies about concentration camps on our southern border filled with women forced to drink out of toilets, she speaks for the haters. When Kamala Harris calls President Trump a predator and John Brennan calls him a traitor, they speak for the haters. When media talking heads ridicule and denigrate Independence Day celebrations like the one led by President Trump, they speak for the haters.

            The Betsy Ross flag speaks of freedom and of triumph over tyranny; it speaks for the heroism of our Founders who pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to the struggle for liberty; it speaks not of oppression, but of the great nation America would become.

           

           

           

           

Who's Stupid?

            “It’s the economy, stupid.” That was Bill Clinton’s election campaign mantra. It reminds us how important the country’s financial well-being is when voters go to the polls. This presents a dilemma for Democratic candidates for the Oval Office.

            Democrats have only one basic argument. They have to persuade voters that President Trump’s management of the economy has been a disaster for everybody but the rich, and that a socialist government is the only way to narrow the gap between the wealthy and everybody else. To sell this proposition they have to lie; they have to convince the electorate that the facts are not the facts.

            President Trump, for all his character faults and debatable policies on trade and other matters, is singularly responsible for the robust growth of the economy since his inauguration. He was absolutely right in seeing that tax reduction and deregulation were the keys to not just an economic expansion, but also narrowing income inequality.

            What is the evidence? First, job creation. Contrary to dire predictions from Democrats, the economy continues to grow and add jobs, more jobs than there are workers to fill them in many sectors. Workforce participation is up, and unemployment is at historic lows, especially for minorities.

            Second, wages for the lowest-paid workers have increased at a higher rate than for the highest-paid, a sure sign of an increased competition for workers. Coincidentally, the Congressional Budget Office reports that the proportion of income going to the poorest fifth of Americans has risen dramatically, while it has dropped for the wealthiest one-fifth.  

            Income inequality is not growing, as socialist paragon Bernie Sanders would have us believe: it is narrowing. The way to reverse this trend is to put a socialist in the White House, which can only happen if the electorate buys the lies and ignores the facts.

            As Bill Clinton might say again today, “It’s the economy, stupid.” But who would he be talking to?