Policy

The Forgotten Issue

Dave Davis Commentary, Policy , , , ,

Nothing is more determinative about how well your life will go economically than acquiring valuable skills. Our ability to learn starts with the schooling we get early in life. Basic competence in reading and math allows us to follow our natural curiosity. We measure the success of our educational efforts by how well we impart the tools our children need to achieve their life goals. Understanding that education is the key to economic success and empowering individuals and communities is crucial. We must strive to realize this potential.

Education, a cornerstone of economic success, should be a top priority in any election. Yet, it receives less attention than other issues such as inflation, the economy, the border, or abortion. This disparity is a cause for concern and a call to action. Education is not just a local issue but also carries national implications, as evidenced by the existence of the Department of Education. Our ability to compete globally hinges on the expertise of our people, making it all the more crucial to urgently prioritize education in political agendas.

We hear about this group or that some others fail to do as well economically. Rather than putting down differences in outcomes to things such as discrimination or class, we need to ascribe it more to differences in educational opportunities. The two most identified lagging groups are blacks and Hispanics. Both heavily populate our inner cities, and even though high per capita educational funds are expended, the results are abysmal. Whether it’s Chicago, New York, D.C., Philadelphia, or California cities, all have something in common. They’re ruled by Democrats. On the other hand, Red State, Florida, provides uniformly good schools with solid results even in its big cities.

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Trouble In River City

Dave Davis Commentary, Policy, Uncategorized , , , ,

While waiting for Trump to name his vice presidential pick at the Republican Convention, followed by the inevitable dumping of Joe Biden, it’s an excellent time to identify the issues the new Democratic ticket will run on. One might think the economy, including inflation, the border, and the decline of many cities with rising crime and homelessness. Still, you’d be wrong—troubles abroad, with wars in Ukraine and Gaza with the attendant rise in antisemitism, not so much. The new candidates will finesse all these, saying we will reevaluate our positions on these issues.

Of course, Kamala Harris isn’t eligible for this option as an integral part of the Biden administration. Hence, she will follow Joe off the ticket. Rather than draw attention to Democratic failures, the area of attack besides abortion is fear of that monster, Donald Trump. They tell us the ex-president “will be a dictator on the first day” of his return. Democracy as we know it is over-Political opponents charged with various crimes—executive orders flying in every direction. The future of our “Democracy” is now a significant election issue.

Unfortunately, Democrats aren’t the only ones seeing attacks on democracy. Republicans, already suspicious of election-voting shenanigans, have seen their candidate subjected to “lawfare” on an unprecedented scale. Had the Supreme Court not declared the president immunity for presidential acts, a New York court could’ve sentenced Donald Rump to prison just before the convention declared him the Republican presidential candidate.

While Democrats claim Trump will take revenge on his political opponents, everyone can see the progressives are already doing it to him. Putting a presidential candidate in prison is the stuff of banana republics.

Upset about their collapsing lawfare attack, the Democrats are now threatening the Supreme Court with investigations and packing for having protected present and future presidents from being imprisoned by their opponents. Who is attacking democracy?

Still, Trump’s continuing unpopularity with the majority of the public is the only line of assault; the Democrats and their media allies have to find something new to strike fear in voters’ hearts. They are basing their latest offensive on “Project 2025,” a proposal compiled by the right-leaning Heritage Foundation suggesting how a second Trump presidency should proceed.

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The Debate Isn’t About Problem Solving

Dave Davis Commentary, COVID-19, Policy, Uncategorized , , , ,

As we realize the catastrophic impact of our response to the COVID-19 epidemic, it’s crucial to acknowledge the profound, long-lasting effects on our children’s education. Many will struggle to make up for the learning loss from unnecessarily closed schools. The staggering borrowing to offset income losses from a shutdown economy will burden us for years.

Those in charge, like Anthony Fauci, owe the nation an apology on many levels, from scientifically unsupported policies to the apparent coverup of the pandemic’s laboratory origins. Instead, the good doctor gets a friendly reception on his book tour. My series on COVID left no doubt about my feelings about our actions from March ’20 on. Out front of every lousy decision was Dr. Fauci. Yet, welcoming Dr. Fauci as some hero in progressive stops nationwide is commonplace.

It’s as if everything we learned about the pandemic and our awful response missed a large part of the electorate. We see similar blindness among many when it comes to the Gaza War. Brutely attacked, Israel counter-attacked against the Hamas perpetrators. In contravention of the accepted rules of war, Hamas has located its military in heavily populated areas, hospitals, schools, and Mosques. Breaking the prohibition of using civilians, especially women and children, as human shields have resulted in preventable civilian casualties; the leader of Hamas tells the world how little they value Palestinian lives by saying they’re winning world opinion with the increasing civilian deaths. Yet, the progressive left blames Israel.

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The Roadmap To Conviction

Dave Davis Commentary, Policy, Uncategorized , , , ,

We now have a roadmap for convicting your political opposition in court. First, locate a state under the control of your party. Then, find the counties where nine out of ten voted your way. Choose the one where the county attorney is determined to get the other side. Charge your opponent with a felony. If t you can’t readily find a crme, put some stuff together that appears it might add up to a felony. Top it off by assigning the case to a judge on record of supporting your side and against the opposition.

With the judge in the prosecutor’s corner, there is no need for the niceties of due process, such as informing the defendant of the nature of the charges. If you can get some unrelated salacious details to embarrass the defendant, so much the better. Make sure you have some lawyers on the jury. The other jurors will look to them for guidance—people who make their living before judges with our party label aren’t about chance an acquittal. Everyone, including judges, will know how they voted. The rest of the jury may feel similar pressure from friends, family, and employers. Bingo, you have your conviction.

Overturning the conviction may eventually occur, but that will probably be well after we win the election. Remember the Ted Stevens case. Vindicated after finding breathtaking prosecutorial misconduct, unfortunately, as a convicted felon, he lost re-election. With his loss, the Democrats had a Senate majority and passed Obamacare. Wiping his record clean occurred only after the release of the Schuelke report but only after damage. The lesson is that even if we lose on appeal, we’ll already win the prize.  

The problem with this unethical recipe is both sides can use it. A county prosecutor in a Red state gets a grand jury to indict a state resident who is one of the fifty-one retired intelligence officials signing the letter claiming the Hunter Biden Laptop was likely Russian disinformation—the charge of conspiring with others to deny the state’s voters vital information fraudulently.

The other signers, Anthony Blinkin, who originated the plot, and his boss, Joe Biden, are also indicted as co-conspirators. While state election law may or may not be a felony, linking it to a fraudulent conspiracy will do the job. Indict anybody else found having a hand in the fraud, too, including government agents, such as the FBI, who pressured the media to suppress the story.

Including underlings, this large cast may contain some willing to turn state’s evidence to save themselves or their money. This case keeps getting better.

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Inflation Hurts And The Pain Will Continue

Dave Davis Commentary, COVID-19, Policy, Stopping Inflation, Uncategorized , , , ,

Democratic Politicians and allied media, echoing some economists like Paul Krugman, paint a rosy picture of our economy. They question why we’re less content while supposedly outperforming other nations. Catherine Rampall, the Washinton Post economics columnist, tells us, “Nearly everything Americans believe about the economy is wrong, according to a recent Harris-Guardian poll. And that’s pretty much everyone’s fault.” This narrative implies that our dissatisfaction is unfounded. But is this the whole truth? Are there no deeper economic issues that we need to address?

After a lifetime of talking to people about their finances, I have gained a profound understanding of how people assess their financial well-being. In most cases, having a growing amount left over at the end of each month tells them whether they’re just subsisting or can think of the things that make life worth living—a vacation, maybe with your family, or a better house. Whatever your dream, it always requires money. Unless you have discretionary income, you can’t fulfill it, whatever it is.

When every basic bill, from rent to utilities and insurance, elicits a gasp, even a raise can’t alleviate the feeling of being trapped. The necessities of life, like food, transportation, and clothing, become burdens, and dreams start to fade. This situation is actual for many hardworking Americans struggling to make ends meet.

While economists discuss prices and wages, the reality is far more complex. Your pay may rise, but your grandpa’s and grandma’s income may be more fixed. Where they could pay their way in the past, now they need help to meet their rising bills. You thought you had the kid’s education covered, only to find a widening gap. These stark realities are not just isolated incidents but the daily norm for more people. No wonder those telling us how well we’re doing only get blank stares.

Inflation is the source of most of our angst, but if you feel future inflation isn’t dangerous, steps to rein it aren’t topping your to-do list. Everybody seems to be waiting for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, which presupposes inflation is under control. How likely is this situation to be accurate in the future?

The classic definition of inflation is “too much money chasing too few goods.” We have to borrow when revenues don’t cover our government’s expenditures. If we dump ever-growing amounts of debt on the market and the Federal Reserve fails to intervene, ever-rising interest rates will be required to find buyers. Already, we pay more on our debt than on defense. In the future, the payments will crush the entire budget. This crisis is not a distant possibility but a potential economic catastrophe that we must address:

Of course, the Federal Reserve can buy the debt with money created out of thin air. This course of action is how we get runaway inflation: one way or another, overspending results in the unkindest tax inflation.

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