politics

And So It Begins

Dave Davis Commentary, Policy, Uncategorized , , , ,

Like many others, I’m still in a quandary after the election. While the media gushed over how Kamala Harris is a great candidate, her history said the opposite. The election confirmed what most already knew: she was awful.  

Of the seven battleground states, six also had high-profile senate races. Democrats won five out of the six, even though Trump swept those states. This outcome shows people were willing to split their ticket to vote for a Senate Democrat. Maybe some didn’t vote for Harris or Trump. It shows it wasn’t Democrats per se that people didn’t like; it was Kamala Harris. The question remains: why trade the declining Biden for the dead weight of the vice president?

It may surprise some, but Trump plans to fulfill his campaign promises. All the people he has appointed are loyal to him and his agenda. This realization inspires fear and joy, depending on where you stand on the issues. I’m experiencing one and the other.

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And So It Ends

Dave Davis Commentary, Uncategorized , , , , , ,

I hope to live long enough to read the definitive book explaining how the powers in the Democratic Party brilliantly executed their plan to win the 2024 presidential election up to the end game. Faced with an administration with failing policies led by an increasingly physically failing President, the plan was to secure the weakest opponent. Once accomplished, replace Biden with a bright new face unattached to the administration to carry them to victory. A complaint media would partner in the endeavor.

The planners secured the Republican nomination for the weakest possible opponent, Donald Trump. They focused media attention on Trump by hitting the former president with several novel indictments. It is suitable to punish even political opponents if they break laws; we punish other citizens.

However, most of the cases were questionable rather than airtight. Republicans reacted as intended, with anger and sympathy for their former president. The planners also tried to keep him off the ballot in several places. The obvious unconstitutionality further enraged many in the G.O.P. All the focus on Trump’s court cases sucked all the air out of his primary opponents. Only Nikki Haley lasted through Super Tuesday.

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Almost Over

Dave Davis Commentary, Policy, The Future Party, Uncategorized , , , ,

We’re approaching the end of the strangest election season of my lifetime, and I’ve been around a long time. The majority of Americans would never pick either of the presidential candidates. One of which they never even had a chance to express themselves. One bad debate and the powers in the Democratic Party dumped a sitting president and appointed a new candidate. Why spend all that money and time on primaries, when you can just anoint someone who never won a single primary vote?

The other candidate won the nomination because the Democrats kept him in the limelight with constant lawfare. The cases were so bad they made Trump an object of Republisn sympathy, while preventing others having any space. As I have pointed out, the Democrats picked their opposition.

Instead of a thorough discussion of all our pressing problems, we get superficial jabs about the border, the economy, and abortion. Wars abroad continue to expand, a budgetary meltdown gets closer, and our kids fall further behind without any plans offered by the candidates.

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Decision Time

Dave Davis Commentary, Policy , , , ,

Well, it’s crunch time. Ballots have gone out in Arizona, and I’ll soon be looking at mine. At 86, waiting to vote isn’t an option. Decisions: Dececions. Over the past weeks, I’ve examined several issues to determine the right course and where Trump and Harris stand. I explored the economy, abortion, and Education.

Surprisingly, both candidates advocate industrial policies bordering on mercantilism: tariffs, subsidies, and tax breaks for the favored. With each announcing new expensive policies almost daily, knowing which will ultimately add the most to our staggering national debt is impossible. Trump stands to retain a business-friendly tax structure. In the long run, an effort to rein in regulations may do more for an economy that increasingly finds itself unable to complete anything. Harris continues piling on rules at a record pace, advocating making the rich “pay their fair share,” whatever that means.

Trump is punting the abortion issue to the states to decide. Harris selected a running mate who signed a bill in Minnesota allowing elective abortions up to birth. No one cares about the little living human. By the second trimester, we certainly know they’re living humans. Some people want to give more rights to octopi than these little people. Neither has dealt with abortion’s future issues affecting gays, autistic, and others.

While a massive problem, Education receives little or no attention from Trump or Harris. Why do we have a Department of Education if this isn’t a national issue? If the children are our future, the outlook is grim.

The last area to examine may be spiraling out of control. Readers know I have agreed with very little the present administration has done on the world stage. From the relatively quiet world the Biden administration inherited, its actions in Afghanistan, Ukraine, and the Middle East have created spreading conflicts. In addition to our loss of position in places such as Africa and South America, I see a need for immediate reappraisal, which will lead to coarse corrections.

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Working Towards Decline

Dave Davis Commentary, Policy, Uncategorized , , , ,

Two happenings this week show how far we’ve traveled from reality. The vice-presidential debate and the East Coast Longshoreman Strike may have little in common, but both evidence an archaic way of thinking. The idea that we can stand in the way of progress in a way that saves everyone’s present job has never worked out in practice. Pursuing such a program with an expanding wage scale is madness.

From Diocletion’s Roman Empire to China’s Qing Dynasty, stopping time by government fiat only resulted in decline. Yet both vice presidential candidates claim they can preserve and bring back manufacturing jobs. J.D. Vance hews to Trump’s tariffs to protect otherwise unprofitable businesses. At the same time, Tim Walz would continue massive subsidies and tariffs to do the same.

The East Coast longshoreman demanded a considerable wage increase and banned further automation. With its potentially severe economic consequences, this strike is a stark reminder of the dangers of resisting technological progress. The Luddites in the U.K. in the early 19th century, who violently opposed technological change and rioted over the introduction of new machinery in the wool industry, would seem to be a strange model to follow. There appears to be a settlement with a significant wage increase, but we don’t know about automation. It’ll be interesting to see the final draft.

Both presidential tickets employ industrial policy methods of protection and subsidies, disregarding the fundamental economic concepts of “Comparative Advantage” and “Opportunity Cost.” Some countries possess advantages that enable them to produce goods more economically. Understanding these concepts is not just important; it’s empowering. It’s the key to making informed economic decisions and fostering growth.

Understanding and applying the principles of comparative advantage is crucial for economic growth; it’s a beacon of hope. Canada could grow dates in greenhouses, but countries with a favorable climate can send them to Canada at a much lower price. On the other hand, wooded Canada has lumber unavailable in date-producing desert nations. Dates for the lumber trade leave everyone with more. Adhering to these principles has allowed billions of people to live better than ever, and continuing to do so can lead to even more prosperity.

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