This is the Kevin Driscoll Blog. It’s a rambling, babbling, blog of non-sense that will leave you dumber just for either reading or listening to it.
This is a big election year. Whether you are left wing, liberal, or a Democrat OR you are right wing, conservative, or a Republican OR anything else in between, there is a critical Presidential Election coming November 2024 and you need to participate.
Of course, the short analysis, if Trump wins, will be, “See, he was cheated at the last election.” And, if Biden wins, will be, “See, we told you no one likes Trump.” What ever.
The slightly longer analysis will be if Trump wins, the people didn’t like the way the country is and was going. If Biden wins, the people liked the way the country is and was going.
Of course, there are immediate issues in everyone’s face with most of those issues being pushed by the liberal philosophy or agenda: safe spaces a/k/a segregated dorm rooms; child / human trafficking issues; pornography being allowed in elementary schools; transgender identity issues; allowing men to compete in women’s sports in violation of Title IX; crime; lack of prosecution for crime; illegal immigration; failure to protect the border; environmental politics (think global warming); oil v. electric; failure to provide benefits to our active military members (how is it possible we have military members on food stamps????); providing illegal immigrants with housing, healthcare, food, education, and cellphones while our homeless are dying on the streets, failure to provide benefits to our veterans (veteran hospitals and doctors are being used to attend to the wellness of the millions of illegal immigrants let into the country); school boards withholding information from parents; school boards doing away with minimum testing standards; high level federal corruption of our elected officials (how is it a congressman / woman or a Senator comes into session relatively middle class and leaves office a multi-multi millionaire??); and, not that this is the all-inclusive list – raging inflation, price increases, food and consumer good shortages, and out of control interest rates.
Now, if you’re sick and tired of everything above. You’ll vote for Trump. If you’re the type of person who can “see their side of it” or “understand their point of view”, then you’ll vote for Biden.
But, what if you’re like me and hate both of those clowns? Who are you going to vote for? You can’t write in anyone who would ever have a chance to win. There is no third party in our country. The Republicans couldn’t find anyone strong enough to primary against Trump and the Democrats didn’t even try to put up anyone against Biden.
Indeed, a country heading for a division that may never be reconcilable.
Might I suggest you consider making your choice based upon the following criteria.
Let’s start off with Adam Smith and his Wealth of Nations. Putting aside the economic discussions in the book, which are obviously the basics of capitalism, he does talk about what the role of government should be. Interesting in face of the when the book was published – right in the middle of our Revolutionary War (American War for Independence) in 1776, one could almost argue some of the material in the book was used as the basis for getting our country running once we won the war. Smith argued government has three and only three functions: national defense; administration of justice (including property rights); and public goods (infrastructure).
Criteria One: national defense. I think the current and past administrations have done a mediocre job in this area. Certainly, the Biden Administration’s actions keeping illegal immigrants out shows violations of oaths of offices bordering (no pun intended) on criminal culpability. With the number of military aged males from terrorist and adversarial countries pouring across the border we must remain vigilant for attacks inside our country. Our National Guard (the weekend warriors) are ill equipped and although their initial boot camp training simulates active military, their ongoing training meets the bare minimum. I fear it is going to be the good old fashioned local militias that will have to protect our country. So, if you’re under the liberal gun control delusion that you don’t need a gun, well, you’re delusional.
The best we can ever say is that part of our economy is thriving as we send military aid to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and other “friendly” countries. Part of that keeps American kids off the front lines as Ukraine fights our war with Russia; Israel fights our war with religious extremists; Taiwan prepares to fight our war with China; etc etc. Personally, I’d rather see my tax dollars going overseas than either of my sons.
It is simple here. Our border is not safe. The Biden Administration fails criteria one.
Criteria Two: Administration of Justice. Look around at the crime in the northwest like Seattle and Portland, big cities like Chicago, Baltimore, New York, almost any big city in California. Listen to the district attorneys say how they are downgrading “felonies to misdemeanors”, not prosecuting everyday crime, convincing local administrations to stop the police from enforcing some laws, allowing civilians to tell law enforcement what parts of cities they are not allowed to enter, and remember they are all run by Democrats. Remember how the Biden Administration coddled families of CRIMINALS killed by police with language and statements emboldening, justifying, and almost out right supporting the mass of destruction that occurred during the riots of 2019, 2020, and 2021.
It is simple here too. The administration of justice is not happening. The Biden Administration fails criteria two.
Criteria Three: public goods (infrastructure). We know there was a bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed early in the administration. It accounted for $220 Billion dollars to be allocated to the private sector. 32,000 specific projects were identified across 4500 different sites. Here, I must admit, is where the administration has made it most significant and impressive strides. The major projects included significant bridges like the Brent Spence, The Walk, West Mission Bay, Frederick Douglass Tunnel, Boston Logan Airport, Orlando International, Fargo-Moorhead Flood Risk Management, Montgomery Locks, Diablo Power Plant, Arkansas Conduit, Sisk Dam, Navajo Water Supply, Mescalero Bridge. And there is still a significant amount of money left for major roads, rail line, airports, ports and waterways, transit, electric vehicle charging stations, and clean water. Other monies are for high-speed internet, superfund clean-up sites, and tribal communities.
This one is easy – the Biden Administration did very well for this criterion.
It appears a lot of people don’t realize there are actual real penalties for not “living up” to minimum standards discussed above. Certainly, getting voted out of office is one of them. But there are more very serious penalties written in our Constitution.
Article 4 of the U.S. Constitution Section 3 states, “… nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to prejudice any claims…. Of any particular State.”
Section 4 of Article 4 is the most significant. The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government and shall protect each of them against Invasion…. And against domestic Violence (internal rioting – think Rodney King riots and George Floyd riots).
The Guarantee Clause gives us the majority rule standard. A republican government is one in which the PEOPLE GOVERN THROUGH ELECTIONS. Essentially, local supreme courts keeping Trump off the ballot is in violation of Article 4 Section 4 and needs to be addressed immediately. The people decide who to vote for, not the judges.
The protection against invasion or internal mass rioting is normally only available from Congress or the President. Texas, Arizona, and even Florida can make very strong cases that they are under invasion. Article 1 Section 10 permits states to act without permission of the federal government when states are under imminent threat. Section 10 Clause 3 allows for the states to ENGAGE IN WAR, waiving congressional permission in cases of imminent danger.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott initiated a program called OPERATION LONE STAR. Essentially, it is a statement regarding Texas’ constitutional right to self-defense.
The programs premise is the Executive Branch of the United States, aka the Biden Administration, has a constitutional duty to enforce Federal Laws protecting States. Those include immigration laws currently “on the books” but not being enforced. Biden ordered his agencies to ignore Federal Statutes mandating detention of illegal immigrants.
Abbott then lays out the logic: failure to fulfill obligations under Article Four Section Four triggers Article One Section Ten Clause Three and thus triggers Texas’ right to self-defense.
Arizona is following. However, somewhat rather slowly. Attorney General Mark Brnovich issued an opinion that Arizona is being invaded and subject to an influx of drugs, criminality, and human trafficking.
Back to the penalties. If you are an elected official you swear an oath. Typically, that oath is almost identical in all Federal Offices and even into State and Local offices, including police. It goes something like this, “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
“Faithfully execute” means the President cannot refuse to enforce a law simply because he dislikes it. Acts of Congress must be obeyed and enforced. This is critical because Biden CANNOT ORDER HIS DEPARTMENT HEADS TO IGNORE immigration laws !!!!
Now, a lot of people will scream, “Treason, treason” but that is really not the case unless Biden is in cahoots with some foreign power intent on striking us from within and Biden created a situation to let those single males of military age and capacity into the country.
But, it is a very strong argument as to who you should vote for in November 2024. (And believe me, I am asking myself, “How does that taste coming out of your mouth?”)
Kevin Driscoll 