Senator Doctor Bill Cassidy will be missed

Everyone just needs to stop picking on our Senator Dr. Bill Cassidy for his support of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as head of the Department of Health and Human Services.  It should be obvious to everyone that Cassidy’s endorsement of Kennedy was a political decision made by a politician, not a professional decision made by a knowledgeable physician.  Ever since Cassidy’s support of impeachment of President Trump, during his first term, resulting in his censorship by the Louisiana GOP, Cassidy has been on the chopping block as far as his re-election desires are concerned. 

However, Sen. Bill Cassidy was offered a ‘political golden goose’ when Kennedy was vetted by Cassidy’s Senatorial committee for appointment as Secretary of Health and Human Services.  Apparently from Cassidy’s perspective this was his chance for redemption in the eyes of the Republican Party and Trump, in particular. We learned later that if Cassidy had not given his approval, two or three other Republican committee members would have gone along with him and the Kennedy appointment would have failed.

However, the reality of this scenario was, it really didn’t matter how Bill Cassidy voted; he was already finished as a Louisiana senator. If there is one principle which President Trump does stand for, it is 'never forget or forgive.'  Cross him and you are done for!

Senator Cassidy has done more for our state than Rep. Johnson, Sens. Scalise and Kennedy combined, but he crossed Trump and that’s all that matters in today’s politics. It’s no longer about being a competent legislator serving your constituents in positive ways, but instead about unconditional, blind loyalty.

If one looks at Cassidy’s legislative track record, he has served Louisiana well, and he will be missed.  It is just a shame that he didn’t seal his legacy by protecting the health of our nation, by blocking the Kennedy, Jr.  appointment.

Budget smoke and mirrors

Am I missing something, or do President Trump and Elon Musk just think I am stupid, along with the rest of the public? With all this rhetoric about government waste and the need to decrease the out of control government spending, all of which is attributed to the Democrats, I am confused about recent budgetary developments within the Pentagon, specifically the Department of Defense, headed by Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth pushed out thousands of civilian workers, is reducing the ranks of top generals, and consolidating various commands all under the guise of saving money by eliminating what he deems as waste.  However, under Trump’s “one big and beautiful budget” the Pentagon will now receive a funding increase of $150 billion, for a grand total budget funding of over $900 billion.  Where is the savings in that plan? 

Additionally, while Elon Musk promised saving the government as much as $2 trillion, with President Trump claiming that even more than that figure would be saved by waste elimination through the DOGE program, the final figures don’t support either claim. The harsh reality is, according to Musk’s own testimony at an April Cabinet meeting, the savings would amount to $150 billion during the present fiscal year.  And that figure has just been wiped out by the proposed increased spending for the Pentagon.

And this fiscal smoke and mirrors game doesn’t just stop there, for the ‘one big and beautiful budget’ is now estimated, by the Congressional Budget Office, to increase the national debt by $3.8 trillion, peaking to $7.75 trillion by 2035.  This being the latest action from a party whose mantra has always been focused on reducing the escalated national debt caused by the Democrats.

Talk is cheap, but when it comes to tackling the runaway national debt, any actions to do so thus far has simply been composed of those peddling ‘snake oil’ to the U.S citizens.  Just how dumb do all these folks think we are, and when will we stand up and prove them wrong?

Empty Trump promise

The pledge:  “Starting on day one, we will end inflation and make America affordable again, to bring down the prices of all goods. They’ll come down fast.”

The reality:  America has become less affordable, prices for goods went up, and went up fast.  

The reason:  Trump imposed steep tariffs on consumer goods-claiming tariffs one of “the most beautiful words I ever heard.”

If President Trump had done a little historical research instead of blindly bulldozing ahead, he would have discovered that some 50 years ago President Nixon, a Republican, also imposed tariffs as a solution to our trade imbalance, and his implementation was successful.

Nixon’s primary goal was, to quote from EV Magazine, “not to protect US industries but to force key trading partners—such as Japan and West Germany—to revalue their currencies against the US dollar.  At the time, America's trade balance had shifted from surplus to deficit, raising alarms about global competitiveness. Nixon's tariffs, though temporary, had a lasting impact. They pressured major economies to abandon the fixed exchange rates under the Bretton Woods system, leading to the Smithsonian Agreement in December, 1971. The agreement allowed key currencies to appreciate against the dollar, making US exports more competitive."  Nixon's tariff plan was specific, actionable and transparent."

The key words in this description being “specific”, “actionable”, and “transparent.”  Trump has placed tariffs on almost all countries, the specificity varying from country to country.  The timetable for the length of the tariffs is unspecified. The transparency is questionable in that from one day to the next they are randomly reduced by executive order according to the push back from leading corporations and manufactures in the U.S.  And their action of implementation is one of brinkmanship, like someone involved in a poker game; betting on who will fold first.  This style has led to severe disruption in global trade, creating significant supply chain upheavals, as companies adjust to higher costs, which will be passed down to the consumer.

One might conclude from all this that President Trump and his advisors don’t have a clue as to what they are doing. I certainly hope that isn’t the case, but so far things are leaning in that direction.

So while many may think I am just picking on our President because he is dealing with illegal immigrants in our country and government waste, which by the way, according to Musk's own figures published on his social media  platform 'X' totals about $160 billion in savings rather than the $2 trillion Musk initially claimed he would find, I am more focused upon how my retirement check is impacted.  To me both pale in comparison to the cost of living issue.  And I admit that I want immediate gratification because I am advanced in age, on a fixed income, and desperately need some financial relief now.  

Additionally, I don’t have the patience to rely on some pie in the sky promise from Trump Republicans that this will all work out in two years or so, and that for now we need "to buy less dolls for our children."  There is simply no plan B if this doesn’t occur, and we all know how politicians lie.  My beef with President Trump is simple; just deliver on your campaign promise “on day one” regarding my cost of living.

Americans don't want the jobs Trump wants to bring back

In doing some research on a future commentary about the US economy, I came across some statistics that once again indicate the wide disconnect between the MAGA agenda and societal reality.  They centered on the battle cry of what our esteem president leader espouses, namely, “bringing back jobs to American factories.”  On the surface who would argue with such a noble idea?  In fact, in a recent poll, conducted by Cato Institute, some 80% of the respondents felt that the U.S. might benefit from this.

However, among this same group only 25% felt they would be better off working a factory job.   And only a slim 36% responded that they would be interested in pursuing such employment.

According to Fortune Magazine there are more than half a million factory jobs available.  However, while President Trump and his supporters seek to increase American factory jobs, in reality, facts indicate that there is presently no workforce interested in seeking such employment, with the exception of immigrants.  Over twenty-three percent of immigrants presently work these jobs.  And from this poll’s results, it is obvious that the Republican battle cry that immigrants are stealing factory jobs from native-born American workers is, to coin one of their favorite slogans, “fake news.” Good old Americans simply don’t want these jobs.

However, further complicating this issue, is the fact that 66% feel that the biggest boost to the American economy lies with international trade as opposed to increasing the number of factory jobs, and retaliatory tariffs hinder this. 

I am presently 80 years old, only two years older than President Donald Trump, and I am willing to admit that I have no business serving as president because I am ‘out of touch’ with our current society.  And while I might like to have a time machine so that I could go back to earlier times that I better understood, and thus give me a greater sense of security, I realize that this is just not possible. And it’s past the time for President Donald Trump and his supporters to realize that all the executive orders in the world (over 200 and counting) will also never be able to do this, for as the famous Bob Dylan song title so aptly puts it “The Times They Are A- Changin’.”

Sometimes reality is very scary because it breeds insecurity, and many attempt to regain their security by denying its existence and returning to the past.  And therein lays the present problem.