Beltway Insider: Trump’s SOTU, Economy, Immigration, Border Talks, VA Leadership, Liam Neeson

President Trump delivered his second State of the Union address this week, touting the many successes garnered by his administration, calling for an end to partisan politics, as federal workers prepare for the possibility of a second furlough.

According to Gallup, President Trump job approval, for the month of January 2019, decreased one percentage point to 37% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as President increased by three percentage points to 59%. Ratings are calculated monthly.

Trump's State of the Union

President Donald Trump presented in his recent State of the Union which came across as smoke and mirror politics. As he continues to tout the many success of his administration, he fails to recognize the dedicated bi-partisan effort that built the springboard in which he continues to voice as his own.


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The Economy, Low, Middle, and High Wage Earners

In his economic vision he states, "In just over two years since the election, we have launched an unprecedented economic boom, that has rarely been seen before.  We have created 5.3 million new jobs and, importantly, added 600,000 new manufacturing jobs, which almost everyone said was impossible.  Wages are rising at the fastest pace in decades and growing for blue-collar workers, who I promised to fight for.  They're growing faster than anyone else thought possible.  The U.S. economy is growing almost twice as fast today as when I took office.  And we are considered, far and away, the hottest economy anywhere in the world."

There are truths behind this smoke. Unemployment, which is verified through the Bureau of labor Statistic, is at the lowest in 50 years however, many Americans are underemployed, based on skill and education, surviving on wages that barely meet living expenses.

This is evidenced by the silent and catastrophic student loan crisis. For those who earned degrees and expect the economy to support wages that would allow for a standard of living that included repayment of student loans and the purchase of a home, the President's economic boom is a bust.

President Trump's economic boom, which gained a solid foundation from the Obama Administration, is the residual effects of the 2009 global recession, the likes of which had not been seen since the Great Depression of the 1930's, addressing the demographic of low income workers who can quickly see a difference in both living conditions and wages.

Donald Trump's White House is concentrating on the widest demographic, on a pyramid model, who can see change quickly. "Nearly 5 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps," he said.

"We added another 304,000 jobs last month alone, almost double the number expected. An economic miracle is taking place in the United States," the president said.

The miracle will be when the economy finally supports wage earners who made the decision to work, for at a less then optimum wages as opposed to marginally attached worker, (1.6million citizens), who wanted to work and were unable to find or secure suitable employment which includes the "discouraged worker" (426,000 citizens) who believes there are no jobs available for them. These numbers clearly have decreased from the 2009-10 highs which were nearly double.

The Southern Border, Immigration, Border Talks and Furloughs

For all intents and purposes Border Wall talks have dissolved. The clock is ticking and for the nearly 800,000 government workers who were furloughed over bi-partisan bickering and border security and control, word choices, fences, walls, steel, cement, double razor wire, smart fencing, the time to find a solution is now as the February 15 deadline looms.

"This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier — not just a simple concrete wall.  It will be deployed in the areas identified by the border agents as having the greatest need.  And these agents will tell you: Where walls go up, illegal crossings go way, way down," the president said.

The Southern Border

The State of The Union allowed the president to pitch his believe on the dangers of the Southern border.

"This is a moral issue.  The lawless state of our southern border is a threat to the safety, security, and financial wellbeing of all America.  We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens.  This includes our obligation to the millions of immigrants living here today who followed the rules and respected our laws.  Legal immigrants enrich our nation and strengthen our society in countless ways," the president said.


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Unfortunately, the president who has been accused of being "morally unfit to serve" is attempting to secure the public's support by associating morally unfit with "principals concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior" of which the vast number of immigrants and clearly the two large caravans located at the Southern border present a clear, precise and definable image and association.

Throughout the State of the Union the president pointed out the violence inflicted on citizens perpetrated by the those who have either crossed the border illegally or through illegal trafficking of drugs and others.

"Tens of thousands of innocent Americans are killed by lethal drugs that cross our border and flood into our cities, including meth, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl. The savage gang, MS-13, now operates in at least 20 different American states, and they almost all come through our southern border.  Just yesterday, an MS-13 gang member was taken into custody for a fatal shooting on a subway platform in New York City.  We are removing these gang members by the thousands.  But until we secure our border, they're going to keep streaming right back in," the president said.

These statistics are essentially correct and used to inflame the hearts of citizens who do not want these gangs to attempt to muscle them out of business. Or even so much as those who are engaged in criminal enterprise who, like in the days of the Mafia, have no recourse when the savage MS-13 shows up.

Immigration

Illegal immigration has plagued each administration with a flare-up expected to derail any possibilities of re-election. President Obama had "Border Babies" he survived this blight which, in reality is the precursor to this administration dilemma.

Immigration, which many have believed will end or at least become controlled with more security will be like many who find another to secure a goal.

Many from politicians who have switched parties, like former Senator Joe Lieberman who switched from Democrat to Independent and won back his senate seat to borders in El Paso and San Diego which were once inundated with crime perpetrated by illegals and now "El Paso is one of the safest cities in our country.  Simply put: Walls work, and walls save lives."

The efforts of the current administration to prevent illegals from entering the United States through the southern border will be a tide-me-over and fulfil a campaign promise and in the long run, the illegal will find another way to enter the United States.

Virginia Political Leadership: Blackface to Sexual Assault

The pressure cooker of secrets has finally exploded in the state of Virginia and the rest of the nation is now becoming privy to the dark secret of the commonwealth's top three leaders.

States have the autonomy to run their own states as the elected legislator deems fit. At this time the elected legislators have not called for, nor do they appear to be leaning toward calling for, the resignation of Governor Ralph Northam.

Nor does it appears, that the media campaign geared toward forcing him to resign will be effective. It has however unearthed a massive sexual assault scandal facing Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, who has been accused of two separate sexual assaults.


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The first, a physician, (this publication does not name sexual assault victims, even as she has publicly stated hers) indicated she was forced into a sex act in a Boston Hotel room in 2004. The second victim reported the rape occurred when at Duke University where both were students.

"Several Virginia Democratic Party leaders – including former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, five Democratic U.S. representatives from Virginia and Sen. Tim Kaine – have asked Fairfax to resign. Patrick Hope, a Democrat and Virginia state delegate, wrote on Twitter Friday than he would introduce articles of impeachment if Fairfax does not step down by Monday," USA Today reports.

Fairfax, it appears will face an impeachment vote.

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring also had damaging behaviors from his past exposed as it was revealed he also wore blackface to an party in the 1980's.

Racism, Revenge and Poor Choices

Poor choices, bad decisions, anger, revenge, decades old off-handed remarks, MAGA country, Red Hat Rage, race, in our civilized society has become a witch hunt as the biggest offenders, the media, refusing to apply journalistic rules to the stories they report.

Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia, granted some thirty years ago, made a poor choice and decided or didn't depending on the week and spin, to wear blackface to a Halloween party. Poor choice, yes; a bad decision, obviously.

Over the past thirty years, has any other behaviors surfaced that have proven those pictures were more than poor choices and bad decisions from a college student who wasn't thinking clearly? Did he participate in a Klan Rally? Are other pictures available that show him engaging in behavior that would prove that he is in fact racist and not just guilty of incredibly poor taste?

If he is a racist, the behaviors will be there somewhere and the media, who has already vilified him, could find it. Present three sources; like any print story, three sources, and the allegation will stand.

At the time, without a crystal ball, its seemed permissible and with Herring also outed for wearing blackface it seemed an isolated southern boys club behaviors.


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Unfortunately, after these two were exposed a barrage of celebrities and politicians including actor Ted Danson, former Florida Secretary of State Mike Ertel, New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, actor Robert Downey, Jr., and C. Thomas Howell for roles and the list according to CNN goes on and can be viewed here.

The conversation, which will undoubtedly and should become a discussion, involves personal choice and creative space. The creative space must remain free from societal constraints and state boundaries.

Racism and Revenge

The actor Liam Neeson also made news this week for his revenge filled remarks. As a celebrity his situation is somewhat different, he has humanized himself, in a world where celebrities are supposed to be above the mental anguishes of the common, non-celebrity, person.

Unfortunately, he spoke in the context of the film, Cold Pursuit, he was promoting, which depicts the story of a father searching for the drug lord who supplied the heroin that killed his son, so he could kill him.

His story depicted a similar emotion of wanting to direct his anger and rage when he found out a someone close to him had been raped. She explained the person was black and as he tells the story, he went to bars hoping someone black would start a fight so he could vent his rage on them.

Mr. Neeson exercised an extremely poor choice explaining to the world that he felt human emotions.

However, any psychologist would explain, experiencing feelings of rage as a crime victim (or that of someone close) is normal. As crime victim care givers explain, any feeling after victimization is normal and should not be deemed right or wrong.

Explaining he felt such deep emotions and wanted to act on them seems to be his only fault. Directing the rage to the race that perpetrated the crime against his friend, mentally he played it out, and never until 2019 verbalized it.

So for emotions, he felt decades ago, he is penalized by a society who is engaged in a "ethically right" witch hunt. Is he racist?

The same standard applies to him as it does to others. Show three instances of racism, real and not alleged, not voiced feelings of rage that we all should feel over the violation of friends, loved ones, even society at large, and only then can a determination be made.

For more information on President Donald Trump: www.whitehouse.gov

Sources: Whitehouse.gov, Wikipedia.com

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