Mr. Biden: Vaccine Mandates Will Not Stop Virus

During the COVID-19 scourge last year, the nation's leaders cheered first responders, nurses, doctors and healthcare workers.  Politicians saluted their courage for risking exposure to the deadly virus to treat the infected. Some died after tending patients. A grateful country celebrated them as heroes.

Today vaccine mandates, dictated by the Biden Administration, are turning these heroes into villains. Many city mayors are vilifying firemen, police, emergency responders and healthcare workers who refuse to be vaccinated.  Hundreds are resigning and scores are being fired for refusing to get the jab.

In most cases, cities deny religious and medical exemptions. The intent is clear: Capitulate to the vaccine mandate or leave your job. This authoritarian approach is being justified because of the continuing Coronavirus toll.  Regardless, America has turned its back on those who saved lives.

Mr. Biden also wheedled the Defense Department to mandate vaccinations for military service members, effecting 1.5 million troops. Four senators introduced a bill prohibiting the military from dishonorably discharging troops who refuse the shot. The president says he "strongly opposes" the bill.

Dwight Stirling, CEO of the Center for Law and Military Policy, says service members' refusal to take the shot will likely result in "adverse administrative action" that may include a written reprimand, a derogatory performance review, demotion or in extreme cases, an involuntary discharge.

Since COVID began, 52 service members have died of the virus. In the two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, 6,817 military troops were killed. More than 52,000 were wounded. Wars are more dangerous to military members' health than the virus.  No more wars would save more lives than a vaccine shot.  

The president's expansive mandate includes all business employers with more than 100 workers, who are required to be vaccinated or test weekly for the virus.  At a time when firms are having trouble hiring workers, this will exacerbate the problem. There are currently 10.5 million job openings. 

Airlines, an industry hit hard by job vacancies, are facing a December 8 deadline for workers to be vaccinated.  Unions have balked and protests by Southwest Airlines employees signal trouble ahead. Airlines are struggling to maintain schedules with reduced crews. They can't afford employee losses.   

This president, whose poll numbers on handling the virus are underwater, is no doubt concerned about reversing what has been an alarming rise in deaths this year after he promised to tame the pandemic and return to normalcy.

Since January 1, there have been 353,000 Coronavirus deaths, eclipsing the total fatalities during 2020 when 352,000 Americans died.  Unlike today, last year Americans had no access to vaccines until December 11. This month COVID deaths surged past 700,000, another grim milestone.

A study released last month by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) tracked more than 600,000 Coronavirus cases in 13 states from April through July, and concluded the unvaccinated are 11 times more likely to die from the virus if they are infected then those who received the vaccine.  

Those numbers underscore the need for vaccinations. Selling the message of protecting your health should be straight forward. Americans want to be educated and armed with information so they can make their own health decisions.  The majority of informed Americans  are opting to take the jab.

After many communication missteps by the administration, Mr. Biden in frustration decided to coerce Americans into getting vaccinated. This is a reversal from his stance on December 4, when the president-elect said Americans would not be forced to take the vaccine. Another broken Biden promise.   

As a result of Mr. Biden's plan of vaccination intimidation,  your personal health is now the government's prerogative.  You do not have a choice.  If you want to keep your livelihood, you must surrender your freedom to make your health decisions.

Will it work?  There are reports more Americans lining up to get the shot. The CDC estimates an average of 785,133 vaccine doses are being dispensed every day.  But at what cost to freedom?  And is the Unity President further dividing America into two camps: the vaccinated and unvaccinated?         

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the administration's resident COVID sage, recently told National Public Radio (NPR) that researchers "have estimated that around 70% to 85% of the country needs to be immune to the Coronavirus for COVID-19 to stop spreading through communities and peter out."

Latest figures from the CDC show 57.7% of Americans have been fully vaccinated, meaning they have received two doses of the vaccine.  By any measure, the progress toward Dr. Fauci's goal of vaccinating 70% to 85% of the population is proceeding at a snail's pace.

Months from now it will be revealing to learn if the Biden dictate significantly moved the needle on vaccinations. Even if it works, the president's actions will be studied by politicians invested in government control.  Meanwhile, there are privacy and religious freedoms that have been trampled.

New lawsuits are sprouting against the mandate, although none have prevailed so far.  In the latest, 24 plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the government, asking a temporary restraining order.  The lawsuit claims religious and medical exemptions have been ignored.  

Many medical elitists who lobby for the mandate believe some Americans are just too dumb to decide for themselves to get the vaccine. Some Americans have to be forced against their will for the good of the country.  But that logic is a slippery slope that may lead to loss of personal health decisions.  

For those who agree with the mandate, consider this: Cancer and heart disease are the leading causes of deaths in the U.S., killing 1.289 million last year, far more than COVID.  The cost of hospitalization and treatment burden hospitals, run up billions of dollars in bills and create untold human suffering.    

Under the Biden health doctrine, a future president in consultation with health experts may decide the way to save lives is through elimination of health risks, such as obesity and smoking, major contributing factors in cancer and heart disease. 

An executive order would follow mandating businesses and municipal, federal and state agencies, test workers for obesity and smoking. Unless those employees lose weight and quit smoking, they would be removed from their jobs. The medical community would be first to jump on board.  

Don't shake your head and guffaw that it could never happen.  Many made the same assumption about a vaccine mandate for Americans. Did anyone really believe the U.S. government could force people to give up their jobs for failure to comply with a vaccination requirement?    

The Singapore experience with Coronavirus serves as a cautionary tale for the administration pursuing an autocratic strategy to arrest COVID. 

When the Singapore government rolled out its vaccines, it undertook an extensive propaganda campaign, targeting the most vulnerable in the population.  It worked. About 84% of Singapore's population of 5.6 million have been vaccinated.  The virus should be over, right? Wrong.

The number of new cases recently reached 3,900 this month, one of the worst daily totals since the start of the pandemic in the island-state.  Currently, infections are running an average of 3,217 a day. Daily deaths have also spiked, reports the Singapore government. There is a lesson for America. 

The goal of zero cases and zero deaths is unachievable.  The virus will continue to mutate. Mandates will not change that. Vaccines work but until a population achieves immunity the virus will linger.  No government can protect every citizen from a virus.  If it could, influenza would be no threat today. 

Americans' healthcare decisions are not the providence of government.  As abortion proponents remind: Our bodies, our choice. The vaccine mandate is the first step toward total government control of our health.  That is a freedom no American should be forced to forfeit.    

America's Looming Economic Disaster

When the September jobs report was a cataclysmic clunker, President Biden rolled out his teleprompter to read a prepared statement reassuring Americans the fragile economy is making headway.  "Jobs are up, wages up, unemployment down--that's progress," the nation's chief executive boasted.

While the economy has improved since the pandemic throttled growth, the distance from the current situation to the robust expansion of 2019 is a far, far galaxy away.  Any growth would beat 2020 when the economy contracted 3.5%, the largest decline in 74 years.  

Mr. Biden is right.  America is better off today than March of last year. However, before he took office, the economy had righted itself with 4.1% growth in the final quarter.  A steady recovery was underway, as American businesses were allowed to reopen. That rebound has continued at rocky pace.

Mr. Biden's view of the economy from the Oval Office is out of step with main street America.   Consumer confidence, a key predictor of spending, has plunged more than 19 points since its peak in June, according to the Conference Board.  Consumers are clearly not feeling Biden's optimism.  

Nagging supply chain bottlenecks, spiking inflation and millions of unfilled jobs are dragging down American businesses and hurting consumers.  Dismissing these as temporary is betting against trends that began in the first quarter of this year and have worsened.

Many U.S. businesses, both large and small, rely on parts, including microchips, as well as assembly for cars, appliances, cell phones and computers (to name a few) from overseas suppliers.  Foreign factories ship these items by planes, container ships and trucks to ports and warehouses in this country.

During the pandemic, major disruptions occurred in the supply chain as overseas factories and manufacturing plants for goods, such as clothing, textiles and furniture were shuttered.  Reopening these firms has been slower than expected while demand has skyrocketed.  

This imbalance between demand and supply is creating scarcity and driven up prices. Costs for these goods are passed on to consumers, which fuels inflation.  This supply chain turmoil is aggravated by the lack of workers in the U.S. to unload ships, stock warehouses and transport goods.

The September report highlighted this dilemma. Despite the president's upbeat economic assessment,  the economic added 194,000 jobs, 306,000 below expectations. American companies cannot find workers to fill these openings.  This labor shortage is strangling businesses' efforts to meet demand.     

At the end of June, job openings in America leaped to 10.1 million, the highest level ever recorded, according to the Department of Labor.  Job placement firm Indeed estimates there are now 10.5 million job openings, an indication scare labor is becoming a fixture of the U.S. economy.  

The mainstream media downplays the shortage as one that impacts only low-paying jobs in leisure, hospitality and restaurants exclusively.  This is untrue.  There are 1.6 million unfilled jobs in those industries, but there are also 1.5 million in the critical healthcare and social assistance segments. 

Every business has been hamstrung in hiring people, despite generous wage increases to lure workers.  Businesses in retail, wholesale trade, education, trucking and the information industry cannot find employees to fill their jobs. The trucking industry needs 68,000 drivers to fill jobs.   

Many out-of-work people have been receiving stimulus checks as well as extra federal and state unemployment benefits.  Some states are ending their programs, but continuing federal government benefits incentivize workers to remain on the sidelines, particularly impacting small firms.

A second issue is the vaccine mandate imposed by private and government entities, leading to firings and resignations. The mandate is exacerbating the critical job situation. A December 8 deadline looms for many businesses, including airlines. Already thousands of workers have been fired or resigned.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Department of Labor do not track the number of jobs lost due to the vaccine mandate for political reasons.  However, the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows 10.3 million people left their jobs in September, a distressing signal for businesses.

Mr. Biden pointed out the labor shortage is boosting wages for workers.  However, wage growth in lagging behind increases in prices. Over the last 12 months, the  Consumer Price Index (CPI) has ballooned 5.4% while Americans' wages rose 4.6%.  The CPI does not include food and fuel. 

Food prices hit their highest level in a decade in September as prices surged 32.8% in the 12 months through September, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.  An increase of this level has not been seen since 2011.  

The Labor Department's August inflation report, the latest one available, showed prices for meat, poultry, fish and eggs climbed 8% over last year, but that is a jump of 15.7% since August, 2019.  Beef prices have leaped 12.2% over the past  year and bacon soared 17%.  

Food is not a discretionary expenditure for consumers.  While Washington may view this as just a temporary blip, Americans are feeling the pain right now.  A rosy view of the future will not solve today's crisis, which is hardest on low-income households.

Consumers are also feeling the pinch at the gas pump. In 2019, the average price of regular gasoline was $2.25 a gallon, according to the American Automobile Association.  In some states, prices were below $2.  The average price today is $3.28 and rising.  A year ago the price was $2.18.

For perspective, the cost of filling a 15-gallon tank has spiked from $33.75 in 2019 to $49.29 today.  In a month, the average driver is paying nearly $200 for gasoline.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates energy prices have soared 24.8% over the past 12 months, while gasoline jumped 42.1%.  

Crude prices are fueling the increase in the price at the pump. Prices for a barrel of crude oil passed $80 at the end of September.  Bank of America predicted a cold winter could push the price of crude to more than $100 a barrel, the highest level since 2014. 

Unfortunately, energy prices may deliver another gut-punch this winter.  Natural gas used to heat millions of American homes is ratcheting up to new highs.  Natural gas prices have risen 47% just since the beginning of August.  Demand at home and globally is outstripping supply.  

Much of America's economic pain is self-inflicted.  Continuing stimulus payments, increased unemployment benefits and child care government checks have made work look less attractive by comparison.  The government has played a large role in the labor shortage.

Fuel costs are a direct result of the administration's pledge to eliminate fossil fuel.  The government cancelled a major oil pipeline, halted drilling on government lands and all but ended fracking.  The result is less investment in domestic oil exploration and drilling and more dependence on foreign oil.

Food prices too are effected by hikes in gasoline, diesel and jet fuel which are used in the transportation of  produce and other grocery items to stores across the U.S.  Farmers are also paying more for fuel. All those costs are passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices.  

Politicians and markets are adopting a cheerful view that things will gradually return to normal as supply and demand are perfectly aligned. Early predictions were that would happen before the end of the year.  Now economists and even the administration are forecasting early next year.

Meanwhile, American consumers don't have the luxury of waiting until 2022.  They are suffering under an inflationary bomb that is destroying their purchasing power. Runaway inflation will shove the economy over the cliff, crushing growth. Ignoring the evidence is a recipe for economic disaster.  

Education Wars: Parents Versus School Boards

Heated debates over curriculum between concerned parents and local school boards are fueling a thunderclap of upheaval across the nation. School board members and education leaders, who for decades pleaded for more parental involvement, are now trying to muzzle parents.

Loudoun County, Virginia, currently is the epicenter of opposition to the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT), a doctrine that blames America's systemic racism for oppression based on the color of a person's skin. Adherents believe every institution in the nation is infected with endemic racism.

When raucous crowds began showing up at Loudoun school board meetings, they were stonewalled by pompous school board members who had grown accustomed to dictating decisions without interference. The nerve of parents to insist they be informed about what their children are being taught.

Media fact-checkers, such as USA Today, are providing air cover by insisting Critical Race Theory is not being taught in most schools.  By the media's definition, CRT is a legal framework for examining laws in our society.  Schools do not have courses on Critical Race Theory, they contend.

This is a charade because the schools are teaching that racism and white supremacy exist in America, while castigating white privilege. These are the same tenants that underpin Critical Race Theory. Calling it a different name is just a ruse by educators to avoid accountability for indoctrination. 

Furthermore, the National Education Association (NEA) has endorsed the teaching of Critical Race Theory to K-12 students.  The lobby explicitly used the term Critical Race Theory.  Teachers unions have stopped short of support for CRT, but they are defending teachers who embrace the doctrine.   

Critical Race Theory isn't the only concern of furious parents.    

Last week Loudoun parents and residents rallied outside the school board headquarters to signal their outrage at a policy allowing transgender students to use restrooms and locker rooms based on their gender identity and requiring teachers to refer to students by their preferred pronouns.

The crowd was addressed by a former elementary school physical education teacher who was suspended by the Loudoun school system for speaking out against the policy when it was originally proposed. The Virginia Supreme Court sided with a judge who ordered the teacher be reinstated.  

Parents are fed up with being ignored by school boards. They feel empowered to confront the powerful. Their anger bubbles over at school board meetings.  Most have been loud but peaceful. There have been a handful of over-publicized incidents of rowdy behavior, resulting in police intervention. 

The media creates the image of out-of-control parents by highlighting a single video of police wrestling a belligerent parent to the ground. Network broadcasts run old clips of parents standing and shouting at school boards to be heard.  Apparently, raising your voice is a criminal offense in America.  

The parental uprising in Loudoun turned political when candidates in Virginia's gubernatorial race waded into the issue.  Former Democrat Governor Terry McAuliffe ignited a firestorm for his remarks during a debate with his Republican opponent. Here are McAuliffe's comments:

"I'm not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decision," he said. "I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach."  His opponent Glenn Youngkin retorted, "I believe parents should be in charge of their kids' education."

Now the National School Boards Association (NSBA) has joined the brewing squabble.  On September 29, the NSBA sent a letter to President Biden calling for "immediate assistance" to protect our students and school board members who were susceptible to acts of violence" and "intimidation."  

In its letter, the school board group cited "angry mobs" of parents protesting local board actions, including the wearing of masks and other COVID restrictions.  The NSBA characterized the ongoing protests as "domestic terrorism." Last summer's riots were peaceful protests, right?

Yet in the very same letter the NSBA piously claims it is open to discussion.  "Local school board members want to hear from their communities on important issues and that must be at the forefront of good school board governance and promotion of free speech," the letter says.

This statement smells like a cow patty.  If school boards embraced parental input, there would be open and honest discussions of curriculum before implementation.  Teachers unions and local boards want to operate as walled fiefdoms without scrutiny from parents. Free speech is verboten.  

Biden's Department of Justice bowed to the pressure of the NSBA, directing Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate "threats of violence" at school meetings.  This heavy handed approach contradicts Mr. Biden's campaign commitment to keep the DOJ out of politics.

What's appalling is the DOJ refused to deal with the domestic violence in the summer of 2020 when mobs torched police buildings, looted stores and battled with police.  Mr. Biden, who supported the protests, apparently believes parents are the real criminals, not those who brazenly break the law.  

Will the DOJ investigate charges of educators blacklisting parents and bullying students whose parents oppose the curriculum?  Of course, not.  Teachers unions will block such a probe.  In  today's America, disobedience to autocratic doctrine will be punished. Freedom to disagree is an outdated notion.        

While Loudoun is the focus of today's headlines, school boards from Michigan to Kentucky to New Hampshire and New York are feeling the political heat from parents.  Children's education curriculum is a boiling issue that likely will spill over into the mid-term elections.

In Gallup's latest poll on education, 54% of Americans are either somewhat or completely dissatisfied with the education their kids are receiving.  Polling has shown growing levels of dissatisfaction over the past two years.  Tin-eared politicians avoid addressing this issue at their own peril. 

Every American parent should have a voice in their children's education. Parental involvement should be welcomed as a healthy sign of democratic participation in their children's education.  For too long, educators and boards have not been held accountable and thus resent any inference.

This is wrong.  un-American.  It is a sign educators and boards view themselves as banana republic dictators above reproach by those who pay their salaries and finance their schools. Sicking the FBI on parents is a deliberate tactic to bully them into remain silence.

When legitimate dissent is outlawed, it resembles one of the main features of a Marxist regime.  No speech is tolerated unless it adheres to the ideological doctrine of the ruling government.  Any opposition is met with police force.  That is where America is headed.        

Due To Pandemic: Flying Unfriendly Skies

The media's excessive coverage of unruly passenger incidents is designed to create a narrative of raving unmasked passengers attacking crews.  Passengers, most likely Trump supporters the media hints, refuse to obey mask instructions.   The reporting paints a picture of embattled airline crews under siege.

The news coverage exaggerates the situation, ignoring pesky facts that get in the way of media indoctrination. 

As of September 28, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports year-to-date there have been 4,498 of what they term as "unruly passenger" incidents.  Of those, 3,274 have involved mask-related violations, about 72% of the total.  The incidents are the highest since tracking began in 1995.

Taken at face value, the statistics are alarming.  There have been reports of passengers duct taped to airline seats; crew members being assaulted; and, brawls between airline customers.  Rampant rage in the sky, the headlines scream. As always, the media never adds any perspective.

Most folks will be surprised to learn the incidents represent .0109% of the 41 million flights recorded since January 1.  That means there are 10 episodes per 100,000 flights.  For perspective, there are 906 passenger complaints per 100,000 flights.   

Even one ugly encounter is one too many.  However, there is no epidemic of cabin chaos. The media coverage focuses on the mask incidents to support continuing government mandates, while casting the few violators as a majority of passengers.  However, there are reasons passengers might feel agitated.  

A new Department of Transportation (DOT) report on July performance metrics released September 24 sheds light on airline customers' frustration.  The latest figures reveal a host of airline snafus that understandably stoke passenger angst.  Here is a summary of the DOT report for July:

• Flight cancellations increased 11%, the highest in months.
• On time arrival rates fell to 73.4%, compared to 90.5% for the same month last year.
• Tarmac delays of more than three hours were 39 times the rate in 2020.
• The mishandled baggage rate of 5.9 per 1,000 check bags rose from 3.24 last year.
• Mishandled wheelchairs and scooters was 1.42%, compared to 1.17% in 2020.
• Bumping or over sales on airlines eclipsed the 2020 rate.
• Complaints about treatment of disabled passengers were nearly three times those in 2020.
• Customer complaints to DOT about airline service and crews soared 21%.    

Even those numbers fall short of describing the deteriorating situation. Southwest Airlines delayed 1,300 flights and cancelled 500 in a single afternoon after a data system outage. Another Southwest outage delayed 1,415 flights in less than 12 hours. Some passengers were forced to sleep in airports.

United Airlines was hit with the largest fine in airline history last month, $1.9 million. The DOT cited United for allowing tarmac delays exceeding three hours on 20 domestic flights and five international flights, impacting 3,218 passengers.  Think those customers were in a foul mood?

The record fine and statistics confirm: Airline travel today is a lousy experience.  Delays and cancellations fuel passenger anger. Cabin crews, forced by airlines to police the mask mandate, are surly and overbearing.  This creates a toxic atmosphere of crabby crews and discontented customers.

Part of the issue is that major airlines furloughed thousands of employees "due to the pandemic" last year.  When vaccines made travel safer, Americans began flying again in large numbers.  The airlines are having trouble filling jobs, especially in customer reservations and for cabin attendants. 

The nation's largest carrier American Airlines furloughed more than 31,000 employees during the pandemic.  Many of those jobs remain unfilled. Overall, the number of full-time employees are down 63% since March of last year, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Airlines have fewer employees during a resurgence of air travel. During July, the number of flights operated by airlines skyrocketed 65% compared to the same period a year ago.  The result is increasing numbers of flight attendants and crews are working more overtime to keep up with demand. 

The confluence of overworked crews, declining airline performance and dissatisfied customers generates the perfect storm.  Airlines management deserves a large share of the blame for the flying experience.  The default airline position is to blame the pandemic for their mismanagement.

The airlines' decision to turn flight attendants into mask police was poorly thought out.  It is a prescription for tensions between attendants and the passengers they are supposed to serve.  Air marshals or airline security personnel should be the ones to enforce the mask mandates.

Since January, your writer has traveled on a dozen flights, enduring cancellations, tarmac delays, and numerous flight delays.  Most airline agents, crew members and reservation personnel that I have encountered have been discourteous and testy.  They view customers as irritants.

In the latest incident, after spending seven hours in airports and on an airplane, the final leg of my journey the passengers were greeted by this announcement from the captain: "Because of the long day experienced by the cabin crew, there will be no service on this flight."

What about the passengers who have endured hours waiting on the flight that was twice delayed?  It had been a long day for us too.  But in this era "due to the pandemic" is viewed as a legitimate excuse for poor customer service. That is little comfort for paying customers who expect more.   

And while we are on this subject, the annoying, repeated reminder by the crew about FAA regulations on masks creates animosity.  When passengers exit the airplane, the first voice the hear is some pretentious mayor demanding everyone mask up.  Over and over again. This is Orwellian. 

Elites argue the Great Unwashed will ignore the law and lower their mask if not regularly prompted. The overwhelming majority abide by the instructions.   On my flights, I have observed a handful of passengers, dipping their masks below their chins.  Most were 18-30 years old.

On occasion elderly passengers, obviously experiencing breathing issues, lower their masks to gulp air. These Americans are not used to continuously wearing a mask for 5 hours or more. Masking on airlines may make some feel safer, but passengers are shoehorned into the cabin, with no social distancing.

This is not an anti-mask rant.  Those are first-hand observations. 

Instead of ending on a sour note, I'd like to single out a strapping Southwest Airline captain who stepped into the cabin after boarding was complete and grabbed the microphone.  His message, as I best recall, can be summarized thusly:

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard.  I have flown Navy fighter planes and landed them on a carrier in a heaving sea at night during my military career.  You can feel assured I will get your safely to your destination.  Our country sometimes feels divided, but all of us today are going to be kind, courteous and respectful to each other. Together we are going to have a great flight."

The cabin erupted in applause. Airlines need more captains and crews who rally passenger morale  in difficult times.  Haranguing customers does not engender cooperation or promote tranquility. Being on time and not cancelling flights makes for happy customers. 

Memo to Airlines: Make air travel fun again.    

Democrats' Plan to Steamroll $3.5 Trillion Budget

The largest budget in U.S. history, $3.5 trillion for fiscal year 2022, is hurtling toward approval in Congress after Democrats paved the way for a negotiated process that assures its passage.  Specific details are scant at this juncture, a tactic to keep the legislation under wraps until both chambers vote.

Minutes before 4 a.m. on August 11, the Senate approved a blueprint of the $3.5 trillion budget in a 50-49 vote along party lines.  Seventeen days later the House passed an identical budget resolution by a 220-212 margin with the support of only Democrats. The broad outlines will be fleshed out in joint committees.  

To iron out detail, the Senate and House are using a process known as reconciliation, which makes it easier to pass legislation in the Senate.  Employing this legislative tool avoids the need for 60 votes in the Senate.  The spending and tax bill will require a simple majority in the upper chamber.

This fast-track procedure prevents Republicans from using a filibuster, which would require a 60-vote majority to end debate and force a vote.  With a virtual deadlock in the Senate, Vice President Kamala Harris would cast the deciding vote, ensuring passage.  Republicans also have used reconciliation.

Pundits speculate the bill's passage hinges on the competing interests of House Democrat progressives and a handful of moderates.  But Speaker Nancy Pelosi rules her troops with an iron fist and few will defy her once the legislation reaches a floor vote. Ignore the media noise about party disunity. 

Likewise in the Senate, Joe Manchin of West Virginia rails against the price tag, threatening to vote against the mega-spending measure.  However, we have seen this grandstanding bluster before.  In the end, Democrat Senate leader Chuck Schumer will corral Manchin to drag the bill across the finish line.

This is a fait accompli no matter what you hear from the media and talking heads. The only issue left to decide is how to divvy up trillions of dollars amongst a plethora of programs.

Here are the skeletal contours of key Senate and House approved budget resolutions:

• $726 billion to include universal Pre-K for 3-and-4-year olds; child care for working families; tuition free community college; racial equity health investments; and funds for Community Health Centers and other educational investments.
• $37 billion for electrifying the federal vehicle fleet, including post office vehicles; border management investments; and, improving the government's cybersecurity infrastructure.
• $107 billion for lawful permanent status for qualified immigrants; investments in effective border measures; and, community violence intervention initiatives.
• $135 billion on rural cop-op clean energy; agricultural climate research; funding for a Civilian Climate Corps; child nutrition; and, forestry programs to help reduce carbon emissions and prevent wildfires.
• $332 billion for improving housing affordability by providing down payment assistance, rental assistance and other home ownership initiatives; and, funding for zoning, land use and transit improvements to create healthy and sustainable housing.
• $198 billion for clean electricity payment program; consumer rebates to weatherize and electrify their homes; climate research; financing for domestic manufacturing of clean energy; and, auto supply chain technologies.
• $67 billion for a Clean Energy Technology Accelerator that would fund low-income solar and other climate-friendly technologies; environmental investments in clean water affordability and access, healthy ports and climate equity; and, investments in clean energy vehicles. 
• Among the proposals not listed in these categories are expansion of the Affordable Care Act and an increase in Medicare benefits to include dental and vision coverage. 

For the record, this is only a representative list of some of the major spending programs.  Smaller funding initiatives have been excluded. Language used to describe the spending was taken directly from the Democratic Senators memorandum on the FY2022 Budget Resolution Agreement Framework.  

Dollar signs are garnering the headlines, however, the spending will strengthen the government's role in education, healthcare, energy and the environment.  The federal government will control large swaths of the American economy, while permanently establishing new, expensive entitlements   

On the heels of this spending package, Democrats are teeing up a vote on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that will attract some GOP votes. The 2,702-page bill will pass with a few tweaks to accommodate projects in key Democratic House and Senate districts to bolster their reelection chances.  

The infrastructure package includes $110 billion for roads and bridges; $66 billion for railroads with upgrades to passenger rail systems; $65 billion for clean energy additions to the power grid; $65 billion for broadband expansion in rural and low-income areas; and, $55 billion for water infrastructure.

For the sake of brevity, this description highlights the major spending programs.  There are at least a dozen other mandates for cybersecurity, the environment, electric vehicles, school buses, safety, water ports, airports, and upgrades to public transit systems nationwide.

If you are following this spending trail with a calculator in hand, the cost for the combination of infrastructure and budget proposals amounts to about $5 trillion.  This bloated package will create yawning deficits and impose an estimated $1.35 trillion in tax increases to fund the spending spree.

Likely taxes will be hiked for households with $400,000 income and up; corporate taxes will increase; fossil fuel tax preferences will be erased; clean energy taxes will increase; and, other taxes will be added.  Dwindling numbers of Americans (39%) who pay federal income taxes will fund this excess.

Even Republicans agree there are needed projects in the spending proposals.  Not every expenditure should be viewed as unnecessary.  But each should be justified on its own merits with a cost-benefit analysis.  The process does not accommodate this approach. Instead it promotes wasteful spending.

Under the Democrats' self-imposed deadline, the gargantuan bill will be rushed to a vote without the opportunity for reps and senators to read the blizzard of pages containing line item expenditures.  Paraphrasing Speaker Pelosi's past words: "to find out what's in the bill, we have to pass it first."  

Reconciliation, although within Senate and House rules, allows a handful of committees to write the final bill's language with minimal input from non-committee members.  The procedure progresses behind closed doors, concealing the final draft until hours before a dash to a vote. It is a broken process. 

However, neither Republicans nor Democrats will abandon or revise the procedure because they view the benefits as political leverage for the party in power. 

Americans need to weigh in--pro or con--with their House representatives and Senators if they want their voices heard on these bills.  The cynics will do nothing because they believe their opinions matter not one wit. However, now's not the time to squat on the sidelines. The future of the country is a stake.

Chaos Reigns In Biden Administration

Skidding approval ratings are the least of President Biden's worries. Candidate Biden's pledge to quash the pandemic, the cornerstone of his presidential campaign, remains unfulfilled.  Crises at the southern border and the turbulent withdrawal from Afghanistan also have rocked his presidency.

Quinnipiac University's poll conducted last week revealed Mr. Biden's approval rating sank to 42%, a steep decline since January when he stood in the mid 50's.  Only two national leaders have experienced lower approval ratings at this point in their presidency: Donald Trump (37%) and Gerald Ford (37%). 

Peering beneath the numbers reveals Mr. Biden's approval rating among independents has slipped 14 points.  Shockingly, his standing with Democrats has dipped eight points.  Among all those surveyed, 60% disapprove of the way the president handled the Afghanistan exodus. 

Since the Afghanistan debacle, the president has become noticeably irritable and testy.  Reporters questions  about the chaotic departure are met with stony silence or deflected with lectures claiming no one could have foreseen the consequences of withdrawal.  Both tactics are eroding public confidence. 

Despite Mr. Biden's promise to leave no American behind, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken admitted in testimony before a Senate committee there were "roughly" 100 Americans stranded in Afghanistan. The secretary acknowledged charter flights from Afghanistan are being blocked by the Taliban.

To make matters worse, the president's performance at the somber transfer of the remains of fallen service members at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware earned the scorn of grieving families.  Video captured Mr. Biden checking his watch after caskets were removed from the military plane.

USA Today fact checkers confirm Associated Press photos show Mr. Biden looking at his watch at least three times.  The only fact in dispute is the lack of video evidence the president checked his watch as each flag-draped casket passed.  Grieving families witnessed 13 watch checks, according to news reports.

The Washington Post reported the father of fallen Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmidt had a tense encounter with the president.  To the father's chagrin, Mr. Biden spoke more about his son Beau, who died of brain cancer, than about the sacrifice of the father's son.  Beau served in Afghanistan and returned home safely.  

Cheyenne McCollum, the sister of  Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, reported a similar experience with Mr. Biden.  "I was able to stand about 15 seconds of his fake, scripted apology, and I had to walk away," Cheyenne bristled.   

This was not the compassionate Biden the media painted during the election. 

Immediately after the tragic loss of lives, his speech to the nation lacked emotion and empathy.  His hasty exit from the podium after the remarks was callous for such a grave occasion.  This is a tone deaf president whose behavior belies the fawning media's portrayal of the man.

To pivot from the Afghan disaster, the president refocused media attention to his administration's efforts to halt the spread of COVID amid soaring cases and spiraling hospitalizations. To date, the president's record is spotty at best.  That is not an opinion.  The data tells the story.

The day President Biden was sworn into office the number of COVID cases stood at 152,379. The new president deemed that level unacceptable. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported last week the 7-day moving average of daily cases increased 7% to 142,072, a less than 3% decline in eight months.

The president was gifted with the advantage of readily available weapons to tamp down the virus. There are three vaccines widely available that have been distributed nationwide.  Despite pleas from health organizations and federal officials, only 53.9% of Americans are fully vaccinated as of September 11.

Administration officials trumpet the fact that 76.5% of Americans have received at least one vaccine dose. What is left unsaid: CDC data also shows that at least 15 million people due for the second dose have elected not to return for the jab.  Only fully vaccinated are adequately protected. 

President Biden decided to address the unvaccinated issue last week. Instead of a national appeal for unity, he used the occasion to scold the unvaccinated.  Most Americans agree everyone needs to be vaccinated. His message was punitive not motivational.   

This is divisive, pitting the vaccinated versus the unvaccinated.  No wonder a recent poll found a majority of Americans (54%) think the country is less united. Shaming the unvaccinated is the least productive strategy to convince these Americans to sign up for the shot. 

Noticeably, the president failed to mention CDC data indicating African-Americans and Hispanics are less likely than their white counterparts to have received a vaccine, leaving them at greater risk.

CDC posted these figures on September 14: 16.6% of Hispanics have been fully vaccinated; 9.9% of African-Americans have received two vaccine doses.  Why didn't the president make a direct appeal to those Americans?  This is his constituency. Was Mr. Biden afraid of offending his base?  

The president also mandated businesses require employees to be vaccinated. He called on the Department of Labor to enforce his edict, which included small businesses with as few as 100 employees. Already, there is pushback from small businesses and police and fire unions.  Legal challenges are expected. 

For a president determined to arrest the virus, his open border policy is a contradiction of his goal to staunch  the virus. Pew Research Center reports encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border have soared to a 21-year high.  In July, 199,777 illegal immigrants were admitted into the United States.

At this moment, thousands of Haitian immigrants are camped near the border at Del Rio, Texas, hoping to cross into the U.S. As the the humanitarian crisis worsened, buses arrived to transfer Haitians to San Antonio. The administration  authorized deportation flights to Port-au-Prince airport in Haiti.

Texas Rep. August Pfluger, who was briefed by Border Patrol agents in Del Rio, was informed there were 14,878 migrants camped under the international bridge at Del Rio as of Saturday.  Pfluger said: "Speaking to Border Patrol agents, the worst is yet to come...they're worried about coordination with Mexico."

Independent sources estimate about one million illegal immigrants have crossed the border since January. NBC reported more than 18% of illegal immigrant families and 20% of unaccompanied minors test positive for COVID after leaving Border Patrol custody.

NBC's source was a briefing document prepared for President Biden. The president is aware of the dire situation.   

What science is the president following by allowing unvaccinated illegal immigrants to cross into the U.S.?  Americans returning from overseas flights are tested for the COVID virus before they return to this country. Americans have to show proof of vaccination for cruises, Broadway shows. etc.

This is the height of hypocrisy to have a different standard for non-citizens.  

Let's stop at this point.  Democrats' blood pressure is off the charts reading a negative article about their president.  He is NOT Trump they will point out. There is less drama today. There are no offensive tweets. There are no riots near the Capitol.  Few Democrats can defend Biden without referring to Trump.

Mr. Biden should be judged on his actions in the Afghanistan fiasco, his failure to stem the rising Delta variant tide and the ongoing crisis at the border, where unvaccinated illegal immigrants are ushered into our country.  He owns the catastrophic ramifications and the chaos it has created. 

Presidents who blame previous administrations, Republican or Democrat, are attempting to avoid accountability to find solutions to fix problems, including those they inherited. The buck stops with the president as Mr. Biden has reminded.  Every president should govern with that principle in mind.  

9/11: America's Deadliest Attack United Country

Shafts of sunlight streamed through our bedroom window, a bright beginning to a Tuesday.  I pulled on my suit and knotted a tie, eyeing my watch.  I had about an hour before I was scheduled to board a 10:45 a.m. flight to Mexico City for a business meeting.   

As I fussed with my tie, Dianna burst into the bedroom, an anguished look on her face.  "You won't believe this," she excitedly said, her voice beginning to crack.  "An airplane just crashed into the World Trade Center."  Her eyes misted as I flicked on the television and slumped on the bed.  

That was my first glimpse of a horrific image that left me gasping.   The news network replayed video of a fully loaded American Airlines passenger plane inexplicably crashing into the north tower.  Somehow, I sensed this Tuesday was about to become America's worst nightmare.

Eighteen minutes later a United Airlines flight barreled into the 110-foot skyscraper, exploding in a fireball. This was no longer air disaster. America was under attack.  Like millions of Americans, Dianna and I camped in front of the television on September 11, 2001, hoping, praying for a miracle.  

Just when we thought the worst was over, a news flash broke the spell: an American Airlines jet had slammed into the Pentagon. Television cameras broadcast live images from Washington. Shocking scenes of death and panic.  Family called, inquiring if we had heard the dreadful news.

In New York, first responders swarmed the city's yawning canyons. Firemen rushed into burning buildings, courageously battling intense heat and smoke-choked towers.  As the blaze raged, firefights caked in dust, slumped in exhaustion, but fought on to honor their duty to save lives.

As we continued our televised vigil, torrid fires engulfed the twin towers.  Americans glued to their televisions will never forget what happened next.  The south tower collapsed in a mushrooming cloud of dust and billowing smoke. It was a sickening sight, vividly seared into my memory. 

Thousands trapped in the north tower peered from windows, waving frantically, desperate for a rescue that never came. A few terrified people leaped to their deaths minutes before the tower crumbled to the ground in a thunderous roar. Six souls miraculously survived the unspeakable holocaust.   

Inconceivably, the terror was not over.  A fourth plane was hijacked about 40 minutes after it departed Newark.  Passengers, aware of the the tragedy in New York and Washington, bravely battled the four hijackers. The melee ended when the plane plummeted into a Pennsylvania field, killing all aboard.

Hours later New Yorkers poured into ground zero in flickering hope of finding missing love ones who worked in the towers. Soon pictures of the lost were taped to light standards and buildings. Dust rained down like snow on the the frenzied crowd, determined to believe their search was not in vain. 

September 11th changed America forever.  The cowardly jihadist attacks killed 2,996 people, including 343 New York firefighters, 23 police officers and 17 Port Authority members, who heroically struggled to evacuate the office buildings.  Americans were grief-stricken, frightened and angry.

The fatality toll made the September 11th attacks the deadliest in American history.  The Japanese navy's bombardment of Pearl Harbor in 1941 claimed the lives of 2,403.  These two violent episodes both united Americans in ways the country has not experienced in the intervening years.

As daylight faded to dusk on September 11, Americans streamed into houses of worship as church bells peeled throughout our land. We gathered and wept and prayed together. Crowds, unable to find room in cramped houses of worship, huddled outside. A reverent, hush cloaked the surroundings.

Rabbis, ministers and priests knitted together hastily arranged memorial services to mourn victims. The outpouring of religious fervor was unprecedented. Many Americans rediscovered their faith in God in the midst of overwhelming tragedy. Our faith was never stronger, never tested as much.    

Candlelight memorials sprung up in parks, open lots and neighborhoods  Strangers hugged one another to console mutual grief. People seemed kinder, setting aside differences.  Americans helped each other, opening our homes and hearts to neighbors and the weary. Nothing mattered more than our country..   

Soon American flags sprouted in yards across the country. Businesses draped Old Glory from office windows.  Handmade signs proclaimed, "Never Forget." Flags dotted the landscape from sea to shining sea.  Everyone was proud to be an American.  We were all in this together.  Patriotism was back in style.

A byproduct of this unity was an outpouring of public support for President George W. Bush,  Polling documented his approval rating soared to 92% in October, an unheard display of national solidarity.  Both political parties joined hands in a rare display of bipartisanship to back the war on terror.

At that time, most Americans had not been born to witness the Pearl Harbor bombing.  For most of us, it was our first experience with such destruction and death.  This was our moment of personal and national reckoning.  Would we rise to the challenge as our parents did in 1941?

The answer came swiftly as young men and women volunteered in droves to serve in the military to strike back at the terrorists. Firemen from surrounding cities rallied to assist New York.  National guard outfits dashed to the scenes. Ordinary Americans pitched in to help victims, donating money and time.

In the ensuring weeks and months, Americans donned NYFD hats, flew flags from their cars and trucks, and wore tee shirts with images of the twin towers. Everywhere you looked, there was a wave of red, white and blue.  Our nation was attacked, but the American spirit was not defeated.

Over twenty years, the emotions of that day have softened but remained tender in the recesses of our heart. Our nation's marking of that tragic day has waned over two decades, but the 20th anniversary has sparked renewed nationalism. Perhaps, that will fuel a rebirth of patriotism.

We must never forget the firefighters, police and paramedics who sacrificed their lives to rescue fellow Americans as well as the military men and women who fought and died on foreign soil to defeat the terrorists. They deserve the eternal thanks of a grateful nation.   

My memory of that soul-crushing day is as intense as ever.  Mixed with the pain, a glimmer of wonderment lingers.  From the darkest of days, good followed.  For me, the blessing of September 11th occurred when Americans reclaimed our cherished identity as one nation, under God.