Ken's Comments

From the moment President Trump announced "Liberation Day" and laid out a list of tariffs he planned to impose, we've heard from economists, politicians, the media and the Federal Reserve about the impact of the tariffs on consumers.  Clothing, food, technology, cars, and toys are some of the categories of products tariffs will effect.  But there is a key point they overlook in their complaints about tariffs. From the media, we see headlines like these: CNN - "'Sneakflation': How Trump's tariffs are gradually raising costs for American consumers." Forbes - "Tariffs may have a bigger impact on consumers than some experts think." The Hill - "The misery of auto tariffs is hitting families and factories." Then there was the Federal Reserve which held off changes in the interest rate citing the "uncertainty" caused by tariffs as their reason for doing so. Democrats' criticism has been a bit awkward because progressives su...

I saw the movie "Bonhoeffer," a story about a German pastor who spoke up against the actions of Nazis in Germany during the 1930s and 1940s.  The movie had the actor playing Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran Pastor in Germany, speak the famous remarks of Pastor Niemoller: First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a socialist.  Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a trade unionist.  Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew.  Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak for me.  Classic Nazi and fascist techniques have been adopted by Progressives in the current century.  Start with a "Big Lie" - take a kernel of truth and build up whatever you want around it.  Shout down anyone who tries to speak against you, they have the advantage of social media allowing the shouting down to include name calling, slurs, bullying, and hu...

Is there anyone who doesn't think the Republicans will retake control of both the U.S. House and Senate this year?  Probably not - and that's the problem.    All the polls we see are generic.  They are asking questions about how people feel about the parties.  The pollsters are asking would a generic Republican defeat a generic Democrat.  Other polls are gauging people's feelings toward President Biden.  Every indication is the Republicans will win big in both Houses of Congress.  What could go wrong? Elections are not generic.  Incumbents are not easy to unseat.  Furthermore, elections involve Candidate A running against Candidate B in specific districts on specific issues.  Candidates and parties also need money to run campaigns. Republicans can be facing an uphill fight on some or all of these points. Take incumbency - in Georgia a recent poll showed Herschel Walker running only a couple of points ahead of Democrat incumbent Sena...

Don't get vaccinated the the establishment is coming for you.  CNN Medical Contributor Dr. Leana Wen, also former Planned Parenthood President, said "It needs to be hard for people to remain unvaccinated."  By that she means, harassing people with forms and mandated testing multiple times a week.  She also endorsed "Vaccine Credentialing" - making Americans carry a proof of vaccination card.  Can't require people to get IDs to vote but Vaccine Credentialing IDs, that we can require.  And why?  Because it is a way for the establishment to penalize you for not following their dictates. It started in January, when many Democrats, Democrat supporters in the Media, and Never Trumper Republicans were saying that anyone who worked for or supported President Trump should be banned from jobs, shunned personally and professionally, and subjected to re-education.  They have quietly been putting that into effect. This week we saw stories saying Toyota is the lates...

I believe the saying is if we don't learn from history it will repeat itself.   I went to a movie over the weekend - "News of the World" starring Tom Hanks.*  The movie takes place in 1870, which was relatively early in the Reconstruction period following the Civil War, and the location of the events is the state of Texas. Early scenes show soldiers, Yankees or Blue Bellies as they were called, stopping Texans and demanding they produce a piece of paper - a signed loyalty oath.  The requirement of Loyalty Oaths was ostensibly done in the name of promoting unity - reuniting the country after a bitter war.  But it really was an effort by some in Washington to humiliate their opponents in the War - Southerners - while often promoting their own self-interest.** During the late 1940's and early 1950's we saw the hunt for Communists across the country.  History shows there were Communist spies in many governments around the world and also Communist sympathizers i...

 We own this.  It's our fault.   The last two months have been disappointing and awful, culminating in a tragic disaster this week.  And if you've been a Trump supporter, as I have been, you need to look in a mirror because the blame starts there and runs from each of us individually to all of our fellow Trump supporters whether regular individuals or elected officials, and onward to the people in the Trump Administration, and finally to the President himself. By the end of November it should have been obvious the President and his legal team were incapable of making a legitimate case about what happened on Election Day either in court or in the court of public opinion.  Instead of continuing an obviously futile effort to change the election our focus should have changed. Job 1 should have been winning the Senate seats in Georgia. Job 2 should have been lobbying our State and local governments to change the rules so we never again experience the shenanigans...

 For the past four years, the media has downplayed, denied, or ignored the accomplishments of the Trump Administration.  Record economy - just a continuation of what President Obama started.  Record low unemployment for all minorities - same.  First President since Jimmy Carter not to start a war or get into a military conflict - ignored.  And now the latest, crediting Biden before he's in office for accomplishments Trump achieved. It started with the media falsely claiming Joe Biden will have the first female senior communications team.  Not true.  President Trump staffed his senior communications team with females.   Then there is the appointment of a gay person to a cabinet position.  The media claims Joe Biden has appointed the first openly gay person to a Cabinet position.  Not true.  Donald Trump appointed Rick Grenell, who is gay, to be Acting Director of National Intelligence.   When called out for their false...

Recently a relative forwarded a post from Douglas G. Frank - Dr. Frank Models.  A person asked Dr. Frank "What would it take for you to support a [coronavirus] vaccine Dr. Frank?" Dr. Frank posted a long response that I won't copy here.*  But I'll summarize and then respond.  Two key premises of his position: 1. The reward has to be worth the risk 2. Polio is not Covid and the reward [for taking the polio vaccine] was worth the risk (and the price). Of course that led into a long dissertation on why the reward for taking the Covid vaccine is not worth the risk, with a lot of mathematical equations on what percent of the US population has been infected and what percent has died and speculating on what value the vaccine will be.  And he also tossed in a suggestion that Covid will just fade away if we don't vaccinate. Let's make one obvious point first.  He's commenting about a vaccine or vaccines that have not yet been approved and for which no side-effects ...

A friend posted a meme on Facebook titled "Trickle Down Economics" and it offers the following facts.  $2.3 trillion was spent in stimulus this year That's $23,000 per working age adult (assuming 100 million such adults) The meme goes on to say but "you got 1,200 per person & big companies got the rest." The meme wraps up by showing President Trump's signature, clearly intending to hold him responsible for this atrocity. I did something I rarely do on Facebook.  I posted a reply to something political.  Here is a version of my answer. In 2008 when 10 million Americans* were losing their homes, how many people got a check in any amount?  No one.  Who did get checks in the bailout packages?  AIG, Wall Street financiers, and the big banks - all of whom were involved in causing the economic meltdown. Contrast that with what happened this year, 2020.  What happened to the average American: Every American with incomes below a certai...

President Trump on Friday announced religions are essential business and that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued guidelines on how to open religious buildings safely for worship.  The President then said he would overrule any State that does not treat religions as essential. Then the fireworks began. In the press conference, the members of the press present peppered the Press Secretary with questions about how religious institutions can open safely and why does the President think he has the authority to overrule State Governments.  At least one MSNBC commentator opined that naming religious institutions as essential is a violation of the separation of Church and State. That the media raised any objection is a measure of how the press reacts in a knee jerk fashion, without any thought, to simply disagree with everything President Trump says. Let's consider these points. The first point - how can churches, synagogues and mosques open safely - was ridiculous....

Second guessing is the order of the day and it's time for me to join in.  This is a look back to what happened wrong and right, and what could have been done better.  To do this, let's use the standards set forth by NY Governor Mario Cuomo during some of his press conferences.  When asked why he was looking for 40,000 ventilators earlier this year when NY needed less than 10,000, Gov. Cuomo said, and I paraphrase you act based on what you know at the time, and a related point would be did you act based on what you knew at the time.  In another press conference Gov. Cuomo speculated on what he might have done differently if he knew then what he knew now.  A fair analysis of the actions of the Trump Administration can be made using those standards. 1. Acting based on what you know. The Administration has a standard cast of characters who are called on when there are epidemics.  This includes the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Contr...

At a Coronavirus briefing, an Administration medical professional reviewed the results of studies of what kills the virus and what allows it to grow.  The President then asked some poorly worded questions of the speaker.  These were misinterpreted by the Media and, as usual, it led some typically hateful remarks by celebrities.  Unfortunately, President Trump and his press people missed an opportunity with their response. The presentation showed that Coronavirus does well in the dark and cold and not well in sunlight, due to ultraviolet rays, or humidity.  The research also showed that while the Coronavirus can live on surfaces for a long while, disinfectants can kill the Coronavirus quickly. At the end of the presentation, the President asked the speaker whether we can use the outcome of this study to evaluate the use of ultraviolet light internally within people suffering from the virus - because the virus damages the lungs - and whether there is a way to ...

The same media that howled when the Trump Administration terminated daily briefings and said it restricting Freedom of the Press is now calling for terminating coverage of the President's daily briefings on the Coronavirus.  The clamor for this is ironic, partisan, and also with precedent in history.  Furthermore, there is a much better solution available that the media can implement by themselves. The clamor is ironic because of the media's previous complaints when the Trump Administration cancelled the daily briefings.  Furthermore, instead of the circus like nonsense that occurred during the Administration's previous daily briefings, which were more about the media members scoring points and trying to promote their careers, the current briefings actually are important to all Americans.  Instead, the media is trying to tell us there is nothing important coming out of these briefings.  Oh really?  The Trump Administration is providing information about...

It's abundantly clear that the majority of the media is seeking to use the Coronavirus situation to try to create panic and despair in order to damage President Trump's chances for re-election.  When President Trump tries to promote hope and optimism, the media says it's all lies.  When Governor Cuomo says the same thing, it's all true.  I wanted to review some of the criticisms made and offer a contrary point of view on President Trump and his team's handling of the Coronavirus situation. 1. Hospitals lack personal protection equipment, like masks - In business when there is a problem that can't be fixed with a snap of your fingers you try to find an immediate solution, then a short term solution and a long term solution.  That's what the Trump team did. Immediate solutions: Recommend ways to conserve what you have and identify alternative masks (e.g. bandannas). Short term solution: get the law changed very fast to allow use of construction masks and...

Stop calling the media liberal.  Those in the media who deny they are liberal, are correct - they are not liberal.  I'd actually respect them more if they were.  But I can tell you what they are. They are Democrats.  They are an extension of the Democrat party.  Not officially but willingly. The media is not liberal, nor can you say they represent any other political ideology.  To link a person to a specific political ideology you need to define the beliefs of that ideology and then demonstrate the person almost uniformly follows that ideology.  The media generally does not meet this test. Yes the media generally supports more government, a general definition of a liberal.  But their position is not consistent.  To paraphrase John Kerry, they are for more government until they are against more government.  On the other hand, the position the media uniformly follows is whatever position the Democrat Party takes.  Let's get spec...

The Washington Post has adopted the slogan "Democracy Dies in Darkness."  That is intended to be a criticism of the statements of President Donald Trump, who has labeled some members of the media "the enemy of the public" and for the combative attitude the President and members of his Administration have shown toward the media.  But who is really turning out the light? If Democracy dies in darkness then presumably it flourishes in the light.  And I've always been led to believe that the truth is the light.  Let's use that premise and ask the question of who is turning out the lights? I'll grant the President helps to create some shade when his excessively large ego leads him to exaggerate and overstate.  I'll even concede that Michael Cohen was probably telling the truth or even understating it when he described ways President Trump may have worked to keep some stories out of the media.  The President is no choir boy. But the Washington Post is...

A very well thought out statement by Mark Levin on the Media's criticism of President Trump: SEAN HANNITY: Joining us now, he is the host of CRTV's Levin TV. The host of Life, Liberty, and Levin. Wow. You had big ratings this weekend right here on the Fox News Channel. I call him the great one, Mark Levin. We missed you a couple of weeks and we're glad you are back, my friend. Let's talk the election. MARK LEVIN: Thank you. Well, you know, it's time for we the people to stand up for ourselves, for our families, for our faith, for our country, for our party, and for our president. You know, the media had interposed themselves in this election, Sean. We're actually fighting the media. We're fighting the Democrats, we're fighting academia, we're fighting Hollywood and all the rest. And 64 percent of the voters say the press has done more to divide the country. More people think the press has divided the country than ...