Reagan’s Birthday, How He and Trump Helped Make America Great Again

Above, President Reagan's Labor Day campaign kick-off
 in Fountain Valley, California. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Today is Ronald Reagan's birthday.

There are a number of articles on the former President being posted today. Probably the most prominent one is an opinion piece on how Reagan and President Donald Trump helped to make America great again by Peggy Grande at Fox News.

It starts with:

Every February 6, America celebrates the birthday of President Ronald Reagan — a president whose optimism, eloquence and unwavering love for his country defined an era. We not only loved him, we loved ourselves and who we were as Americans when he was president. He made us patriotic and proud, courageous and optimistic, and gave deep meaning to our values as we shone the torch of freedom all over the world under his leadership, inviting others to follow. And they did. 

We miss Reagan and have missed those feelings of pride and optimism in America these past few years. But since January 20, it feels like Morning in America Again and as the sun is rising on the second term of President Donald Trump, there are similar emotions being evoked. Americans are celebrating. 

Having worked for both presidents, I know well that Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump are two very different men with vastly different leadership styles, yet they share one love for America. And Americans. All Americans. 

To read more, go here. 

Zuckerberg Admits To Being Part of Censorship Scheme

Above, Mark Zuckerberg. Image by Fox News.

This is one of those things where I can easily say, "I'm not at all surprised." 

A "little late and with phony contrition," Zuckerberg admits that Facebook was a part of the Biden-Harris censorship scheme. This was after Rep. Jim Jordan's House Judiciary Committee forced Zuckerberg to release documents.

Fox News Opinion (Jonathan Turley) wrote this:

"I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it." Those words from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg came this week with an admission in a letter that his company, Facebook, did yield to pressure from the Biden-Harris administration to censor American citizens on a wide array of subjects.

For those of us who have criticized Facebook for years for its role in the massive censorship system, Zuckerberg's belated contrition was more insulting than inspiring. It had all of the genuine regret as a stalker found hiding under the bed of a victim.

Zuckerberg's sudden regret only came after his company fought for years to conceal the evidence of its work with the government to censor opposing views. Zuckerberg was finally compelled to release the documents by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and the House Judiciary Committee. 

To read more, go here. 

UPDATE: They're still at it. This post has been removed from Facebook under the pretext of "spam" this morning.

Printed RV Magazines Dead or Dying

Above, the now-defunct Motorhome magazine.

According to an editorial/opinion piece in RV Travel, printed RV magazines are dead or dying.

At various times, I subscribed to either Trailer Life or Motorhome magazines. Then, a couple of years ago, Marcus Lemonis ended both magazines and consolidated them into one magazine called RV.

I tried out RV for a year and found it rather boring with too many ads and uninteresting articles. So, when my subscription ended, I did not renew.

According to RV Travel:

Remember the days when printed magazines filled your mailbox? Those thick, colorful publications arrived daily—some wanted, some not. Have you noticed recently most printed magazines have gone away, one by one, and the survivors have become pretty skinny. Trailer Life Magazine, Motor Home Magazine and RV Lifestyle Magazine are gone. Family RVing Magazine from FMCA went from monthly to bi-monthly recently due to declining membership and advertising revenue. And a dozen popular regional magazines long ago published their last issues.

As a frequent writer for Tiffin Motorhomes’ magazine Roughing It Smoothly, I understand firsthand why it has now gone digital-only and will soon give way to other shorter targeted messaging. It’s not that the publishers lost interest, it’s because things changed.

To read more, go here.

Mayor Tim Keller and Co. Turning Albuquerque Into San Francisco

Above, Mick Rich as a U.S. Senate candidate in 2018. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller and Company are turning Albuquerque into another San Francisco (i.e., Feceland). Well, stupid people voted for them so I suppose they are getting what they deserve. Too bad innocent people who didn’t vote for them are victimized.

Mick Rich has an opinion article at the Piñon Post on the problems the Democrats in the city are causing. It should be read multiple times by Albuquerque and New Mexico residents. Pass this on!

It begins with:

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller and City Council applaud themselves for fighting “environmental racism” by stopping business development in the Albuquerque South Valley. While they look away from the pollution their policies have created, the pollution flows to South Valley residents via the Rio Grande.

Homeless people are urinating and defecating on our sidewalks and city streets, just as this person is doing. Our firm was renovating a restaurant in downtown Albuquerque. As I was walking to the building, I witnessed a homeless person urinating on the sidewalk while APD just looked away. This is not just about decency. It is about our public health.

Besides that, it is a major quality-of-life issue.

To read the full article, go here.

RV Industry Again Falsely Claims RVing Is Cheapest Way To Travel

Above, The Beast at Hubbell Trading Post in Arizona last October. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If anyone thinks that RV Travel is a mouthpiece for the RV industry, particularly the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), the following should dispel that notion.

Chuck Woodbury, founder and publisher of RV Travel, takes on the RVIA's recent press release that claimed RVing is "the cheapest way to travel".  

He begins with:

The RV Industry Association (RVIA) issued its annual press release recently that claims, again, that yet another study confirms traveling by RV is the most affordable way to take a vacation.

The headline on its recent press release was:

Families save money by vacationing in RVs 

The release begins:

“A new study conducted by an outside, independent firm has found that RV vacations cost much less than other types of vacation travel, even when factoring in fuel prices and the cost of RV ownership.”

I say that’s a lie! The sad part, and this is why I get so upset when I read about this, is that many people (including those in the media) will believe it.

To read further on, go here. 

Americans Report Financial Suffering In Record Numbers

Forty-three years ago, during his debate with then-President Jimmy Carter, Gov. Ronald Reagan famously asked the American people, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" We can now ask the same thing and, unfortunately, get the same answer.

The American people are suffering financially thanks to the mishandling of the economy, rampant spending and inflation.

Peter Reagan (no relation), a financial market strategist at Birch Gold Group, has an opinion piece on the current situation at Newsmax and finds Americans are reporting financial suffering in record numbers.

It begins with:

Two years ago, we referenced various reports about Americans’ savings (consumer and retirement), reporting that they had dropped to the lowest point in years.

Unfortunately, things haven’t improved much since then.

We just discussed the state of consumer debt, and it isn’t very good at all, reaching a record $17 trillion.

Since the economy is primarily driven by consumer spending (currently 68% of GDP), if American households are tapped out and buried in debt, the stage is set for an economic disaster.

So today we’re going to explore the current state of the typical American household’s finances, and extrapolate the future consequences for the entire economy.

To read the full article, go here.

RV Living On Own Property, Not The Government's Business

Above, RV living while waiting for the movers. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I moved to New Mexico nearly five years ago (has it really been that long?), I lived in my motorhome on my newly-bought property for about 12 days. This was necessary as I had to wait for the movers to deliver my belongings. The vehicle transporters delivered my Mustang much sooner.

The question on living in an RV on one's own property is the topic of an opinion piece in RV Travel.

They begin it with:

Full disclosure—I come from a pretty government-wary household, so my opinion here may be a little bit biased. I grew up on 36 secluded acres in a small rural town that had around 1,000 residents. In towns like this, most people simply mind their own business. There are no nosy neighbors preoccupied with what you’re doing on your private property, and local zoning is lax, to say the least.

After full-time RVing for a few years now, my partner and I have strongly considered the possibility of purchasing some property to use as a home base. It’d be great to use it as a temporary place to park our truck camper and live in it, while we build something more permanent.

However, doing so isn’t as easy as you’d think—legally. There’s so much red tape surrounding residing in an RV, even if it is on your own property. Personally, I think the restrictions surrounding it are preposterous. At the end of the day, people should be allowed to do what they want on their own land, so long as it’s not damaging the local environment or harming surrounding residents.

So far, I haven't read anything above I disagree with.

To read more, go here. 

RV Travel Opinion: The "Service" Economy That Isn't

Above, The Beast at the Las Cruces, New Mexico KOA Kampground. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Even though the RV industry is booming and people are still heading out in their RVs (despite the high cost of fuel), RV parks and campgrounds are cutting back on services.

What's causing all this?

Andy Zipser at RV Travel has posted an opinion piece on the "service" economy that isn't.

He begins with:

This summer’s outlook was already foreshadowed in January, when the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) said that Log Gulch Campground in Montana would be closed because of staffing issues. By early May, Michigan gave another indication when it said it had hired fewer than half of the 1,300 seasonal workers it needs to staff state parks, despite pumping wages up to $15 an hour, or 50% higher than the state’s minimum wage. Less than a month later, Michigan was pleading with campers to respect the 3 p.m. check-in time because its skeleton workforce couldn’t keep up with site clean-ups.

And now that we’re in the full swing of summer vacation season, recreational facilities and tourist-oriented businesses all across the country are struggling to stay open. Several state parks in Nebraska are cutting hours due to the worker shortage. Trolleys serving Maine’s beaches have been sidelined by a lack of drivers. Municipal swimming pools nationwide are closed or operating at reduced hours for lack of lifeguards.

To read the full article, go here. 

Bring Back The Air Raid Sirens In The U.S.

Above, an air raid siren in the San Fernando Valley in 2017. Photo by Armand Vaquer

My viewing of The Atomic Cafe movie today and an opinion piece got me thinking about air raid sirens.

It isn't known to me if the authors of an opinion piece in the April 1 New York Times was quackery or an April Fool's joke, but it is something to think about.

Russian President Vladimir Putin made (what the authors say) an "implicit threat" of using nuclear weapons over Ukraine when his invasion started. 

Steven Simon and Jonathan Stevenson began with:

The Biden administration has done an admirable job checking Russian disinformation efforts by disclosing U.S. intelligence assessments of Moscow’s intentions and marshaling unified political support for Ukrainian sovereignty and indirect military support for its defense.

But the administration has spoken out when it might have kept silent about Russia’s implicit threat to use nuclear weapons. In President Vladimir Putin’s speech announcing the invasion, he stated that anyone who “tries to stand in our way” will face consequences “such as you have never seen in your entire history.” He ordered his defense minister to put Russia’s nuclear forces on alert. It may have been implicit, but the threat was clear.

Air raid sirens were installed in U.S. cities during World War II and were used during the Cold War. Monthly tests of them (at least in Los Angeles) were made on the last Friday of the month at 10:00 in the morning. The tests ended in 1985. 

Some sirens have been deactivated and some are still in use (for tornadoes, etc.). They vary by state.

In view of Putin's nuclear threat, perhaps it's time to restore and reactivate the sirens in areas where they were deactivated, just in case? 

Don't forget, DUCK AND COVER!

TravelPulse: Do People Even Care About CDC Travel Warnings?

Above, American tourists waiting to board a Havana, Cuba tour bus. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) supposedly has the final say on diseases. 

With this being the third year of the coronavirus pandemic, more and more people are ignoring the CDC and their travel warnings. 

Rich Thomaselli wrote an opinion piece on this at TravelPulse.

He starts it off with:

In an article I wrote for TravelPulse last week about the latest travel warnings issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, I noted it would be easier to count the few nations and territories that were not on the list than the plethora of countries that were in the CDC’s crosshairs.

I wasn’t trying to be glib; there’s nothing even remotely humorous about a pandemic that has caused millions of deaths over the last two years. Rather, I was trying to point out the disparity between countries that the CDC considers safe, and the areas that they don’t.

But it got me wondering: At this point, do people even care about the CDC travel warnings anymore?

In a word... Nope.

Not at all.

To read more, go here. 

Gov. Lujan Grisham Portraying Herself As A "Tax-Cutter" Is Laughable

Democrats have a way of saying one thing from one side of their mouths while doing the exact opposite in actuality.

Such is the case of New Mexico Governor "Malevolent Michelle" Lujan Grisham. As "Grishy the Clown" she's up to some funny business at our expense.

She is trying to portray herself as a "tax-cutter" while raising taxes and proposing new taxes.

In an opinion piece by Paul J. Gessing of the Rio Grande Foundation at KRWG exposes Grisham's slight-of-hand.

Here's some snippets:

Recently, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham posted on Facebook in support of her plan for a small .25 percentage point reduction in the State’s gross receipts tax rate, saying, “Lower taxes would enable them to grow their business and hire more people, including local adults with special needs that they focus on employing – and we’re going to make it happen.”

It sounded almost like something we at the free-market Rio Grande Foundation would write and the Governor’s statement is true as far as it goes. While we support ANY effort to lower tax burdens on New Mexicans, Lujan Grisham’s plan for a small .25 percentage point reduction in the State’s GRT is totally inadequate and clearly driven by her coming reelection and the fact that she faces a very tough race.

According to the Governor, her plan would cut taxes by $145 million annually. But since she took office, Lujan Grisham has signed tax hikes totaling more than $250 million annually. She also conveniently omits the fact that the oil and gas industry has created a $1.6 billion surplus, the likes of which New Mexico has never seen. Clearly given the economic trials facing average New Mexicans, we deserve much more than a tiny tax cut that fails to even make up for her past tax hikes.

The very same thing the Governor claims about lower taxes helping people grow their businesses were said in opposition to tax hikes she signed into law in 2019 (HB 6) and 2021 (SB 317). Among the tax hikes passed in these bills were hikes in personal income, motor vehicle, hospital, and health insurance taxes.

Worse, none of these tax hikes were necessary. The 2019 tax hikes were passed at a time of record budget surpluses alongside an 11 percent budget increase. 

Directly imposing higher taxes is only one of numerous ways in which government makes doing business harder than necessary. In her time in office Lujan Grisham signed a new medical malpractice law that doctors and other medical professionals say will cause them to close or leave. The Energy Transition Act has already begun increasing electricity costs already begun increasing electricity costs and PNM is concerned about reliability as soon as next summer due to the closure of San Juan Generating Station.

While the Governor is busy positioning herself as a pro-business “tax cutter” she is also pushing a new “Clean Fuel Standard” that, based on a draft of the bill, would increase gasoline prices by 35 cents per gallon. Every New Mexico business and resident (even if they drive an electric vehicle) would see further price hikes above and beyond current inflation if that bill becomes law.

Yes, I agree. Lujan Grisham calling herself a "tax-cutter" is indeed laughable. "Grishy the Clown" indeed!

Next year is an election year and Lujan Grisham is up for re-election. It's time to vote her out of office!

To read the full article, go here.

Opinion From A Former Judge

Can you guess which political party in the U.S. is doing all of the above? 

 

Governor Needs To Reconsider Business Closings

Many of these "emergency actions" by Gov. "Malevolent Michelle" Lujan Grisham and other governors don't make much sense to a lot of people, including myself. Her closure of gun stores has already invited a big fat lawsuit in federal court.

Once this coronavirus "crisis" is over, many of these politicians will have much to answer for. Some have taken advantage of scared people in snatching up their constitutional rights and liberties in the name of "public health and safety."

There's an excellent opinion piece in The Eastern New Mexico News. 

Here's the first part:

These are extraordinary times. They call for extraordinary measures. But let’s not give up our liberty — especially when government’s “help” in trying to save us from ourselves doesn’t make any sense and won’t prove helpful. 

Recent executive orders from New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham are undoubtedly intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But they are not all well-reasoned and won’t stand up to scrutiny when this is over. 

Take for example the governor’s list of “non-essential” businesses that must close until the virus is under control. 

Furniture stores, arts/crafts stores, flower shops, liquor stores and most other specialty shops are all effectively closed until who knows when. But their competitors — national big-box stores that sell everything from chicken nuggets to garden tools — are allowed to stay open. 

The purpose is for life to go on as normally as possible while we try to shelter in place with things we need. The result is crowds in the stores that are open, which defeats the whole idea of social distancing. Meanwhile the mom/pop shops that seldom had crowds big enough to make a basketball team may never recover from the governor’s good intentions. 

If it’s truly necessary that we stay away from each other — there is plenty of evidence to support that theory — then a better idea would be to let every private business stay open, and ask that each limit sales to curbside. That’s a more level playing field, and it’s a reasonable option for containing disease by keeping crowds small and individuals six feet apart.

To read more, go here.