Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) vacations in Puerto Rico during government shutdown
As I began collecting information for this newsletter, the juxtaposition of sane thinking, speech and actions versus insane kept coming up. So here’s a summary of the state of our Union as we enter 2019. I invite you to draw your own conclusions. I know the irony will not be lost on my readers.
The Mueller Probe
Donald Trump has been under scrutiny for more than two years related to unfounded, unproven allegations that he colluded with Russia to sway the 2016 election. The internal investigator at the FBI/Department of Justice, Michael Horowitz, still doesn’t have important pieces of data for his probe. Specifically, he’s waiting for 19,000 texts exchanged between Special Agent Peter Strzok and attorney Lisa Page. These two famously discussed an “insurance policy” to get rid of Trump in case he won the election. The 19,000 missing texts were said to have been eliminated when Strzok/Page were fired and their devices were wiped clean.
Now we learn that a third party software vendor, an FBI contractor, knows where it’s all saved, or has the information. But somehow, it hasn’t made its way to Horowitz.
Testimony given to Congress in July by Lisa Page was leaked last week. Page said that the FBI began calling Trump a “Russian agent,” without any proof– It was retaliation for firing FBI Director James Comey. The Fake News Media ran with the headline that Trump is a secret agent of Russia.
Isn’t it ironic that Russia donated $145.6 million to the Clinton Foundation, but not a penny to the Trump Foundation? Obama told a Russian official to tell Putin that he would have “more flexibility” after the 2012 election. Obama didn’t know the mic was hot. Oops.
The Shutdown
The government has been under a partial shutdown since December 22. There are 800,000 furloughed employees effected. Some, like border patrol agents and air traffic controllers, are required to work although they just missed a paycheck. Sen. Chuck Grassley introduced a bill to ensure they will all be paid.
In the meantime, the new Democrat-controlled House refuses to fund border security—$5.7 billion request by the President—for the following reasons:
- Walls are immoral
- A wall is Trump’s “vanity project”
- Walls don’t work
- A wall is too expensive
Please Define Immoral
Independent journalist Laura Loomer went to Pelosi’s home with a group of illegal aliens. They jumped the wall around Pelosi’s estate, then set up a tent in her front yard. Loomer read aloud the names of Americans viciously murdered by illegals.
Pelosi, who calls border walls “immoral,” called the cops and had them removed.
On Tuesday, the President invited Democrats to lunch for a bipartisan discussion. They rejected his offer. Nancy Pelosi doubled-down, and on Wednesday told Trump to delay the State of the Union Address until January 29, or give his address in writing. She cited security concerns that have resulted from the shutdown.
Apparently, the irony of using “security” as a reason to defer the President’s address is lost on Mrs. Pelosi.
Whose Vanity Project?
Thirty Democrats and their families vacationed in Puerto Rico last week during the shutdown. More than 100 lobbyists and industry executives from Facebook, RJ Reynolds (tobacco), Apple, Amazon, the National Education Association, and others sponsored the trip. It was called the Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC Winter Retreat, and included one “Hurricane Maria” roundtable session as justification. Everyone was invited to buy tickets to the Broadway show with the original cast of “Hamilton” and attend a free backstage party afterwards.
Donald Trump has been at the White House since the shutdown, continuously asking for bipartisan meetings to resolve the budget stalemate. The Democrats have refused.
The White House kitchen is closed and the cooks are unavailable. So when College football champions the Clemson Tigers came to the White House as guests of the President, he was forced to improvise. Trump purchased Whoppers, Big Macs, fries, salads, and other fast food with his own money.
Trump posted a picture of the spread and proclaimed the hamburgers were “stacked a mile high.” The Washington Post quickly took him to task. They fact-checked him, saying the stack wasn’t a mile high (apparently they aren’t familiar with hyperbole).The Post also pointed out the high calorie content in some foods, trying to shame the President for his choices. But the players didn’t seem to mind. They whooped when they saw the spread!
Too Expensive Not to Build
Walls work, and they save money. According to border security, the number of illegals entering the country has fallen by 90 percent in four places where walls were built. The Center for Immigration Studies points out that in order to pay for itself, the wall would have to prevent 60,000 (3-4 percent) of future illegal entries.
Records were shattered in December as 32,000 illegals were caught trying to jump the border. At that alarming rate, the wall will pay for itself in less than two months. What’s more, the wall would save taxpayers $8.2 billion if the cost of supporting the children born and raised by illegal immigrants is included.
Meanwhile, another caravan is on its way from Honduras.
Democrats’ Unintended Consequence
One aspect of the shutdown may actually help drain the swamp. It’s called RIF: Reduction in Force. If the furlough of government employees continues for 22 work days or more, furloughed positions can be eliminated. The RIF protocols take tenure, veteran status, years of service and performance into account. And the stipulation is that agencies cannot fire employees because of poor performance.
An unnamed Trump official wrote about RIF in an essay published in the Daily Caller. He says:
“On an average day, roughly 15 percent of the employees around me are exceptional patriots serving their country. I wish I could give competitive salaries to them and no one else. But 80 percent feel no pressure to produce results. If they don’t feel like doing what they are told, they don’t.
‘”Why would they? We can’t fire them. They avoid attention, plan their weekend, schedule vacation, their second job, their next position – some do this in the same position for more than a decade.
“They do nothing that warrants punishment and nothing of external value. That is their workday: errands for the sake of errands – administering, refining, following and collaborating on process. ‘Process is your friend’ is what delusional civil servants tell themselves. Even senior officials must gain approval from every rank across their department, other agencies and work units for basic administrative chores.”
The writer says he and his colleagues spend about 15 percent of their time on Trump’s agenda, and 85 percent on trying to stop sabotage. They had no power to get rid of saboteurs except through a RIF. Although these enemies cannot be singled out and removed, they can be included in the layoffs!
How to Pray: For Americans to wake up. This is not a time for slumber! Pray for a hunger and thirst for righteousness, personally and as a people. May we be concerned with the state of our hearts and our nation.
Don’t stop praying for Trump: his agenda, his health, his safety. Pray for guidance and that he will seek the Lord.
Matthew 12:35 – A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
Romans 2:29 – But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Praying Citizen 
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