Liberty & Prosperity Blog

I used to subscribe to the Wall Street Journal. I let my subscription expire a couple of months ago. I'm thankful I did. This editorial is an example of why I left the WSJ. The editorial opens by saying "House Republicans are marking up articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and the question is why? As much as we share the frustration with the Biden border mess, impeaching Mr. Mayorkas won’t change enforcement policy and is a bad precedent that will open the gates to more cabinet impeachments by both parties." Apparently, the WSJ Editorial Board hasn't figured it out that there's value in using the Mayorkas impeachment and trial as a way to remind voters what Biden's policies are. When the impeachment trial starts, Washington shuts down for the trial. It's literally the only show in town in terms of politics. Picture GOP surrogates hitting social media to remind voters how Secretary Mayorkas and Joe Biden didn'...

Tuesday morning, Rep. Chip Roy, (R-TX), chaired the House Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government hearing on "The Southern Border Crisis: the Constitution and the States." At the start of the hearing, Roy delivered this passionate, informative opening statement . In his opening statement, Chairman Roy stated "Since the beginning of this administration, there have been more than 7 million encounters at our southern border. That in and of itself doesn't define an invasion, but when you compare it to the 2.4 million encounters of the previous administration, and when you look at what's actually occurring now, with over 5 million aliens having been released into the United States, which includes more than 1.8 million known got-aways. This is a mix of releases, gotaways, people that have come in under the so-called CBP One app released, people that have been released in the United States with dates to appear as late as 2035, 2031, 2045." Roy conti...

In a decision that's sure to make him more popular, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, (R- MN), called for Rep. Ilhan Omar to resign in disgrace over a video of Omar that went viral. In the video, Rep. Omar "appeared to assure her Somali-American constituents that she would do everything in her power to prevent the disputed, breakaway Republic of Somaliland from entering into a sea-access deal with landlocked Ethiopia." Rep. Emmer is quoted in the article as saying "Ilhan Omar’s appalling, Somalia-first comments are a slap in the face to the Minnesotans she was elected to serve and a direct violation of her oath of office. She should resign in disgrace." This shouldn't be taken lightly. When he first joined Congress, Emmer joined with then-Rep. Keith Ellison to start the Somalia Caucus . Emmer's decision wasn't greeted with applause in his district. FULL DISCLOSURE: Emmer represents my district. The point is that Rep Emmer isn’t an Islamophobe, not any...

Joe Biden's appeasement of Iran has finally produced 3 dead U.S. soldiers. CBS News reported that "Three American service members were killed and dozens more were injured in an unmanned aerial drone attack on a base in Jordan on Sunday, President Biden and the U.S. military said. In a statement, the president blamed the attack on 'radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq," and said the U.S. 'will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner our choosing.'" Republicans are skeptical of Biden's resolve in the matter, starting with Sen. Tom Cotton, (R-AR). Sen. Cotton issued this harshly worded statement . He opens the statement by saying "Joe Biden emboldened Iran for years by tolerating attacks on our troops, bribing the ayatollahs with billions of dollars, and appeasing them to no end. He left our troops as sitting ducks and now three are dead and dozens wounded, sadly as I’ve predicted would happen for ...

The biggest story out of Washington, DC this week was that "good faith" negotiations on a bipartisan amnesty bill had collapsed . Republicans have Hugh Hewitt, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Speaker Johnson to thank for that collapse. Now that the amnesty deal has collapsed, it's time for Republicans to go on the offensive. Let's start with a healthy shot of truth. In FY2020, there were 458,000 illegal border crossings The fiscal year ends on Sept. 30 each year, which means the next fiscal year starts on Oct. 1 each year. I started with FY2020 because that's the last full year of the Trump administration. The first (partial) year of the Biden administration is FY2021. In FY2021, CBP recorded 1,734,000 illegal border crossings. In FY2022, the first full FY of the Biden administration, CBP recorded 2,370,000 illegal border crossings. Finally, in FY2023, CBP recorded 2,475,000 illegal border crossings. The point is that the Trump policies of building the wall, remain in Mex...

Joe Biden already was dealing with a catastrophe when it comes to the Tex-Mex border. This afternoon, that mess turned into a catastrophe. That's because the National Border Patrol Council, aka the NBPC, tweeted their support for the "TX NG", aka the Texas National Guard. In their tweet, the NBPC said "Rank-and file BP agents are not going to start arresting TX NG members for following their LAWFUL orders. That's fake news. TX NG and rank-and-file BP agents work together and respect each other's jobs. Period. If TX NG members have LAWFUL orders, then they have to carry out those orders." The tweet continues, saying "TX NG members realize that rank-and-file BP agents have their orders as well. Lawful orders, no matter how unpopular or distasteful amongst rank-and-file agents, must be followed. Unlawful orders (as determined by competent legal counsel and not what some outhouse lawyer behind a keyboard says) will not be followed." Then the NBPC ...

Hugh Hewitt criticized the border deal that Sen. Jim Langford, (R-OK), Sen. Christopher Murphy, (D-CT) and Sen. Kirsten Sinema, (I-AZ), had been negotiating. Hewitt criticized the deal because it didn't include funding for at least 900 miles of border fencing. Prior to that, it looked like Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader, had given his blessing to the deal. Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R-SC), went as far as saying that Republicans wouldn't get a better deal even with Donald Trump in the White House. That's obviously BS. Conn Carroll's article opens by saying "The narrative creation merchants are busy Thursday morning trying to cast the collapse of border security talks between Senate Republicans and the White House as a cynical ploy to help former President Donald Trump’s campaign at the expense of ending the border crisis." Carroll then wrote "'McConnell has now shifted blame on the border to Trump,' Sherman continued. 'And Democrats g...

The day before the New Hampshire Primary, Dean Phillips did something few Beltway Democrats have done. Phillips visited a Trump rally . According to Phillips, it was a cathartic experience. Rather than just accepting the MSM's characterizations that Trump supporters were Nazis as Gospel fact, Phillips walked across the street and visited with the Trump voters waiting in line before a Trump rally. Instead of finding Nazis as Trump voters, Phillips found something quite different. According to Phillips, "They were the most hospitable, thoughtful, kind people I've interacted with in a long time. Yesterday at the polls, I said hello to everybody holding signs. Biden signs, Williamson signs, my signs. Trump signs, Haley signs. People were so decent and I would call it ‘anger-tainment.’ ‘Anger-tainment’ would have us believe we are so much more divided than we are." Phillips isn’t the only lefty who attended a Trump rally and was surprised by Trump's supporters. Dr. Ka...

Hugh Hewitt is one of the smartest people when it comes to policies. Frankly, I wish he was in the Senate right now so he could shake some sense into Senate Republicans who seem intent on throwing the GOP's best issue away. (In Iowa and New Hampshire, immigration/border security was the top issue in FNC's Voter Survey. Last week, 41% of voters in Iowa rated immigration/border security as their top priority. Last night in New Hampshire, 41% of New Hampshire voters named immigration/border security as their top issue.) In this op-ed , Hewitt writes "The Wall isn’t one of five things that need doing. It is the first thing that must be done if the other things that need to be done are going to work. The Wall is a necessary but not sufficient national security measure. To repeat: It is the first thing that must be done. Other things are useful —more Border Patrol, more return flights, more detention facilities, more Administrative Law Judges and changes to the actual asylum an...

After Nikki Haley's defeat in the New Hampshire Primary on Tuesday night, Nikki Haley did her best Amy Klobuchar impersonation by delivering a speech to make it sound like she'd won. That didn't sit well with Donald Trump, who said "I have to tell you, it was very interesting because I said, ‘Wow, what a great victory. But then, somebody ran up to the stage all dressed up nicely — when it was at 7. But now I walked up and it said 14." Trump wasn't happy with Nikki Haley's speech after the networks and the AP called the race, declaring Trump the winner. He said "She ran up when it was 7, and you know, we have to do what’s good for our party, and she was up and I said, ‘Wow, she’s doing a speech like she won. She didn’t win. She lost. Last week we had a little bit of a problem. If you remember, Ron was very upset, because she ran up and she pretended she won Iowa." Campaigns reveal the candidates' character (or lack thereof). This campaign has...

When Donald Trump clinches the GOP presidential nomination, his first priority must be to unite the GOP. He's off to a strong start on that project. For instance, when Gov. DeSantis dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump, Trump issued a gracious statement . In that statement, Trump said "With only a few days left until President Donald J. Trump’s victory in New Hampshire, we are honored by the endorsement from Governor Ron DeSantis and so many other former presidential candidates." Trump didn't finish there. Additionally, he said "He ran a really good campaign. I will tell you it's not easy. But as you know, he left the campaign trail today, at 3 p.m., and in so doing he was very gracious and he endorsed me. I appreciate that. And I also look forward with Ron and everybody else to defeat Crooked Joe Biden." That isn’t the only thing he’s done to unite the GOP. Last night, Trump rallied with Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and N...

By Ramblin' Rose Last Friday, January 19, 22024, on Almanac TPT, an expert was interviewed about the newly approved social studies standards and the newly inserted ethnic studies strand. Becky Z. Dernbach is an educational reporter for the Sahan Journal, a digital newsroom reporting on immigrants and persons of color in Minnesota. Using the clip from the interview and the printed transcript, I will respond to her comments. Ms. Dernbach defines ethnic studies as cultural studies because students want to know the histories of the other students in their schools. She added that other components involve participatory action research in their communities. She contends that students will be more interested and will learn more because their stories will be told. Using the reprint of the Ethnic Studies strand of the Social Studies Standard from Sahan Journal, I cite three segments: Identity: Students will analyze "the ways power and language construct social identities of race, reli...

Hope springs eternal within Democrat circles for things like comprehensive immigration reform and the Israel-Palestinian 2-State Solution. I'm old enough to remember a time when comprehensive immigration reform was a semi-plausible idea. Of course, that's back in the days when dinosaurs named John McCain and Ted Kennedy still roamed the earth. Each year, Kennedy and McCain tried reviving comprehensive immigration reform. Similarly, Kennedy and McCain told us that the key to Middle East peace was found in finally getting Israelis and Palestinians to agree to living side-by-side next to each other. Saying that the 2-State Solution should permanently die is like telling vampires that holy water is good for the soul. As long as Democrat dinosaurs roam the earth, the 2-State Solution will be with us, unfortunately. The first question that should be asked 2-State rumblings start is whether it benefits Israelis. In his weekly op-ed, Michael Godwin writes "Coming after the savage...

It's fair to say that Ben Sasse is a recovering politician. It's fair to say, too, that he isn't quite a perfect fit as an academic. Perhaps, that's why he's perfectly positioned to help rebuild the institution of higher education. James Taranto's column is as much an exploration of Pres. Sasse's mind as it is a trip though Dr. Sasse's ideas for rebuilding higher education. Saying that I'm a little excited about starting this discussion is like saying I'd be excited if the Twins won the World Series or the Vikings won the Super Bowl. Let's get started. Taranto's column opens with a brief discussion of the Ivy League testimony back in December. Next, it transitions into President Sasse elaborating on his thoughts for what went wrong with higher education. Taranto wrote "Mr. Sasse, 51, says higher education is having an 'emperor-has-no-clothes moment.' Illiberalism, anti-intellectualism and identity politics were spreading on ...

 Last week, SCSU President Robbyn Wacker sat down with WJON's Jay Caldwell for what's likely to be called President Wacker's exit interview . During the interview, President Wacker listed her 3 goals when she got to SCSU when she explained that "she was tasked with 3 directives when hired which includes turning around enrollment, increase the visibility of the University, and instill a sense of pride." That's spin of the highest order. Anyone that's paid attention to SCSU, which I have, knows that SCSU is in a helluva financial mess. If SCSU is experiencing an enrollment increase, which I'm betting against, it's only possible if they're basing it on headcout enrollment. If SCSU is experiencing an increased headcount enrollment, that isn't improving SCSU's financial stability. If you've read this op-ed , you'd know that SCSU is in a financial hurt. The op-ed's writer, pen-named Deep Throat, wrote "According to Minnesota ...

Since he joined Congress, Dan Goldman's chief responsibility has been to be the snottiest congressman in DC. Thursday, Rep. Goldman was at it again. This time, though, Angel Mom Josephine Dunn flattened him with her words. I'm making it my responsibility to humiliate Rep. Goldman, (D-NY). Goldman opened by essentially telling Dunn that she was a GOP prop and that she wasn't smart enough to know what the definition of "high crimes and misdemeanors" was. What a lovely way to welcome her to the hearing. Ian Sams, special assistant to Joe Biden, jumped into the fight , too, saying "Beyond the shameless partisanship of attempting to scapegoat a Cabinet secretary who is actively working to find solutions to a problem Congressional Republicans have spent years refusing to actually solve, this stunt by House Republicans is just the latest example of their blatant disregard for the Constitution and our democratic system of government." Sams is almost as devoid of...

Democrats are having a fit over Benjamin Netanyahu's statement that he's informed U.S. diplomats that he opposes the creation of a Palestinian state at the end of Israel's war in Gaza. Specifically, Sen. Chris Murphy and Sen. Elizabeth Warren are upset with PM Netanyahu. "Murphy, the Democrats’ top negotiator on the package, told reporters 'I think when Netanyahu says things like that, it does not help win votes from people who are skeptical about the future of a Palestinian state. That statement is not helpful and, yes, we’re going to need to get … a lot of Democratic votes to pass this.'" Meanwhile, Sen. Elizabeth Warren is worried for a different reason. She said "It is the official policy of the United States government that we support two nations for two people to live in dignity and with self-determination. If Prime Minister Netanyahu opposes that, then we need to question why we are supporting the Netanyahu government." The reason the U.S...

Now that it's obvious that Joe Biden's border policies are becoming a political crisis for Democrats, it's fun watching Angie Craig vote with MAGA Republicans to rebuke the administration's border policies. This isn't a deeply held belief of Craig's. The proof is that she didn't say a word the first 30+ months of the administration about the administration's open border policies. Rep. Jared Golden, (D-ME), issued a statement saying "Most of us understand that nations need borders, those borders should be secured, and we should enforce the immigration laws on the books. Most of us also understand that those seeking entry to our country deserve an orderly and predictable immigration process. Right now we have problems on both fronts." Then he added "llegal immigration threatens our national security and undermines American jobs. It’s time for Congress and the Biden administration to come together and pass legislation to meaningfully address...

Since Monday night's address to supporters, Nikki Haley has insisted that it's now a 2-person race between her and President Trump. That's been exposed as a fraud by Chip Roy. During an interview with Neal Cavuto, Roy said that 7,000 of Haley's votes were cast by Democrats. In Saturday night's final Des Moines Register, J. Ann Selzer, the chief pollster for DMR, said that approximately 43% of Haley's support were from people who didn't have a problem voting for Joe Biden. Let's put the final DMR poll and the raw data from Chip Roy together. Next, let's combine that with the reported and verified fact vote total of approximately 110,000 votes. If this was South Carolina, which only allows Republicans to vote, Haley would be in terrible shape. Getting 14,010 votes out of 103,000 votes cast comes out roughly to 13.6% Next, let's compare that with Gov. DeSantis' vote percentage in Iowa of 21.2% and you see that in Republican-only primaries, Haley...

  The Tragic State of St. Cloud State By Deep Throat “You can’t have a healthy university without a healthy city and you can’t have a healthy city without a healthy university.” Earl H. Potter, III Introduction Although higher education operates differently than the business world, there are similarities. Any reputable business owner knows that to be successful, a business must have products and services that consumers want and are competitively priced. Furthermore, a business owner knows that high quality, reliable, and timely customer service that supports their products contributes to the success of the company. High quality and reliable customer service must focus on developing and maintaining positive relationships that will not only create repeat customers but bring in new customers through word of mouth and other forms of favorable reviews beyond paid company marketing. Any company worth their salt will have their finger on the pulse of their customers’ ever-changing needs a...

Apparently, the "surging" Nikki Haley isn't willing to debate Gov. Ron DeSantis. Haley's excuse is that she won't debate again unless it's with "either ... Donald Trump or with Joe Biden. I look forward to it." Ron DeSantis isn't letting Haley off the hook, though, saying in this tweet that "Nikki Haley is afraid to debate because she doesn’t want to answer the tough questions such as how she got rich off Boeing after giving them millions in taxpayer handouts as governor of South Carolina." While there's little doubt Haley doesn't want to debate Gov. DeSantis, she might determine that there's a long-term benefit to her campaign even though she'll certainly take a short-term hit for skipping the WMUR debate. Let's remember that she got solidly defeated by Gov. DeSantis in the CNN debate. Haley is putting out her best spin trying to convince people that it's now a 2-person race: Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki ...