In 2020, the early Democratic primaries were disastrous for former Vice President Joe Biden. He lost the first few states and there was real concern that socialist U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) would become the party’s presidential nominee.
At that point, a major party leader, U.S. Congressman James Clyburn (D-SC) stepped forward to single handedly save the Biden campaign and deliver the state of South Carolina to Joe Biden. His endorsement was powerful and effectively ended the nomination contest. After South Carolina’s victory, it was clear sailing for Biden toward the Democratic Party presidential nomination.
Democrat voters were told that Biden was “solid,” a “moderate” and “reasonable.” If elected, it was promised, Biden would deliver traditional Democrat policies, within the mainstream.
In the 2020 general election versus President Donald Trump, Biden was promoted to the American people as an “adult” who would restore America’s standing and leadership in the world. With Biden as President, America would rebuild our relationship with allies that had supposedly been tarnished by the “unhinged” and ‘unpredictable” Trump.
Of course, the reality of the last three years has shown the American people the Biden campaign’s promises of 2020 were complete lies.
As President, Biden has supported policies as destructive and progressive as any in American history. Most progressives, like Senator Sanders, are supportive of Biden’s agenda and surprised that the “moderate” President never materialized.
As President, Biden has rarely collaborated with Republicans on bi-partisan legislation as he promised. In his first year, he issued 77 executive orders, more than any of his recent predecessors.
While Democrats controlled both Houses of Congress, Biden worked to pass gargantuan pieces of legislation. The American Rescue Plan cost $1.9 trillion, the Infrastructure bill cost $1.2 trillion and the ludicrously named Inflation Reduction Act cost $1.2 trillion.
Not surprisingly, such an explosion of federal government spending has led to a huge expansion in the federal debt to $33.96 trillion, an increase of $6.2 trillion since Biden took office.
The rapid surge in spending also caused a steady increase in inflation throughout the first two years of Biden’s term, reaching as high as 9.06% in June of 2022. Today, the inflation rate is 3.14%, still much higher than the 1.4% level at the end of the Trump administration.
To combat the skyrocketing increase in inflation, the Federal Reserve increased interest rates 11 times, to the highest levels since 2001. This effectively boosted mortgage rates outside of the price range of many families trying to buy a home and enjoy the American dream. In just one year, mortgage payments soared 19% for homebuyers.
Without question, President Joe Biden’s economic policies created financial chaos for American families. The impact of “Bidenomics” has been incredibly negative, which is a major reason Biden’s poll numbers are so horrific. A recent Monmouth University poll showed Biden’s approval rating at a record low 34% level.
Biden is also unpopular because he created chaos at our southern border. Instead of maintaining President Trump’s successful policies, he decided to roll out the welcome mat for the world.
He ended Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, reinstituted “Catch and Release,” and stopped construction of the border wall. The result has been an influx of millions of undocumented migrants into our country.
Border states and major cities are overwhelmed with migrants and are looking for more federal assistance to deal with the influx. Our border patrol is understaffed and unable to do more than process the tremendous surge of migrants crossing into our country.
Instead of making improvements, the Biden administration is only making the problem worse. Over the past month, 300,000 migrants crossed the southern border into the country. This is a new record, surpassing the September 2023 total of 270,000 border crossings.
Under Biden, our immigration system is totally broken. Most migrants are allowed into the country with no asylum screenings and court dates for several years in the future. It is so ridiculous that less than 800 immigration judges are supposed to oversee a backlog of 3 million cases.
Worldwide, Biden has also created tremendous chaos in the last three years. His withdrawal of our troops from Afghanistan in 2021 was the biggest foreign policy debacle in recent United States history.
In our hasty exit, thirteen military service members were killed in a terrorist attack, and we left behind American citizens and Afghan allies. We gave a terrorist group, the Taliban, control of the entire country, including all the military equipment we left behind and the enormous Bagram air base.
The embarrassing exit and resulting damage to our international reputation undoubtedly encouraged Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine in February of 2022. The war is still raging, almost two years later, despite $113 billion in American military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
There is also the Israel-Hamas war, largely caused by the Biden administration’s soft policy toward Iran, which lessened sanctions and enriched the world’s foremost sponsor of terrorism.
Along with the two ongoing wars, North Korea is saber rattling and “preparing for war” against the United States. It just launched its first successful spy satellite into space.
In addition, China is continuing to threaten Taiwan, after successfully sending a spy balloon across our country. Venezuela is also threatening to invade the neighboring country of Guyana.
While Donald Trump was President, none of this domestic or international chaos was occurring. In fact, there was prosperity at home and peace abroad.
Trump engaged the North Korean dictator in three successful summits. While Trump was President, Putin invaded no countries and Hamas did not have the resources to invade Israel because of the considerable sanctions he placed on their major benefactor, Iran.
During the Trump presidency, our southern border was secure, and our economy was strong.
In this upcoming election, the choice for the American people will be chaos (Biden) versus stability (Trump).
After the debacle of the Joe Biden presidency, is there any doubt which choice the American people will make in November?
Americans are blessed to have constitutional rights, especially the First Amendment right of free speech. As Benjamin Franklin once wrote, whoever “would overthrow the Liberty of a Nation, must begin by subduing the Freeness of Speech.”
Free speech is central to liberty, and this belief underpins the necessity of the First Amendment. This amendment holds the powerful to account and protects the right of Americans to express themselves freely.
Unfortunately, our free speech rights are constantly under assault. In the era of President Donald Trump, Democrats and their allies in government and the media have worked tirelessly to censor the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement. Too many MAGA conservatives have been shadow banned and removed from social media platforms.
The bias was apparent in the 2020 election when social media platforms limited the reach of the critical story involving Hunter Biden’s laptop. If there had been accurate reporting on this story, it would have swayed a considerable number of voters.
According to a survey by the Polling Company, 17% of Joe Biden voters in “seven swing states” would have switched their support to President Donald Trump if they had known about the laptop story. Thus, on this one issue, the 2020 election result would have been different.
Americans deserve the truth on all issues and the best way to achieve that result is full disclosure of vital information. The last thing Americans need is for government bureaucrats deciding what information is acceptable or what app can be placed on our phones.
Today, Americans are increasingly dependent on social media. One critical social media forum is TikTok. However, this app has become controversial in recent years and many politicians, both Republicans and Democrats, want to ban TikTok.
Their concern is that the app is owned by a Chinese company and that user data may be revealed to communist government officials. However, with Chinese spy balloons flying across our nation, at least 260 spy satellites in space, and an untold number of their intelligence agents operating in our country, their communist government does not need TikTok to gather information on Americans.
Despite the efforts to ban TikTok, 150 million Americans have decided to become users. The app is a way for content creators to make an income, small business owners to promote their products and for average Americans to share their views on a range of issues. Furthermore, many artists and musicians use TikTok to sell their work. This usage will only grow thanks to the constant improvements on the app.
TikTok is an especially popular platform for engaging young voters, and this is true across the political spectrum. Americans have made it clear that they oppose a TikTok ban, and it is unfortunate to see policymakers pursuing legislation that their constituents reject. The Republican electorate knows the value of TikTok for speech and assembly. This is why support for a TikTok ban is beginning to crumble among Republicans.
Fortunately, our country does not have a state-controlled media. Americans are free to choose where they receive their news and millions of Americans are turning to TikTok to stay informed. Countless reputable newsrooms across the political spectrum have embraced TikTok as a means to provide information. If the government haphazardly decides to ban TikTok, they are dictating where Americans can communicate and receive their news. Such an action sets a dangerous precedent.
As Franklin stated so eloquently, censorship efforts subdue “the Freeness of Speech” of Americans and are a significant risk to “the Liberty of a Nation.” Thus, initiatives to ban TikTok in Indiana and Montana were quite disturbing. Fortunately, these efforts, in both states, recently suffered legal setbacks. According to Santa Clara University Professor Eric Goldman, both attempts were “ridiculous” and “designed for political theater.”
In overturning the Montana law banning TikTok, Federal Judge Donald Molloy wrote, “In shutting off TikTok, the Legislature has both harmed User Plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights and cut off a stream of income on which many rely.” In addition, Patrick Toomey of the ACLU noted that the Montana law failed to surpass the U.S. Constitution’s “extraordinarily high bar on this kind of mass censorship.”
In our era of theater-driven politics, it is frustrating how much time is wasted with political posturing around TikTok rather than drafting sensible policy on industry-wide privacy reforms. Banning apps is not practical, nor is it constitutional.
The problem of data security on social media goes way beyond TikTok. Banning one app and pretending the problem is solved is nothing short of burying our heads in the sand. A better approach would be to have all the social media platforms at the table with our legislators and regulators to determine the best path forward.
Americans need leaders from both political parties to advocate for meaningful, comprehensive solutions across social media platforms. Among Democrats, U.S. Representative Troy Carter (D-New Orleans) could serve as a leader on this issue. Hopefully, he will be joined by U.S. Senators John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy, both Louisiana Republicans.
In fact, all the members of the Louisiana congressional delegation should stand firm against unconstitutional restrictions on TikTok. While addressing security concerns are valid, the answer is not to ban TikTok, which is used by almost 50% of Americans. It is impractical, violates our fundamental rights and will not solve any of our challenges in dealing with the communist Chinese government.
Censorship is a device constantly deployed by the communist government of China. In contrast, censorship should never be adopted as a legitimate tactic by our government. It is un-American and violates our First Amendment. Let us never forget Franklin’s sage counsel, “Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom – and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech.”
More speech equals more liberty, which should be our country’s foremost goal. Ensuring our precious freedoms will allow the United States of America, despite our many problems, to remain “a shining city on a hill.”
It is an annual tradition on our Ringside Politics TV and radio programs to award a “Turkey of the Year” during Thanksgiving week. This designation is bestowed on an especially worthy politician, bureaucrat or celebrity who deserves such dishonorable recognition.
Our previous winners have included both Republicans, such as former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney, and Democrats, such as former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Like those two winners, most of the “Turkeys” are so insufferable that they no longer serve in elected office, having worn out their welcome with their constituents.
This year, as usual, we asked our audience members to submit their nominations for 2023 “Turkey of the Year” consideration. To say we were bombarded with worthy candidates is an understatement. Undoubtedly, 2023 was a particularly good year for “Turkeys.”
The list of qualified nominees was extensive. The most popular nominee, the candidate with the most outstanding credentials, was 2021 “Turkey” President Joe Biden, who embodies this award in every sense. However, no repeat winners are allowed, thus he was excluded from consideration.
Like Biden and our other previous winners, our 2023 award recipient is a real “Turkey” in every respect. He is possibly the worst cabinet secretary in our nation’s history. Of course, the 2023 winner of the Ringside Politics “Turkey of the Year” Award is Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
In his role, Mayorkas is responsible for border security. In January 2021, the Biden administration inherited a secure border from President Donald Trump. The border wall was almost finished, the “Catch and Release” program had ended and there was a “Remain in Mexico” policy that worked well.
Unfortunately, at the start of the Biden administration all the successful Trump administration policies were terminated, along with the construction of the border wall. Thereafter, Biden rolled out the welcome mat for illegal aliens worldwide to enter the United States.
According to U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), “More than 6.2 million migrants have illegally crossed the southern border since President Biden took office.” There have also been more than 1.5 million migrants who have evaded apprehension. U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylore Greene (R-GA) believes the true number of “illegal border” crossings is even greater, approximately 10 million.
Cornyn notes that the detention facilities and immigration courts are overwhelmed with migrants. Despite such an influx of illegal aliens into the country, Cornyn claims that “deportations are at their lowest level in decades.”
This chaos is caused by the neglect of Mayorkas and his Biden administration colleagues. Instead of acknowledging the crisis and taking corrective action, Mayorkas regularly appears before Congress and claims that the southern border is “secure.”
These lies inspired Greene to introduce a U.S. House resolution to impeach Mayorkas. Greene declared that Mayorkas violated the Secure Fence Act of 2006 and was engaged in the “willful admittance” of illegal migrants. Unfortunately, her resolution failed, and the impeachment resolution was referred to the Homeland Security Committee, which oversees the actions of Mayorkas and his department.
Not surprisingly, the Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Congressman Mark Green (R-TN), has also been appalled by the inaction of Mayorkas in dealing with the border crisis. Green, who blasted Mayorkas for “dereliction of duty,” is completing a “multipart plan” overseeing his work and will forward his findings to the House Judiciary Committee, which manages the impeachment process.
In these investigations, it has been difficult for Congress to gather accurate information about border crossings from the Department of Homeland Security. One example is the new app that was created for migrants seeking asylum.
It has allowed 1,400 individuals per day to schedule an appointment before appearing at a U.S. port of entry. In total, Cornyn states that 266,000 migrants from “around the world” have been released into our country through this app. However, it is unknown whether these individuals are included in the total number of border crossings.
The Biden administration has also expanded programs allowing two-year work authorization for migrants from a select number of countries and for family members of “vulnerable children” to “enter or remain in the United States.” The exact number of individuals utilizing these programs, which were not authorized by Congress, is also unknown.
Cornyn believes that the Biden administration is engaged in activities to “cook the books” and conceal the true extent of illegal immigration in our nation. Mayorkas is the individual most responsible for deceiving Americans about this crisis.
One result of the “open border” is the massive influx of fentanyl into our country. This has led to the deaths of “thousands of Americans each year.” In the view of Congressman Ken Buck (R-CO), these deaths are the “direct result” of the “dereliction” of Secretary Mayorkas. Buck said it is his “fault” when Americans “die of fentanyl poisoning.”
In response, Mayorkas asserts that his approach is “working” and 280 people were arrested for trying to smuggle fentanyl into the country last year.
Sadly, these arrests represent a fraction of the overall problem. Congressman Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) labeled the actions of Mayorkas as “criminal.” At a congressional hearing, he declared that Mayorkas “must resign.” After Mayorkas refused, Van Drew demanded that he be “impeached.”
If ever a cabinet secretary deserved to be impeached it is Mayorkas. His “dereliction of duty” is leading to needless deaths in our country.
Another factor which makes this issue so critical is the enhanced threat from Hamas and other Islamic terror groups after the horrific attack in Israel. Our border must be completely secure, otherwise, the lives of Americans are at risk.
Instead, Mayorkas continues to implement dangerous programs, refuses to secure the border, and shamelessly lies about its condition. Due to his appalling record, Mayorkas is our “Turkey of the Year” winner, surpassing other incompetent and dangerous radicals serving in this administration.
Despite his designation as the 2023 Ringside Politics “Turkey of the Year,” Mayorkas still enjoys Biden’s complete confidence. As always, Ringside Politics “Turkeys” of a feather flock together.
The state of Louisiana is blessed with an abundance of natural resources and attractions. The state’s largest city, New Orleans, is the birthplace of Jazz, a 305-year-old gem with a rich history. It is the home of the French Quarter, Mardi Gras, countless festivals, beautiful architecture, and many of the best restaurants in the world.
Louisiana is a state known as a sportsman paradise with outstanding hunting and fishing. We have tremendous supplies of oil and gas, the mighty Mississippi River, beautiful bayous, gorgeous plantations, the unique Cajun culture, and a warm climate that should lure many retirees to the state.
With so many attractions, Louisiana should be a state that experiences incredible growth and prosperity. Instead, it has been mired in poverty and has suffered from a stagnant population and business losses for decades.
Since the Congress adopted the current method of apportioning U.S. House seats in 1941, Louisiana has “never grown enough to gain a district.”
From 1910 until 1990, there were eight members of the Louisiana congressional delegation. Unfortunately, due to a myriad of problems, including a poor economy, a legacy of political corruption, and substandard public education, Louisiana started to lose congressional seats.
In 1990, the congressional delegation declined to seven representatives and then in 2010, another U.S. house seat was lost. The current congressional delegation of six members may drop again in 2030 unless dramatic changes are made.
According to the 2020 census, 4.6 million people live in Louisiana. This showed an anemic population growth rate of only 2.7%, compared to the Southern average of 10.2% and the national average of 7.4%.
While our Southern neighbors have been booming, Louisiana has been languishing. The ghost of Huey Long has been haunting the state ever since the 1930’s.
His philosophy of “Every Man a King,” and a “Chicken in Every Pot,” has led to a belief in a large state government, high taxes on businesses and social services for the poor, such as the Charity Hospital system.
This socialist mentality has been hard to dislodge in Louisiana despite several Republican Governors being elected, starting with the first one in 1979. The last one elected in 2007, Bobby Jindal, was a disaster.
Jindal spent too much time aiming for the presidency and campaigning in New Hampshire and Iowa instead of fixing the problems in Louisiana. By the end of his second term, Jindal was unpopular both at home and nationally. His 2016 presidential campaign ended disastrously after only a few months of poor results and being relegated to the second tier GOP debate stage.
He was followed by a Democrat Governor, John Bel Edwards, who campaigned as a pro-life conservative, who supported the 2nd Amendment. Sadly, Louisiana voters were sold a “bill of goods” as Edwards was revealed to be a typical liberal Democrat who believed in big government and draconian COVID mandates.
In his eight years as Governor, Louisiana made no strides in fiscal or tax reform. We continue to have a franchise tax, high sales taxes, an income tax and a state budget that ballooned to $47 billion in the last fiscal year.
While the state’s population has been stagnant for the last twenty years, the budget has almost tripled in that period. Thus, the answer to the state’s myriad of problems is not more government spending.
Fortunately, there is good news for the long-suffering people of Louisiana. Yesterday, Louisiana voters finally elected a real conservative as Governor, Attorney General Jeff Landry. He won a massive victory, garnering 52% of the vote against 14 opponents, including several who were well funded.
He is a former policeman and U.S. Congressman, with a strong conservative voting record. As Attorney General, he regularly battled the Biden administration on a variety of critical issues, including their overreaching COVID regulations and mandates.
Landry benefitted from the endorsement of President Donald Trump and the Louisiana Republican Party. He was well known to voters for his career as a conservative champion. Also, he ran a very smart campaign focusing on principal issues such as improving public safety.
Louisiana suffers from an extremely high incidence of violent crime. New Orleans has the eighth highest murder rate in the world, with a homicide rate of 71 per 100,000 residents. Once again, New Orleans was ranked as the “Murder Capital” of the nation with 266 homicides in 2022.
Overall, Louisiana has the third highest violent crime rate in the nation with 661 violent crimes per 100,000 people. Thus, in Louisiana, violent crime is a problem across the state, not just in New Orleans. Other larger cities, such as Shreveport and Baton Rouge, and smaller cities, such as Monroe and Alexandria, have serious crime problems as well.
In battling crime and the other problems in Louisiana, Landry will be joined by a legislature that will have a two-thirds Republican majority in both the House and Senate. After a runoff in November, it is likely that all the statewide elected officials will also be Republicans.
For Landry and the other Republican elected officials, it will be time for immediate action. Louisiana cannot wait any longer or the state will suffer the loss of more congressional seats, more businesses, and more population.
While public safety must be restored, public confidence in our elected officials must be restored as well. It has been many years since Louisiana voters were well served by a Governor who delivered on campaign promises.
Expectations are high for Landry as his track record as an achiever is promising. Luckily, the answers are found in Texas, Florida, and other Southern states.
Louisiana just needs to follow their successful examples. Providing public safety, maintaining low taxes on citizens, and creating an inviting climate for businesses will solve many of the state’s problems. It will increase revenue for improvements in infrastructure, public education, and coastal restoration.
This election provides a tremendous opportunity for the State of Louisiana to finally bury the legacy of Huey Long and begin to enjoy economic growth.
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Eight years of abuse of President Donald Trump culminated in the 37 felony count indictment that was unsealed on Friday. The 49-page document alleges the mishandling of classified documents after he left the White House.
President Joe Biden was found to have classified documents at his home, in his garage and in his office, which received communist Chinese donations, and nothing has happened to him. In fact, the Special Counsel named to investigate this issue has been quiet and has not even interviewed Biden.
In contrast, Trump’s Special Counsel, Jack Smith, has been aggressive and subpoenaed dozens of employees at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. At his press conference on Friday, Smith ludicrously said that “We have one set of laws in this country. They apply to everyone.”
Really? Hillary Clinton was not prosecuted for sending and receiving 33,000 emails, including top secret and classified materials, using an unsecured computer. While President Trump faces 400 years in prison, Clinton received a pass from former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey who infamously claimed that “Although there is evidence of potential violations regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case.”
Clinton is not the only Democrat to be excused for reprehensible behavior. Some Republicans have demanded impeachments for Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, but nothing has happened.
These Biden administration officials should not be the real impeachment target, it should be the President. He is the one who is facing allegations that he accepted a $5 million bribe from a Ukrainian official.
The FBI document, FD 10-23, was finally seen by House Oversight Committee Republicans on Thursday in a secure room. The FBI Director refused to produce the subpoenaed document for the entire Congress and the American people to examine. He should have been held in contempt of Congress, but Republicans caved.
While this should have made major news, it was suspiciously eclipsed by the Trump indictment that was announced on the same day. Of course, the plan was to suppress the Biden allegations with more Trump abuse.
The Deep State has been targeting Trump since the day he descended the “golden escalator” to announce his 2016 presidential campaign.
The “Russian collusion” hoax was the first way the FBI tried to destroy Donald Trump. It was a lie from the beginning, as outlined in the Durham Report. Nevertheless, the FBI lied to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, known as the FISA Court, three times. They obtained the ability to spy on a Trump official and gain access to Trump’s campaign and his presidency.
In 2020, the FBI suppressed information about the Hunter Biden laptop from being disseminated on social media to defeat Trump. In that campaign, 51 intelligence officials publicly stated that the truthful laptop information was probably just “Russian disinformation.”
In this election, Trump, Biden’s leading opponent, is facing charges in New York, an investigation in Georgia and now multiple investigations from the Special Counsel.
The eight years of mistreatment has rightfully disgusted millions of Americans. It proves our country has a sickening double standard of justice. As Fox News Host Judge Jeanine Pirro stated, “I have spent over three decades in a system that I believe in…but today I am no longer a believer.”
This “system” has been weaponized to destroy a candidate who wants secure borders and to put “America First.” He wants to end the warmongering and remove Neocons from power, so he must be stopped by the Deep State.
As this abuse has been hurled on President Trump for eight years, the Republicans talk tough on Twitter, but deliver nothing.
Republicans should demand that Biden submit to a mental competency test, but they refuse. Our country has a President who cannot complete a speech or exit a stage without difficulties. His falls are becoming more serious and the weakness he portrays is damaging to our national security.
The corruption from his family, including his brother and son, is breathtaking. The “Big Guy” lied when he claimed he knew nothing about Hunter’s business. He also publicly bragged about shutting down a Ukrainian prosecutor who was investigating Hunter’s business by threatening to withhold a $1 billion loan guarantee.
With mounting evidence, Republicans should initiate impeachment hearings for Biden, but have delivered only rhetoric. U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) says she is “dumbfounded” that Republicans are not joining her in supporting Biden’s impeachment.
She should ask her ally, U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), why he refuses to initiate impeachment hearings. Greene backed McCarthy for House Speaker and supported his horrid debt ceiling deal. In return, he has delivered only lip service on the Biden impeachment issue.
While Biden evades responsibility, Trump faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison for politicized charges. He is the first President to face two unfair impeachments, two Special Counsels, an FBI raid of his home, multiple criminal indictments, and biased investigations in left-wing jurisdictions.
He was charged under the Espionage Act, which has never been used against a President in our 247-year history. Yet, unhinged prosecutors in the Biden administration do not care about precedent or dividing the nation. They are determined to prevent Trump from getting elected President again.
In contrast, House Republicans are too scared to impeach a President who deserves it more than any other in our nation’s history. If Biden is not impeached, House Republicans should abdicate their power and turn it back over to the Democrats.
Sadly, Democrats are still running the House as nothing of substance has changed. It is business as usual for the Beltway.
The one disruptor is facing the mighty weight of the federal government against him. His only true allies are the seventy-five million Americans who voted for him.
The latest witch hunt will only embolden his voters. Too bad House Republicans do not possess similar courage.
The voters of Louisiana are embarking on the most important election season in state history. In this crucial 2023 election, Louisiana voters will determine the next Governor, all statewide officials and the 144 members of the Legislature.
This election will occur after years of economic distress, caused by misguided state policies, the punitive actions of the Biden administration and the lingering effects of the Governor’s approach to the COVID pandemic.
While other states flourished during the pandemic and embraced freedom, Louisiana enforced lockdown policies pushed by a liberal Democrat Governor. These measures were imposed in the name of “public safety,” but were counterproductive.
These actions caused Louisiana, once again, to lose jobs and businesses to neighboring states. The resulting damage especially harmed our tourist industry, one of the few remaining pillars of our weak economy.
The lessons are clear, never again should our state government force businesses to close or Louisiana citizens to be injected with a vaccine which they believe is detrimental to their health or inconsistent with their values.
As the Biden administration pursues renewable energy sources and focuses on electric vehicles, it has declared war on the fossil fuel industry, critical to our state’s economy. The moratorium on oil and gas drilling on federal leases, both on land and offshore, was a contributing factor in the decline in our state’s economy.
The results have been devastating as the latest census figures show Louisiana is in the top five in the nation in population loss. In the period between July 2021 and July 2022, Louisiana lost a staggering 36,857 people. As our neighbors are booming, Louisiana has been losing our next generation of leaders. Our sons and daughters are moving to Florida and Texas and other states.
As our state politicians are rearranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic, Louisiana is economically sinking, not from an iceberg, but from horrific policies. We are not effectively competing with our neighboring states economically, a contest much more important than college football.
For example, Texas, Florida, Tennessee and six other states have eliminated the income tax. In 2023, Mississippi’s conservative Governor will push for his state to join their ranks.
In contrast, Louisiana offers an onerous tax climate. We have the highest sales taxes in the nation, coupled with a state income tax, local property taxes and franchise taxes.
The supporters of our current tax system claim that Louisiana cannot join our neighboring states by eliminating income taxes. Supposedly, it will create too big of a deficit in the state budget, so the income will have to be replaced elsewhere.
Really? Louisiana has one of largest state governments, per capita, in the country. Our state government should be reduced dramatically.
While the population of Louisiana has been stagnant for the past few decades, the state government budget has skyrocketed from $16 billion in 2003 to over $47 billion today.
Louisiana has a plethora of state bureaucrats and poor people receiving government assistance, but not enough taxpayers or businesses to grow the economy. Taxpayers and growing businesses need a reason to move to Louisiana.
Yes, Louisiana has great people, a rich history, a unique culture, tremendous attractions, the best food in the world, festivals, music, unmatched entertainment options, superb outdoor activities, beautiful architecture, gorgeous bayous, Mardi Gras, the Jazz Fest, the French Quarter, streetcars, riverboats, the mighty Mississippi River and much more.
What we do not offer is good public schools, adequate infrastructure, a low tax environment, or a reputation for honest politicians. Historically, corruption and Louisiana politics go together like red beans and rice.
Sadly, we also do not offer public safety. Shreveport and Baton Rouge are two of the most crime ridden cities, per capita, in the nation. Once again, New Orleans has attained the horrific title of Murder Capital of the nation.
In 2022, according to the Metropolitan Crime Commission, there were 280 murders in New Orleans, the highest level since 1996. At that time, New Orleans had a much larger population, prior to Hurricane Katrina, so the murder rate per capita in 2022 was astronomical.
Under the so-called leadership of New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, the jewel of Louisiana has been suffering greatly. It is so awful that outraged citizens are making a valiant effort to recall her.
This type of activism needs to be replicated statewide for the 2023 elections. Fortunately, there is hope on the horizon. Grassroots conservative organizations have already started to organize under the umbrella coalition of SaveLouisiana.org.
As highlighted on the website, volunteers from several of these organizations worked to elect conservative Republican businessman Michael Pedalino to the Jefferson Parish school board in the December 10 runoff election.
In 2023, these promising efforts must expand statewide because the needs of Louisiana are so great. One upcoming goal will be to work with Louisiana legislators in the spring session to pass a resolution calling for statewide voter rolls to be cleaned up prior to the next election.
There is little doubt that state voter rolls are a mess, filled with people who have died, moved or are ineligible to participate in elections. There are also phantom voters registered at locations such as UPS stores, abandoned buildings, schools, and homeless shelters.
Cleaning up the voter rolls is the first step toward providing the people of Louisiana with honest elections.
With our Save Louisiana coalition, conservative activists will be working in this upcoming statewide election to support candidates who will serve the people and not the government bureaucrats, big donors, or special interests.
To say this is an important election is a massive understatement. We do not have any more time to lose. 2023 must be a year of action for Louisiana conservatives. It is essential that true conservatives be elected to office, not liberal Democrats or establishment Republicans who want to maintain the status quo.
In Louisiana, politics as usual is literally killing our state. These upcoming elections may be our last, best hope, to Save Louisiana.
Democrats love to issue mandates, whether it involves useless masks, COVID-19 vaccines, or the car you purchase. This week, the far-left states of California, Massachusetts and Washington issued mandates requiring the purchase of electric vehicles.
In all these states, unless a hefty fine is paid, automakers will be forbidden from selling gasoline powered vehicles by 2035. As usual, the trendsetter in the climate craziness is always California. In 2019, Washington and Massachusetts passed legislation to follow whatever guidelines are enacted by the California Air Resources Board.
The short-term goals for California will be for all 35% of all new vehicles sales to be “zero emissions” by 2026, rising to 68% in 2030. According to former Trump Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Andrew Wheeler, these goals are unworkable. He believes California “can’t get to 35% EVs by 2026 let alone 68% by 2030.”
The impracticability of these standards is no concern for the liberal state leaders, they just want the positive press for taking climate change action. In fact, Governor Jay Inslee (D-WA) wants his state to ban gasoline powered vehicles by 2030. He claims that such moves are a “critical milestone in our climate fight.”
For liberal Democrats, the “climate fight” means that anything related to fossil fuels is evil. It is one reason Biden Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was almost giddy when gasoline prices started rising this summer. She said it made a “very compelling case” for consumers to buy electric vehicles. So, according to progressives like Granholm, just buy an electric vehicle for goodness’ sake. Consumers will help with the “climate fight” and avoid those high gasoline prices.
Unfortunately, Democrats love spouting their platitudes, but they have little regard for the economic conditions facing Americans. In the midst of raging inflation, Democrats are trying to force Americans to buy electric vehicles, which cost, on average, $66,000.
To mitigate these exorbitant costs and encourage more Americans to abandon their “addiction” to fossil fuels, $370 billion in climate change initiatives and a $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit was included in the “Inflation Reduction Act.” This will apply only for electric vehicles “assembled” in North America.
Of course, the major flaw in this scheme is that right after the bill was signed, Ford announced that their “Mustang Mach-E” will cost $8,475 more next year. This is $975 more than the tax savings in the “Inflation Reduction Act.”
Another problem for Americans who want to join the “climate fight,” is that the raw materials used for electric batteries are increasing in cost. The expense of producing materials such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel is increasing due to supply chain disruptions and other issues.
Even more disturbing is that these materials are primarily produced in communist China. It is never a promising idea for the United States to become dependent on our foremost enemy to produce any key material, especially one that is crucial for our automobile industry.
In contrast, for our gasoline powered vehicles, our country does not need to be dependent on China or any other country. This was demonstrated during the Trump administration when America became energy independent for the first time in decades.
In our country, we have at least 264 billion barrels of oil available for drilling. According to a report by Rystad Energy, there is more untapped oil in the United States than any country on earth, including Russia and Saudi Arabia.
It certainly makes more sense, both economically and for national security reasons, to halt the hysterical rush toward electric vehicles. Unfortunately, the Biden administration and Democratic governors are unconcerned about the problems associated with electric vehicles. They want to be known as leaders in the ‘climate fight,” the consequences be damned.
It is not only the “blue states” in our country that are on board with the rush toward electric vehicles. Bank Australia has taken even more dramatic action. Within the next three years, no new loans will be issued for the purchase of gasoline powered vehicles.
This is being done whether customers in Australia want it or not. The bank’s Chief Impact Officer, Sasha Courville, said, “By ceasing car loans for new fossil fuel vehicles, we are sending a signal to the Australian market about the rapid acceleration in the transition from internal combustion to electric vehicles we expect to see in the next few years.”
Since Americans can expect to see such banking mandates and more in our country, it is essential to fight back against such insanity. Fortunately, Texas ended their business dealings with eight financial institutions that were deemed to be “hostile” to companies involved in the production of fossil fuels.
More states need to follow the lead of Texas, otherwise, Americans may no longer have a choice. Soon, you may have to either buy an electric vehicle or walk.
In a sign that he is about to announce another presidential campaign, Donald Trump released a video this week of his awesome Boeing 757 being refurbished. This is the airplane he used to campaign during his successful 2016 election. According to Trump, “Now it has been completely modernized and renovated, and looks GREAT, all done in the Great State of Louisiana, and coming back to the skies in the Fall of 2022, or maybe sooner. Get ready!”
Americans are definitely “ready” for the return of Donald Trump to the White House, especially after 18 months of the worst presidency in United States history.
Under President Trump, gas prices and inflation were low, and the country was energy independent. Trump was able to rebuild our military, keep our enemies in check, fight back against China by instituting tariffs, negotiate four historic Middle East peace deals and provide a measure of border safety as a wall was being constructed.
All this progress was reversed under the administration of President Joe Biden, who is doing the bidding of radical leftists in the Democratic Party. As a result, Biden has implemented “green” energy policies by focusing on renewables and electric cars, while penalizing our domestic oil industry.
He canceled the Keystone XL pipeline, instituted a moratorium on drilling on federal land and offshore, canceled drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, removed incentives for new drilling, and rejoined the Paris Climate Accords.
These policies have caused record inflation and gas prices and our country is once again dependent on foreign nations for our energy needs. Instead of taking responsibility for his actions, Biden demonized our oil and gas companies and even blasted owners of gasoline stations, even though many of them are small business owners struggling to survive.
Biden is trying to turn the military “woke,” which is certainly a factor in the recruitment problems facing all the branches of our Armed Forces. It is little wonder that our enemies are causing problems once again.
While Russia was quiet during the Trump administration, it has invaded Ukraine on Biden’s watch. In contrast to the improving relationship between the United States and North Korea during the Trump administration, the “Hermit Kingdom” is once again saber rattling and increasing their testing of nuclear weapons.
Iran is getting ever closer to developing nuclear weapons and threatening stability in the Middle East, a region that is facing ever increasing turmoil. Instead of standing up to China, the Biden administration is on the threshold of removing the tariffs instituted by President Trump.
After inheriting a secure border from President Trump, Biden has created total chaos. He immediately stopped construction of the border wall, ended the “Reman in Mexico” policy, and reinstated the horrific “Catch and Release” policies. The result is that over two million illegal immigrants entered the country last year and this record will be easily surpassed this year. The open border has allowed the importation of illegal drugs to skyrocket, contributing to the record number of drug overdose deaths in our country.
While these problems are growing, the Biden administration is curiously out of touch with the concerns of average Americans. As a new poll clearly showed, by a wide margin, the most important issues for Americans are the economy, inflation, gas prices and everyday bills such as groceries. An astounding 63% of Americans rank economic issues as the most important concern for their family.
Despite the outcry from their voters, President Biden and the Democrats are focusing on abortion, gun control, the war in Ukraine, and the January 6 committee. This may be the biggest disconnect in modern American history between a political party and the voters who are supposedly being served.
The same poll showed that 88% of Americans believe the country is on the “wrong track.” No wonder, millions of Americans are clamoring for the return of Donald Trump to the White House.
As evidence, his rally in Anchorage, Alaska on Saturday night was jammed packed with supporters with a huge crowd arriving early. The President’s rallies are always well attended, but this one was especially raucous. He was greeted like a rock star with a three-minute standing ovation. At this point, people are desperate for good news and President Trump is delivering hope that he may return for another presidential run.
The desire for another Trump term is happening despite the relentless campaign from the Democrats, the media, the Deep State, and establishment Republicans to destroy him. He survived an unfair and biased two-year Mueller investigation, two bogus impeachment witch hunts and is now undergoing a show trial, a kangaroo court, known as the January 6 committee.
Despite the best efforts of the Trump haters, most Americans, 62%, have not watched these hearings, even though they have been broadcast multiple times on cable and news broadcast networks.
The American people are becoming more accustomed to the biased news media and are discounting their non-stop Trump bashing. While the Democrats will continue their campaign to prevent President Trump from running again and may even try to charge him with a crime or arrest him, it will do little to dampen the desire of the American people for him to return.
With Biden’s popularity crashing to a new low of only a 30% approval rating, it is not surprising that he is losing to President Trump in the latest polls.
The American people want a strong economy again and for this country to be safe, both domestically and abroad. President Trump delivered success both domestically and abroad. In contrast, Biden has delivered nothing but failure in every area.
As rally goers noticed on Saturday night, President Trump is a vibrant and energetic man who is in command of his audience. Sadly, Biden is old and frail and mentally incompetent.
President Biden is unable to articulate clearly without making mistakes. His speeches are usually garbled. This is not what the American people want in their President. They want President Trump back!
Both Republicans and Democrats have issues with the power and influence of “Big Tech.” Unfortunately, to derail these mammoth corporations, reckless “anti-trust” legislation, the American Innovation and Choice Act (S. 2992), is moving through the U.S. Senate at lightning speed. It will make whatever problems exist with this industry worse.
This legislation is authored by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and, if passed, will surely be the centerpiece of her next presidential campaign. Her involvement in promoting such legislation is not surprising, but what is disturbing is that some conservative Republican Senators such as Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, and John Kennedy of Louisiana, have lent their support to the bill.
Klobuchar is a far-left Democrat, and this legislation is pleasing to her progressive supporters. It is astonishing that conservative Republican Senators are helping her achieve a legislative victory that will improve her chances of winning the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nomination. It may also help preserve the Democratic Party’s chances to maintain control of the U.S. Senate next year. Thus, working with Klobuchar is the last thing Senate Republicans should be doing right before the midterm elections.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) promised to push the legislation toward passage in the U.S. Senate this month. Schumer realizes that his tenure as Senate Majority Leader has been a complete failure, so he is hoping this legislation will give him a much-needed legislative win. To accelerate the bill’s passage, there have not been public hearings scheduled to give opponents an opportunity to expose the shortcomings of Klobuchar’s bill.
The American Innovation and Choice Act is an unmitigated disaster, which is why the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Americans for Tax Reform, CATO, the American Enterprise Institute, and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), all oppose the legislation. In the view of Jack Howard, the U.S. Chamber’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, S.2992 is “ripe with unintended consequences that if enacted into law would exacerbate inflation and damage America’s economy and economic competitiveness for years to come.”
To stop “Big Tech” monopolies, the bill gives vast new powers to unelected far-left federal bureaucrats at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). This moves economic power and decision-making from the competitive private sector to the burdensome federal government. It will enhance regulations that promote centralized planning from government agencies that will be extremely harmful to our economy.
If passed, it is estimated S. 2992 will cost American consumers an additional $22 billion in service costs from online marketplaces. These extra costs would hit at exactly the wrong time for Americans when inflation is raging. U.S. Chamber’s Neil Bradley, Executive Vice President, and Chief Policy Officer, said this legislation “will fuel further inflation, limit choices, and undermine investment in innovation by injecting regulatory uncertainty into the marketplace at the worst possible time.”
Since gasoline has reached an average of almost $5 per gallon nationally and inflation is at a forty-year high, Congress should be focused on doing everything possible to reduce consumer prices.
Unfortunately, this bill will deliver increased costs for online companies Americans use for everything from purchasing groceries to entertainment.
An analysis conducted by the National Economic Research Associates concluded that, if enacted, this legislation would create higher costs for an array of consumers. For example, Amazon Prime users would pay more than $148 annually for the same services. With increased regulation of online platforms, including marketplaces, both businesses and consumers would have to absorb $319 billion in losses of combined technology services. Ironically, foreign based online marketplaces would not face any increased regulation or costs.
The bill will force credit card companies and major retailers to pass on increased costs to consumers at exactly the wrong time for struggling households. In addition, the bill may limit outside investment from venture capitalists in new “Big Tech” companies by up to 20%. This will hamper future growth and innovation.
Republicans have good reason to be upset at “Big Tech” for their horrendous censorship of conservative content. However, this bill does nothing to limit those practices. Instead, it punishes success, harms consumers and businesses, and gives the FTC tremendous new powers. Increasing costs for “Big Tech” is not wise in an inflationary environment when consumers are facing historic price increases.
Breaking up the “Big Tech” corporations will not solve the problems that our economy faces with surging inflation, foreign energy dependence, baby formula in short supply and bare grocery shelves. This bill will only make our problems worse as our online choices will be limited, more complicated, and costlier. In fact, some of our dependable services may be eradicated because of this bill.
Innovation will be hampered; new products will not be introduced as quickly and small businesses which rely on partnerships with “Big Tech” to sell their products online will be devastated and potentially will close if this bill becomes law.
While Republicans are rightly upset with “Big Tech” for their egregious censorship of conservative commentary, they are even more angered by the actions of a far-left Congress and our federal government. According to a poll conducted by Echelon Insights, 67% of conservatives are opposed to Congress regulating online activities.
This opposition is well founded for the federal government has a long history of harming private businesses by enacting onerous regulations. Reacting to the demands of consumers, private businesses, not the federal government, are best equipped to make needed adjustments to their services and products.
Our “Big Tech” industry is driving tremendous economic growth and is fostering the work of countless small businesses in our country. Online activity has become a part of almost every business and this trend only accelerated during the pandemic. It also impacts the lives of Americans in how we communicate, shop, socialize and entertain ourselves.
All conservatives must oppose governmental efforts to empower federal agencies and hamper consumer economic activity. Let us not create any additional costs for the already suffering American consumer.
The major problems in our society today are rarely addressed when Congress tries to “take action.” In the quest to solve a dilemma in our country, Congress creates more bureaucracy, more spending, and more debt.
Congress doesn’t resolve problems; it often makes them worse. Usually, the best thing for Congress to do is nothing. Therefore, Americans are safest when Congress is in recess.
With this track record in mind, it is frightening to consider the prospect of Congress solving various issues with “big tech.” An unwieldy piece of legislation has been introduced by a bi-partisan group of United States Senators, including Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tom Cotton (R-AR). It is titled “The American Innovation and Choice Online Act.”
Conservatives know that “big tech” censors right leaning opinions on a regular basis. There is a clear and consistent bias against conservatives. Unfortunately, this legislation does nothing to correct this issue, which is a violation of the 1st Amendment.
In contrast, the legislation limits the way technology platforms can deliver services such as same-day shipping or using a smartphone to locate a family member. During the pandemic, millions of Americans became reliant on the technological conveniences that will be targeted by this legislation. In a challenging economy, with runaway inflation, Congress should not be limiting the ways Americans can save time and money.
The legislation also limits the ability of technology companies to “self-preference,” which is a sales tactic that has been used by retail outlets for decades. In essence, “self-preference” is a way for technology companies to offer consumer and product promotions. Congress should not be involved in regulating the way technology companies offer promotions for veterans or any other group of Americans.
The bill will also punish small businesses that have partnered with big tech companies like Amazon, Etsy, or Apple. These small operators need the partnerships to increase their sales and stay in business. They do not need Congress creating more headaches and hurdles for them to succeed.
What is most disturbing about the bill is that, if passed, it will transfer power from the private sector to the radical bureaucrats in the Biden administration. Just recently, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called for Spotify and other audio streaming apps to “continue doing more” to censor unwanted opinions. This was started when Psaki and other Biden officials criticized podcaster Joe Rogan as spewing “misinformation.” In contrast, millions of Americans enjoy listening to his commentary and interviews and find his program both entertaining and useful.
Americans should make their own decisions about what programs to enjoy online, not the government. A very troubling aspect of this bill will be that it will increase the power of far-left Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan. One of her objectives has been to “reduce wealth inequality,” through regulation and other government actions.
These government agencies already wield too much power, it would be unwise to give them more power to regulate and thwart commerce.
Along with limiting services and increasing burdensome regulation, the bill will likely lead to higher prices for Americans. During an inflation surge, it is exactly the wrong time to pass legislation that will create fewer choices and higher prices for consumers.
Americans do not need our government picking the “winners and losers” in the private sector. Americans need the federal government to stay out of the private sector with as little regulation and interference as possible.
There is legitimate concern about the actions of some big tech companies. Some argue that these companies have become too powerful. However, the best way to combat that issue is through encouraging competition in the private sector. Our free enterprise system, if allowed to operate, always rewards companies that provide innovation and customer service.
Our country’s main problem today is a lurch toward more government and more socialism at the expense of our capitalist economic system. This bill will just be another attack on capitalism, which has served our country very well since our founding 246 years ago.
American consumers need more choice and better value and less central planning from our federal government. Our country needs an economic system that allows businesses to grow and prosper, not be punished for their success.
Before the next congressional vote, we must urge Louisiana Senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy to thoroughly examine this bill’s negative ramifications for American consumers. While the legislation may have good intentions, the unintended economic consequences for the American people will be both significant and adverse. Especially at this perilous time, any bill that does further damage to the economic standing of Americans must be defeated.
The left-wing policies of President Joe Biden have delivered untold suffering for millions of Americans, resulting in horrific approval ratings. Biden has been an utter failure at home and abroad. Of all his failures, his insane energy policies have caused the most financial harm to Americans.
As noted by House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, Biden and the Democrats are committed to a “radical Green New Deal agenda.” Under President Donald Trump, gasoline prices were below $2 per gallon and the United States became a net exporter of petroleum for the first time since 1949.
Once Biden became President, the Keystone XL pipeline was halted, and a moratorium was issued on new federal drilling leases. He ended all drilling leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) and eliminated an array of tax incentives for the oil and gas industry.
He also announced plans to convert the federal government’s fleet of 650,000 vehicles to all-electric. Combined, these policies placed our country in an extremely vulnerable position, as the war in Ukraine has exposed.
Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, gasoline prices have skyrocketed 47 cents per gallon, reaching the highest level since 2008. Average gasoline prices have now surpassed $4 and are racing to surpass the historic record of $4.11 per gallon.
This is catastrophic for the American economy and will lead to an even greater inflation rate, which is already at a four-decade high. In January, consumer prices surged 7.5%, with major increases in food, electricity and shelter contributing to most of the gain. With gasoline prices now exploding, Americans will experience even higher inflation in the future.
Unfortunately, American wages are not keeping pace with the surging inflation rate, so the average American is falling further behind economically. A recent Labor Department report showed that wages increased 4% in the last year; however, the inflation rate is at 7.5% and rising.
As the Biden administration tries to exert even more economic pressure on the Russians, there are ongoing discussions with other countries to ban the importation of Russian oil. United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said, “we are now talking to our European partners and allies to look in a coordinated way at the prospect of banning the import of Russian oil.”
If this ban is enacted, it will surely inflict economic pain on the Russians. However, it will also lead to even higher energy costs for Americans, as we import 3.5% of our oil and 21% of our gasoline from the Russians.
Under President Biden, the United States has become an energy dependent country once again. We import oil from Canada, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia. Nigeria, and Iraq, among other countries. It is outrageous that the United States is dependent on any authoritarian, socialist, or corrupt country for our energy needs.
With our vast energy resources, the United States should not be importing one drop of oil. We must stop sacrificing jobs and economic opportunity at the “green” altar of climate change.
The Biden administration’s record has shown that pursuing “green” energy and thwarting the production of more domestic oil and gas leads to higher prices at the pump and more dependence on foreign oil.
While these policies are pleasing to far-left “squad” members like U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), they are painful to working class Americans who must commute to work, buy their groceries, and try to provide for their families.
As gas prices have soared, Biden has refused to retreat from his “green” agenda, but he did authorize the release of thirty million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Supposedly, this will mitigate the economic damage from rising oil prices; however, it is a mere band-aid.
Daily, Americans use over 20 million barrels of oil. Thus, Biden’s decision is not enough to cover two days of American oil consumption.
The genuine answer to this dilemma is to return to the Trump energy policies. According to Scalise, “President Biden should immediately reverse his devastating policies that are causing gas prices to skyrocket and are giving Putin leverage against the rest of the world and return to the policies that were working under President Trump to create American energy dominance.”
To deal with these problems, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced the Energy Freedom Act on Friday. The goal of the legislation will be to “make America energy independent again by accelerating federal permitting for energy projects and pipelines, mandating new onshore and offshore oil and gas lease sales, approving pending LNG export licenses, and generally speeding up solar, wind, and geothermal development.”
According to Cruz, America became energy dependent again “Because on day one of his administration, President Biden issued illegal and hostile orders aimed at American oil and gas producers, which have increased energy prices and directed profits to other oil exporting countries.”
While adversarial countries such as Iran and Russia raked in billions of dollars, our oil and gas industry suffered. Cruz believes that, if enacted, his bill will “create new jobs” and “lower energy costs.”
Ironically, the increased reliance of foreign oil has led to more environmental damage since other countries do not produce energy in environmentally friendly ways. Thus, expanding energy production in the United States is good for the environment. As Cruz notes, “modern energy production in the United States is far cleaner” than in any other country in the world “by every measure.”
The bill will reduce permitting red tape, prevent Biden from stopping lease sales and will end “the presidential permit requirement for cross-border energy projects.”
The United States needs to unleash our energy industry to benefit consumers, restore our economy and reduce our dependence on hostile countries. It is imperative that the needs of average Americans be placed above the demands of the radical climate change fanatics, who dominate the Biden administration.
In the November elections, Republicans must run on a platform which includes energy independence. After paying $4 per gallon for gasoline, voters will be receptive.