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DECEMBER 26,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET:

BANDWAGON – FROM BREITBART:   Sinclair Broadcasting Group, America’s largest television station owner, announced that they will join a slew of other large U.S. companies in using the savings from the just-passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to give employees bonuses.  Almost 9,000 Sinclair employees will get $1000 bonuses, according to an accompanying press release.  “We are grateful to our President and legislature for passing the landmark Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and are excited about the benefits it will provide for our country’s economy, our Company, and our employees,” Sinclair Broadcasting President and CEO Chris Ripley said in the press release. “We recognize that our employees are our most valuable resource, truly appreciate their combined achievements for our Company and look forward to a very bright future.”  Good.  I want to see a long list of corporations doing this.  Everyone gains, except the Democrats.

CONFUSED VALUES – FROM FOX:   A Florida man was arrested Friday after he reportedly punched an ATM because it “was giving him too much money” during an incident in November.  Michael Joseph Oleksik, 23, was charged with criminal mischief after Wells Fargo requested Cocoa Police press charges against the man.  Law enforcement told Florida Today that Oleksik was seen on surveillance footage “standing at the ATM, pummeling the electronic teller’s touch screen on Nov. 29.”  He then reportedly called Wells Fargo and apologized for the damage done to the teller machine, but said he was “angry the ATM was giving him too much money and he did not know what to do.”  This man does not appreciate generosity.  So typical of his generation.

MURDER – FROM DAILYWIRE:   Murders in the U.S. rose nearly 9% last year, and one-third of that increase came from just a few neighborhoods in Chicago, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of the FBI’s annual 2016 publication, Crime in the United States.  While violent crime (homicide, rape, assault, and robbery) also rose nationwide from 2015 to 2016 — over 4%— the data show the increase was not uniform, but rather concentrated in cities like Chicago and Baltimore.  Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., meanwhile, saw “meaningful declines in violence [that] have been sustained since the 1990s.”  Interestingly, the paper’s neighborhood-by-neighborhood analysis claimed that areas where homicides spiked had a “lighter street presence by police following officers’ high-profile killings of young black men.”  Gee, you mean a solid police presence reduces murder?  What kind of heresy is that?

December 26, 2017       Permalink

LATEST SOCIAL NEWS, HOT OFF THE PRESSES – AT 12:44 P.M. ET:   There is drama.  There is crisis.  I will not rest until I know the outcome.  From the New York Post: 

What a royal headache .

The British government is in a tizzy that Prince Harry and fiancée Meghan Markle will invite former President Barack Obama to their spring wedding and fears that President Trump will take it as a snub and cause relations between the two allies to chill even further, according to a report Tuesday.

“Harry has made it clear he wants the Obamas at the wedding, so it’s causing a lot of nervousness,” the Sun reported, citing a senior government official. “Trump could react very badly if the Obamas get to a royal wedding before he has had a chance to meet the Queen.”

The relationship between Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May has been a rocky one, with the leaders lashing out at one another during a number of controversies.

Most recently, May chastised Trump, calling him “wrong” for retweeting anti-Muslim videos posted by a far-right British group in November .

And while the prince bonded with the Obamas during the Invictus Games in September in Toronto, his bride-to-be referred to Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign as “divisive” and “misogynistic.”

The Sun reported that May, whose invitation to Trump to come to England for a state visit was met with protests and petitions against it , could have the final word on whether the president will be on the guest list for the May 19 wedding.

COMMENT:  No matter what is decided, our president must be the big guy, the gracious guy.  Warmly congratulate Harry and Meghan, send a toaster from Bed, Bath, and Beyond (bought with the store's 20% off certificate), and be done with it.

December 26, 2017       Permalink

PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS – AT 11:56 A.M. ET:  It doesn't appear that the president will do much resting in the weeks ahead.   There are big plans at the White House.  From the Washington Examiner: 

The Trump administration is expected to unveil an infrastructure package in the new year, after putting the issue on the sidelines amid other GOP priorities in 2017.

The White House is working to release a roughly 70-page infrastructure proposal sometime in January for members of Congress to use as a cornerstone for drafting the legislation in 2018.

In December, President Trump met with senior administration officials and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa., to discuss the proposal.

“The meeting with the president was encouraging and very productive,” Shuster said in a statement.

“He’s a builder — he gets the importance of infrastructure and why it matters for jobs and the economy. Addressing our nation’s infrastructure in a bipartisan manner is going to take strong presidential leadership, and I believe we have a president who can provide the necessary leadership and who wants to rebuild our infrastructure to strengthen our economy.”

During the 2016 campaign, Trump first promised to deliver a $1 trillion infrastructure plan to improve the condition of U.S. roads, bridges, airports, and other public works.

Although the administration is working to address the nation’s infrastructure, several major question marks hang over the plan, such as funding.

“The cost is going to be an issue, that’s going to be a large topic of debate,” a senior committee aide told the Washington Examiner.

This spring, the administration called for using $200 billion in direct federal spending over the next 10 years. This was intended to spur $800 billion in spending by states, localities and private investors.

COMMENT:  Great idea.  The nation's infrastructure is in poor shape.  Rebuilding, while initially expensive, will provide thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of jobs.   One of Eisenhower's greatest accomplishments was the national highway system, designed in the 1950s.  A renewed infrastructure, unless obstructed by the Democrats, will be one of the great contributions of President Trump.

December 26, 2017       Permalink

MORE GOOD NEWS – AT 11:35 A.M. ET:  Retail sales are strong for this holiday season, part of the process of making America great again.  Even so-called brick-and-mortar stores are showing life.  From The Wall Street Journal: 

Retailers are enjoying some extra Christmas cheer.

Fueled by high consumer confidence and a robust job market, U.S. retail sales in the holiday period rose at their best pace since 2011, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks both online and in-store spending.

Sales, excluding automobiles, rose 4.9% from Nov. 1 through Christmas Eve, compared with a 3.7% gain in the same period last year, according to the Mastercard Inc. MA -0.16% unit, which tracks all forms of payment. E-commerce continued to drive the gains, rising 18.1%.

“It started with a bang in the week leading up to Black Friday,” said Sarah Quinlan, a senior vice president of marketing insights at Mastercard. She added that retailers benefited this year from Christmas Day falling on a Monday, giving shoppers a full weekend to scoop up last-minute purchases. Dec. 23 ranked next to Black Friday in terms of spending, according to Mastercard.

“Overall, this year was a big win for retail,” Ms. Quinlan said.

That newfound buoyancy is a relief to retailers—from department-store giants like Macy’s Inc. to mall favorites like Gap Inc.—that struggled through a difficult year of store closures, declining foot traffic and bankruptcies by chains including the Sports Authority, Toys ‘R’ Us and Payless Shoes.

Investors, who have abandoned many retail stocks even as the broader stock market surged, have started to return. Shares of Macy’s and Gap, for example, have jumped 24% and 18%, respectively, in the past month, compared with a 3% gain in the S&P 500. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has rallied 40% on the year and, like online nemesis Amazon.com Inc., is trading near all-time highs.

Unlike in past years, when spending was driven by high-income shoppers, this holiday season a broader swath of the population opened their wallets, encouraged by rising wages and low unemployment, analysts and economists said.

COMMENT:  In other words, the deplorables are buying.  Take that, Democrats.

December 26,  2017     Permalink 

DECEMBER 25,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET: 

BAN IT!  BAN IT! – FROM BREITBART:    Even holiday classics like "It’s a Wonderful Life" have come under vicious scrutiny in our politically correct, brave new world, with CNN openly questioning whether the beloved film is secretly sexist and should, therefore, be “retired” from American culture.  CNN writer Carol Costello says she has “cooled to classics like ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’” lamenting that in a post-Harvey Weinstein world, she can never again watch that movie “in the same way [she] did when [she] was a kid” because she keeps wondering if it is “inherently sexist.”  “And that’s a good thing,” she adds.  Seen through the revisionist prism of radical feminism, the classic Frank Capra film starring James Stewart and Donna Reed becomes part of a patriarchal plot to keep women subjected to men.  I always knew it.  How could they keep showing that example of toxic masculinity?  I don't feel safe.

THE NANNY STATE – FROM DAILYWIRE:   He warned Britain and the United States about the rise of Adolf Hitler.  He fought the Nazi war machine alone until Russia and the United States joined him.  And he is a public health menace.  Winston Churchill, it seems, is rarely pictured without a cigar in tow.  And the new Churchill biographical film, "Darkest Hour," wants you to know that “there are serious health risks associated with smoking and with secondhand smoke.”  That line is included in the film’s credits, which also say that “the depictions of tobacco smoking contained in this film are based solely on artistic consideration and are not intended to promote tobacco consumption.”  I'm so glad the filmmakers are conscious of our health, and are pure of heart.  Had that line not been in the credits, I would surely be smoking cigars by now.

December 25,  2017     Permalink

MERRY CHRISTMAS – AT 8:41 A.M. ET:  A great way for the president and first lady to spend the holiday.  From Conservative Treehouse: 

Today, President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump participate in taking phone calls from children, from the library of Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, as part of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) 62nd Santa Tracker tradition on Christmas Eve, keeping watch on Santa’s travels around the world.

COMMENT:  Let's see.  Donald Trump.  Melania Trump.  Christmas.  NORAD.  The left must collectively be having a nervous breakdown.

Check out the great photos.

December 25, 2017       Permalink

A HEROINE FOR CHRISTMAS – AT 8:08 A.M. ET:  It's inspiring to get up on Christmas morning and find a great gift via our UN ambassador, Nikki Haley.  From the New York Post: 

UN Ambassador Nikki Haley announced Sunday that the United States negotiated a $285 million cut in the United Nations’ “bloated” budget for next year.

“The inefficiency and overspending of the United Nations are well known,” Haley said in a statement from the US Mission. “We will no longer let the generosity of the American people be taken advantage of or remain unchecked.”

Haley added that the “historic reduction” in spending is a step in the right direction and that the US would make many other moves toward a more efficient and accountable UN.

“In addition to these significant cost savings, we reduced the UN’s bloated management and support functions, bolstered support for key US priorities throughout the world and instilled more discipline and accountability throughout the UN system,” the statement said.

The new deal for the 2018-2019 fiscal year is $285 million less than the world body’s staggering $5.4 billion budget for fiscal year 2016-2017.

The ambassador went on to say that she hopes to help make even more reductions in the UN’s budget in the years to come.

Haley’s announcement came just days after she slammed the UN for “singling out” the United States and voting on a resolution to oppose President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The former South Carolina governor went on the warpath last week over the UN’s resolution — and said the US would be “taking names,” as a result.

“The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out in this assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation,” Haley told member nations ahead of their vote.

COMMENT:  She's our true "woman of the year." 

December 25,  2017     Permalink