The Patriot Post Digest 7-21-2017

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The Patriot Post Digest 7-21-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Mid-Day Digest

Jul. 21, 2017

IN TODAY’S EDITION

    Ben Carson will reinterpret rather than rescind a racist Obama housing rule.
    NAFTA renegotiation will kick off soon as administration outlines priorities.
    Social Security is in bad shape. We know that. But do our elected leaders?
    Daily Features: Top Headlines, Cartoons, Columnists and Short Cuts.

THE FOUNDATION

“Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition.” —Thomas Jefferson (1781)

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

Carson Waffles on Race-Based Housing Rule1

In 2015, Barack Obama’s Department of Housing and Urban Development sought to cement race as the primary guiding principle behind the Fair Housing Act via the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule2 (AFFH). This imposition by Big Brother was soundly criticized by many conservatives, including the good Doctor Ben Carson, who is now HUD secretary. He once derided the rule as doomed to fail for its attempt to “legislate racial equality.”

Fast forward two years and now Dr. Carson finds himself as the head of HUD with the power to rescind Obama’s onerous AFFH rule, but he has decided to leave it in place. This week, Carson reiterated that he rejected the “extra manipulation and cost” created by the AFFH rule, and he then stated, “So we just have to reinterpret it, that’s all.” Why not just get rid of it? Carson pointed to a ruling by the Supreme Court, saying, “I probably am not going to mess with something the Supreme Court has weighed in on. In terms of interpreting what it means, that’s where the concentration is going to be.” And how would Carson reinterpret it? He didn’t say. Several congressional Republicans, led by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), have called on Carson to end the rule.

Carson’s waffling on this issue looks bad, especially on a rule that was strategically designed as justification for a race-based, politically motivated government power grab. Reinterpretation of the AFFH rule implies that Carson has embraced the greater authority the rule grants him even though he has rejected Obama’s racist aims in creating it. Instead, Carson needs to be draining the DC swamp of leftist social engineering regulations like the AFFH that have proven to do nothing but limit Americans’ Liberty.

Renegotiating NAFTA3

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) or leave it entirely, calling it the “worst trade deal maybe ever signed anywhere.” There are certainly elements4 of NAFTA that could use renegotiation, but overall, it’s a positive deal for the U.S. In April, Trump’s advisers talked him down from the ledge5, in part because of how much his constituent farmers benefit from the trade agreement. This week, the administration released its Summary of Objectives for the NAFTA Renegotiation6.

The administration says, “The new NAFTA must continue to break down barriers to American exports. This includes the elimination of unfair subsidies, market-distorting practices by state owned enterprises, and burdensome restrictions of intellectual property. The new NAFTA will be modernized to reflect 21st century standards and will reflect a fairer deal, addressing America’s persistent trade imbalances in North America. It will ensure that the United States obtains more open, equitable, secure, and reciprocal market access, and that our trade agreement with our two largest export markets is effectively implemented and enforced.”

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will reportedly focus on intellectual property, financial service, telecommunications and e-commerce — all areas where the U.S. has a competitive advantage. Since NAFTA was enacted in 1993, The Wall Street Journal notes, “Farm and ranch exports to Mexico and Canada have more than quadrupled.” Removing any remaining obstructions like Canadian tariffs on American poultry, eggs and wine would be a good move for the administration. To make a larger point, Trump shouldn’t opt for a tit-for-tat deal with more barriers. He would do far better pushing for more open markets from our neighbors.

Top Headlines7

    Why GOP health care failure jeopardizes tax reform. (PoliZette8.)

    Top Dems slow rolling ethics probe to delay investigation into Obama leaks. (The Washington Free Beacon9)

    Dems see huge field emerging to take on Trump. (The Hill10)

    Soros gave $20.7 million to alleged Russia-funded climate groups in U.S. (NewsBusters11)

    Venezuelan president reportedly considering asylum as pressure grows on regime. (CNS News12)

    The laughable hypocrisy of Katie Couric lecturing others on the dangers of “fake News.” (Washington Examiner13)

    DOJ takes down largest dark net marketplace in history. (CNS News14)

    Voter fraud database tops 1,000 proven cases. (The Daily Signal15)

    Minnesota schools adopt transgender toolkit for kindergartners. (The Washington Free Beacon16)

    McDonald’s employee refuses to serve uniformed police officer, gets fired. (Richmond Times-Dispatch17)

    Policy: How housing assistance leads to long-term dependence — and how to fix it. (Manhattan Institute18.)

    Policy: America needs more pipelines. (U.S. News & World Report19)

For more, visit Patriot Headline Report20.

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Social Security Is Still a Looming Disaster21

By Brian Mark Weber

Did Donald Trump collude with Russia in order to gain an advantage in the presidential election? Will Republicans repeal or replace ObamaCare? And will Congress ever get around to the border wall, tax cuts and a host of other important issues? Seems like everything is on the radar right now except the one thing that everyone in Washington should be talking about: Social Security reform.

But don’t worry. If you’re under 50, you still have some time to hope that Congress and the president will wake up and deal with this monumental entitlement problem.

How bad is it? A lot worse than we think. The Social Security Administration’s annual Trustees Report indicates that Social Security’s unfunded obligation is now $11.5 trillion. The Heritage Foundation’s Romina Boccia reminds us22, “In the absence of congressional action, benefits could be delayed or indiscriminately reduced across the board by 25 percent. Once the Social Security trust fund is depleted, the program will only be able to pay 75 percent of scheduled benefits, based on payroll and other Social Security tax revenues projected at that time.”

For now, Social Security will continue to make its payments to those who have reached retirement age. But by 2035, the trust fund will run dry and Social Security will have to rely on payments into the system. Unfortunately, the number of people paying will be insufficient to fund those who are retiring.

As of now, there are few solutions being offered. In 2016, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sam Johnson (R-TX), introduced23 the Social Security Reform Act of 2016. But the program merely tinkers with the system already in place, leaving it susceptible to the same problems that plague it today.

But politicians of both parties need to be thinking about more than just current retirees. Millennials are paying attention to Social Security and are anxious to do something about it.

David Barnes writes24 in the Washington Examiner, “My generation demonstrates both the capacity and desire to plan and save for retirement but, as the payroll tax eats up more of our hard-earned income, Social Security is actually hindering our ability to do so. Revamping the antiquated Social Security program would allow millennials to save substantially more and protect our country’s financial future. My generation has been saddled with a head-spinning nearly $20 trillion in federal government debt. And Social Security, the single largest federal program, is a huge driver of this debt, costing nearly $929 billion25 in 2016, close to a quarter of every dollar the government spent.”

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The Patriot Post Digest 7-21-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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If Millennials as a whole are savvy when it comes to their financial future, it’s yet another critical opportunity that most Republicans are failing to recognize. Here we have a whole generation of young Americans clamoring for alternatives to the status quo, but Republicans have nothing to offer. They’re not even thinking about the problem anymore. Add this to a long list of hanging fruit for which Republicans refuse to reach.

So what can we expect from congressional Republicans moving forward? The Cato Institute’s Michael Tanner paints a bleak picture26: “If Republicans could not even slow the growth of Medicaid or rein in the program’s Obamacare expansion, how will they ever withstand the special-interest onslaught that will accompany any attempt to control entitlement costs? The dynamics are not going to change. The public will remain horrified at the thought of giving up any benefits, no matter how unrealistic those promises may be. Democrats will remain adamantly opposed to cutting a dime from any program. President Trump will remain distracted and disengaged (not to mention increasingly unpopular). Republicans will remain divided and afraid.”

One can understand that President Trump has a lot on his plate, and expecting him to tackle Social Security reform is perhaps unreasonable considering that congressional Republicans can’t seem to agree on anything these days. If the GOP can’t even muster enough unity to cut taxes or repeal ObamaCare, Republicans are unlikely to touch “the third rail of American politics” and send a Social Security reform bill to the president anytime soon.

But that doesn’t absolve President Trump of the responsibility to at least acknowledge the problem. Sure, other presidents have kicked the can down the road, so this president isn’t any more to blame than his predecessors. At the same time, President Trump and the Republican Congress are in a challenging but advantageous position: They actually have the power to enact serious and lasting reform that might save the country from the inevitable failure of a system that’s currently unsustainable.

Were President Trump to look at Social Security reform as an opportunity rather than a burden to be put aside for the next administration, he might break up the very political establishment that he claims to oppose. And Republicans might be viewed as a party of real change and reform instead of a do-nothing party afraid of its own shadow.

On the campaign trail, Trump wasn’t the least bit interested in Social Security reform. In fact, he promised not to touch it27. Yet if Republicans could muster the political will to craft a thoughtful bill and send it to the president, he might just jump at the chance to sign it. Not that we should expect it anytime soon. Republicans seem to think it’s safer these days to do a lot of nothing.

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

    Campus Rape: Revisiting the ‘Dear Colleague’ Letter28 — Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is working to bring Rule of Law back, even to America’s college campuses.
    Trump Warns Maduro29 — He promises to raise strong economic sanctions against the Venezuelan dictator should he continue with his power grab.
    Bloomberg Wrongly Cites ‘Wealth Inequality’ to Vilify School Choice30 — The fact is, statist policies are eating away at the middle class — including, incidentally, private school tuition.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

    David Limbaugh: OK, GOP: No More Excuses31
    Michael Barone: The Detroit Riot, 50 Years Later32
    E. Calvin Beisner: Why Are Older Scientists More Likely to Doubt Climate Alarmism?33
    Gary Welton: My Human Identity Transcends Gender34

For more, visit Right Opinion35.

OPINION IN BRIEF

David Limbaugh: “Many pundits assume that if left alone, Obamacare will continue to unravel and disintegrate, but another school of thought says that it has already sustained the worst and will survive. I don’t know about you, but I would never want to bet against the survival of any government entitlement program. Legislators will always figure out a way to bail it out, or, if it is beyond all repair, they might just take the easy route and opt for a single-payer system, which was Obama’s plan all along. That’s the worst of all worlds. … Don’t ever underestimate the formidability of the media-enabled Democratic propaganda machine. If Republicans don’t get their act together now, they may not ever get another chance to prevent socialized medicine in this country. We’ll never have a better chance to make market-based health care reforms if we don’t pass the best bill possible now, for at least two reasons: First, Republicans will be punished for incompetence and betrayal in the next election. And second, there will be a point beyond which market reforms can’t feasibly be made.”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “The state remains, as it was in the beginning, the common enemy of all well-disposed, industrious and decent men.” —H. L. Mencken (1880-1956)

Observations: “On the cusp of a historic failure, the [GOP] has begun the finger-pointing, and it’s hard to argue with any of it. The establishment is right that Trump is incapable of true legislative leadership. The Trumpists are right that the establishment is ineffectual. Conservatives are right that moderates don’t really want to repeal Obamacare, whatever they’ve said in the past. And pragmatists are right that a few conservatives are beholden to a self-defeating purity.” —Rich Lowry

Upright: “I like partisan fights when those fights are about something real. The Medicaid fight was at least about something real. But most of this nonsense is a battle of liars trying to protect past lies in the hope of being able to make new lies seem just plausible enough for the liars to keep repeating them.” —Jonah Goldberg

You’ve been warned: “I don’t have any presidential aspirations. If the Millennials want me to do it, I’d do it, though.” —Maxine Waters

An inconvenient lie: “Unfortunately, some elements of the Earth’s system have crossed a point of no return. … But we still have the ability to stop short of other points of no return and we now have the solutions available to really solve this crisis. We need the political will, but political will is a renewable resource.” —Al Gore

Late-night humor: “The Republican bill to repeal and replace Obamacare has officially fallen apart. But Republicans say they’re just going to let Obamacare fail while they regroup and figure out a new plan. And Democrats said, ‘Hey, that’s the same thing we’re doing with Trump.’” —Jimmy Fallon

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Managing Editor Nate Jackson

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