CAUSE AND EFFECT

In less than a year Biden and his puppeteers have destroyed basically everything Trump accomplished during his presidency. It is easy to see the results of his/their edicts and efforts to erase everything Trump from the scene. Let's take a look at what has been done and what that has caused. 

 

One of his first official acts was to stop the Keystone Pipeline. Then he stopped oil drilling and exploration on any federal lands. Cause and effect. Gas prices started going through the roof. Since oil was being produced at a much smaller level, we lost our energy independence which Trump had created.  Biden then had to beg OPEC to produce more. Just last year we were an exporter of oil. Now, after just less than a year of Biden, we are again an importer of oil. And we are at the mercy of people who don't like us very well to produce for us. It is sad but it's also embarrassing. 

 

Next, probably because of pressure from the ultra left, he decided to pull out of Afghanistan. I was certainly ready to get out of that hell hole but, there's a right way and there's a wrong way. Biden chose the wrong way. Soldiers died because of this incompetence. Americans and our allies were abandoned because of pure stupidity. 

 

We also lost the respect of our friends in the area. These are friends that we may well have to call on again to deal with the unfinished business in Afghanistan. 

 

Next on the list of causes and effects is inflation. When the government pays people to sit on their butts and not work, guess what? That's exactly what they do. Now we have a major labor shortage. We don't have enough truck drivers to haul the freight we need. Today, hundreds of container ships are anchored offshore waiting to be unloaded. The big problem is that so much of what we need is produced in other parts of the world. Trump was heavily involved with bringing manufacturing back to this country. Biden has done nothing toward that end. 

 

The Federal Reserve is pumping more and more money into this inflationary market. We have only seen the beginning of inflation. For some reason liberals can't seem to understand basic economics. You cannot punish the producers to enrich the nonproducers and think you are making headway. Nonproducers don't create jobs. Government doesn't produce anything. Money flows downhill. Never uphill.

 

Crime is tearing up our major cities. Smash and grab robberies, drive by shootings, murder, you name it. It is exploding. When liberal judges and District Attorneys put bad guys back on the street, this is what happens. Biden deals with this by denying it is happening. In fact he seems to believe all he has to do is say it isn't true. He is much more interested in global climate change and tree equity, whatever the hell that is.  

 

So now we deal with the "pandemic". The Democrats have long held that a good crisis is a terrible thing to waste. They have no intention of wasting this particular crisis. Do you remember two years ago when we were told we have to level the curve? I guess we didn't get it done. It's like every time we seem to be getting ahead of this insidious disease, another variant comes along. I don't know about you, but I have had a belly full of this pandemic. 

 

All Biden seems to do is threaten people who haven't been vaccinated. The idiotic mayor of New York City is shutting the city down because of his need to be a dictator. His term ends Friday. Go away. Free people don't handle mandates very well, as all of these tin-horn officials will see soon.  

 

I am hanging on by my fingernails for the next election. I anticipate an absolute blood bath.

 

Ron Scarbro December 28, 2021

 

CHRISTMAS 2021

Christmas is such a wonderful time of the year that I don't want to use this spot to gripe and complain. I do that enough. We all have so much to be thankful for and to be happy about. The bad stuff will still be there next week. 

 

My Christmas memories are all so sweet. They are filled with family and friends. There is always music and yummy food. There's even an aroma of Christmas. 

 

I hope you have a happy Christmas and that this season is filled with memory-making events. Thank you all for reading these columns. I'll be back at it next week.

 

Merry Christmas

Ron Scarbro Christmas 2021

 

PRECIOUS MEMORIES

For the most part this blog deals with political events and current events. I try to offer opinions on pressing issues and generally create discussion. I hope I have been successful in that effort. Today, however, my mind is wandering back to an event from my past that re-emerged recently and has haunted me until I decided to write this piece. I hope this has value for you. It has for me.

 

Several years ago I was driving with my aunt, who at that time was a recent widow. I don’t remember where we were going or why, I just remember that we had gotten ourselves lost. When I finally decided that I didn’t know where I was, I brought up the matter with my aunt. I noticed that she was crying. I thought this is crazy. We are going to figure out where we are in a few moments and everything will be fine. As it turns out, that was not the reason why she was crying. 

 

She said “I used to get so mad at your uncle. It seemed every time we went driving, we would get lost. He would never prepare for a trip by checking a map and he wouldn’t stop and ask for directions. It used to just drive me crazy. Today though, I would give everything I own just to be lost with him one more time.” That comment stuck in my mind and as I said re-emerged recently. 

 

My aunt died a few years later and went on to join my uncle. Who knows why such events come back into one’s memory. Perhaps they are lessons we are taught that from time to time come back to us to help us along our life’s journey. I am sure we all have those experiences. 

 

Now that I am in my eighty-first year on this earth, I think of these things. How would my life be if I suddenly had to face it without my life partner? How important are those little irritants that are a part of life? Would they still be irritants? Or would they become precious memories?  Our lives become so fixed and in some ways mundane. We eat, sleep, and the next day do it all over again. We fret about our kids. We worry about the market. And the next day we do it all over again. The reality is that this is my life. These are the memories that will sustain me if I were suddenly alone. 

 

Some time ago I wrote a piece about living like you are dying. Don’t let a day go by that is wasted. You will never get to see it again. While it is easy to say, it becomes more of a challenge to live it. This is what I am going to do. I plan to live out my days with the understanding that all that is my life may well need to be the memories that sustain me later. Even the little irritants. I plan to hold those as precious memories. I hope you might do the same.

 

Ron Scarbro August 13, 2011; updated December 15, 2021

 

500 YEARS FROM NOW

If the human race survives for the next five hundred years, and I think that's truly iffy, one wonders what the archeologists of that time will think when they dig us up. Imagine all they will see. What will they find? How will they explain our existence?

 

When we today look back on human's early days, we see astounding things. We sometimes laugh at how early humans saw the world. We are often amused by their reactions to natural phenomena. Do you think they worried about the temperature of the earth or the level of the ocean, though? I believe they appreciated warmth when they were cold and moved to higher ground when the water rose. I doubt that they wasted a lot of time worrying about things that were totally out of their control. 

 

In this column I will try to show some of the nonsense that identifies us and these times. How about the idea by some that humans have more than two genders? Obviously we have males and we have females. They were put on the earth for a purpose and that is to make more humans. What exactly is the purpose of "transexuals"? Even though they call themselves males and females, their purpose on earth is fuzzy at best. 

 

When future generations see our art, what will they think? When they uncover a Hunter Biden masterpiece will they mistake it for a kindergarten art project? Or, is that an insult to kindergarten art projects? 

 

How about our music? What will they say when they hear rap? Even worse, what about Justin Bieber doing Christmas songs? 

 

What will they say when they examine the politics of these days? How do you think they might try to explain that voters, with full knowledge, elected an individual to serve as president with the mental capacity of a ten year old? Will they laugh at us the way we laughed at the antics of people we study in our past?

 

They will see a country that had everything going for it who started listening to alternative ways to govern. That introduced leftist, Marxist philosophies which ultimately tried to destroy America. 

 

I am certain they will be amazed that we gave the media the power to control so much. They might hear the name George Soros, and they will probably wonder, who was he and who gave him so much authority?

 

I can only hope that, first of all, we survive as a people for five hundred years, and that we get back control of our country so that we can. I recently saw a poll that showed 66% of those polled felt we were going in the wrong direction. The amazing part of that poll is that 26% found we are going in the right direction. Hmmm. Who in the world are those people? 

 

There is a price to be paid for stupidity. There are consequences for bad decisions. We can only hope that we take advantage of our free elections to get rid of the morons and put sane, intelligent, functional people back in charge. The archeologists of the future will know if we made the right decisions.

 

Ron Scarbro December 8, 2021    

 

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORD NO

No. One of the most important words in our language. As parents we use the word a lot. We use it to protect and to teach. When your young child wants to play with an electrical outlet, you say no. Loudly and clearly. As a matter of fact you probably say no a lot more than you say yes. 

 

The problem comes when no is not used enough. A big problem comes when the Judicial system doesn't use the word no. They seem more likely to say the word maybe. 

 

A good example is when a youngster is arrested for a minor crime and comes before a judge to face his punishment. Instead of using this opportunity to teach through punishment, many times these youthful violators are given a slap, and not too hard, on the wrist and sent back out onto the streets to commit worse crimes. How many times have we seen felons being charged with violent crimes with a criminal record as long as your leg? In many cases they should probably have been in prison already for crimes committed in the past.

 

This clown in Wisconsin who mowed down all those people watching a Christmas parade had just been released by a judge with a bail of $1000. He has been a criminal most of his life. This latest crime? Well, he ran over his "baby momma" and her child. No doubt attempted murder. How can this ridiculously low bail be justified by any sane individual? Six people are now dead, so far, because of this miscarriage of justice. The judge should be arrested for abetting this crime and the murders. One wonders how much the bail would have been if the judge were held criminally responsible for this criminal's actions.

 

In California any theft of less than $1000 is now classified as a misdemeanor instead of robbery. Most of the ultra liberal prosecutors in California won't even prosecute misdemeanors. Therefore, the bad guys go unpunished only to steal again. The result is that many retailers in major cities in California are closing their doors and moving out. If you are in San Francisco don't even look for a Walgreens or a CVS pharmacy. They have moved out. 

 

There is yet another result of a lame, ineffective judicial system. People often feel the need to take the law into their own hands. We have just seen a couple of examples of that. Again, in Wisconsin a young man was arrested and charged with murder for trying to protect his property. He fortunately was found not guilty. In Georgia however, the story was different. Three men decided to chase down a young man they believed was stealing and killed him. They were all found guilty of murder. Rather than calling the police, they took the law into their own hands. 

 

Clearly the liberal's response to crime is terrible. If you don't punish these youngsters when they are first caught, most won't become good citizens on their own. They need to feel the sting of the law when they snub their nose at it.

 

We expect parents in a loving home to teach their children right from wrong. Sadly that doesn't always happen. In many cases the father/sperm donor is absent and not involved with parental duties. Fatherless homes are a recipe for disaster. 

 

While the word no is sometimes hard to hear, I assure you it will be heard at some point in a person's lifetime. It may come from a judge at the sentencing. 

 

Crime is rampant in this country today because of liberal attitudes toward criminals. It will only change when we change it.

 

Ron Scarbro December 1, 2021

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. On the face of it, that seems a silly concept. Every day should be a day of thanksgiving. For me, I am thankful for so much. 

 

I'll start with my life. I have had and continue to have a great life. I am 81 years old and have shared many of those years, 59 to be exact, with my life partner, Linda. Together we produced two children with whom we are extremely proud. 

 

Our son, Stephen, is a commercial artist who lives in Alaska with his wife Sam. Yes, that's her name. Both of them are very talented artists who create beautiful art in carvings, pictures, and textiles. Our only problem is that they live so far away and we don't get to see them nearly often enough. 

 

Our daughter, Heather, lives with her husband Jimmy here in Brunswick, Georgia. They too are very talented. They own their own insurance company. They are quite successful and get to work together. For some that would be difficult. Not for them. They excel in their work together.  

 

Our two grandchildren, Nic and Scout, have left the nest and are out seeking their fortune. We wish them success and believe they will find it. 

 

Now, who couldn't be thankful for all that?

 

As we sit together tomorrow for our traditional feast, we will be mindful of those who aren't so fortunate. There are so many opportunities available today. There are more jobs than people to fill them. Covid is basically behind us. Life will return to normal. Right now, anybody who doesn't have a job doesn't want one. 

 

Politically we are in a difficult place. Biden and Harris are suffering terrible poll numbers. It's called "buyer's remorse ". I am thankful that there will be another election next year and the cleanup will begin. 

 

The world continues to deal with issues from disease to hunger. Added to that is radicalism of every sort. In many cases it is religious and in others it is socialism. People yearn to be free. Freedom is the natural state of being for people. Authoritarianism flies in the face of that desire for freedom but in the final analysis, freedom wins. 

 

Of course evil still exists in the world today. We need to deal with it when we find it. And we will. 

 

But this column is about thankfulness. Look around you. See how blessed you are. Yes, there is sickness but, never in our history has there been better medicine and medical treatment. There are pain relievers available. There are surgical repairs that fix broken bones as well as removing offending germs and viruses. We are all living longer and healthier than ever. We all should be very thankful for advances in medical treatment. 

 

Now as I sit here, my house smells like Thanksgiving. Turkey stuffed with cornbread dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, to be topped off with the king of southern desserts, pecan pie. Or, as it is sometimes called down here, Karo nut pie. Am I thankful? You bet I am. 

 

As soon as the dishes are cleaned up, we start putting up Christmas decorations. We put traditional Christmas music on the system. Spirits are lifted. Smiles prevail. Love is everywhere. Yes, we are thankful and we wish for you those same blessings. 

 

And we are thankful for you, our readers. We appreciate your thoughtful comments and your continued readership. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

 

Ron Scarbro Thanksgiving 2021

 

WHERE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO SHOULD CARE?

I sit down in front of this computer every week to prepare a column. I try to be informative with a bit of common sense and even some humor. My subject is usually politics. 

 

Writing about Biden is very easy. It is tempting to use this forum to complain about him every week, but that would be a disservice to my readers. 

 

This week I want to ask about the people around him. Now, first of all I believe sincerely that Biden is mentally incompetent to fulfill the job of President. So then, who is making the decisions that are coming out of this Administration? Who is pulling the strings? When you see Biden without a script, he is pitiful. He often gets lost in the minutia of anything that is happening. Sometimes it's funny, but sometimes it is just plainly dangerous. The world is watching us. 

 

So, what about the people around him? They see the same thing everybody else sees. They surely understand the problem here. Or do they? Do they think all of this is okay?

 

I do not believe every Democrat is on board with what is going on. Biden's poll numbers are worse than Jimmy Carter's. Let's face it. The numbers couldn't be good because everything this bunch has touched has gone into the toilet and now they are contemplating shutting down another vital pipeline. Are they crazy?

 

Here's a name you are probably not familiar with, Saule Omarova. She is their nominee for Controller of the Currency. She was educated at the University of Moscow and is probably a communist. Regardless of that, she wants to see our entire fossil fuel industry bankrupt and is on record with that desire. No oil, no gasoline, no coal, and certainly no nuclear.  I guess she plans to ride to work on a mule. Travel to Europe would have to be by sail boat. There would be no airline industry. What nonsense. This is not the nineteenth century. The vast majority of the food we and the entire world needs is produced using fossil fuels. Democrats know that. 

 

This brings me to the purpose of this column. Where are the people who know these continued screw ups will destroy our country? Surely they are around somewhere. Where are the people who know we wouldn't survive even a day without fossil fuel? Everything that makes us a successful economy is based on the ability to fuel the machinery of agriculture, manufacturing, business, and defense. We don't hitch up a wagon to go to town anymore. We don't go out and milk our cow in the morning now. Can you imagine what living or working on the 50th floor of a building without an elevator would be like? Me neither. 

 

China is sitting back, laughing at us. Iran and North Korea must think we are complete morons to even consider the idea of eliminating fossil fuels. 

 

No doubt a time will come in the future when we will have alternate fuels. But we have to have the new fuels before we eliminate the old ones. That is just common sense. Anyone who cannot grasp that idea should just be ignored.

 

It is time for intelligent people to stand up and be heard. Put the morons in their place.

 

Rob Scarbro November 16, 2021

 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE

Tomorrow is Veterans Day. On this day we celebrate those who have served both in war and during peacetime. I read recently that only about 1% of all Americans either serve or have served in the military. Like many of the readers of this blog though, I am a veteran and proud of it. I entered the service when I was seventeen just out of high school. 

 

I didn't join out of any particular sense of patriotism. I joined because I knew I would be drafted anyway so I might just as well get it over with.

 

Back then getting accepted wasn't a problem. Today, however, I read recently that the vast majority of young people in this country wouldn't even qualify to enter the military service. They would be disqualified because of mental or physical reasons. Now that is sad. 

 

I remember when I joined. My physical exam was really pretty simple. If you could make steam on a mirror, you were in. If there was a mental requirement, I don't remember it, but I must have passed. Within moments of my reporting for my entrance examinations, I was being sworn in and put on a bus to Fort Jackson, SC. I was in the Army for sure. 

 

It turns out that joining the Army was one of the best decisions I ever made. I was a country boy fresh out of the hills of Tennessee with limited experience and even less talent. The Army made a man out of me. I got to see the world. They sent me first to Seattle and then to Germany. While in Germany I traveled to many other countries in Europe. I seriously doubt that I would ever have had such an opportunity without the service. They taught me skills that I still use today. I have said before and I'll say it again, I got so much more from my time in the service than I ever gave.

 

When people thank me for my service, I am grateful, but I also am thankful. Thankful for the many opportunities being in the Army made possible for me.

 

I am enrolled in the VA for my medical care. A lot of people complain about the VA. Not me. They have in the past, and they continue today, to provide the best care possible for me. With the passage of the Mission Act, I often can receive care from local providers which is very helpful. The VA does the job for me. 

 

For young people today, if you can qualify to get into the service, sign up. It will probably pay you many times over for your service.  

 

With Christmas approaching, the war games ads are all over television. You see tanks and big guns. You see bombs blowing up. You see cities being destroyed by these pretend weapons. I have a great deal for you. Join the Army and you get to play with real weapons. You get to blow up real bombs. And, they even pay you while you play with these weapons. You get to shoot real guns. All the while you are standing guard over the greatest country on earth. You become a part of something much bigger than anything you've ever done before. And when your time in service is over, you become a veteran. An exclusive club that is only available to those who have served 

 

There is no greater honor than to serve as a guardian for the lifestyle we all enjoy today. To those among you who belong in that club, I say thank you for your service. Thank you for putting it all on the line. And, Happy Veterans Day.

 

Ron Scarbro November 10, 2021

VARIOUS STUFF ON MY MIND

I am writing this days before the governor's elections in Virginia and New Jersey. By the time I post this blog, the results should be known so I will probably update this piece. 

 

To explain the importance of this election, one should understand that this may well be the beginning of the end for the "progressive, liberal" 

experiment being played out in this country. The Republican candidate in Virginia has gained a huge majority in the most recent polls. The Democrat establishment is definitely worried. They see the obvious. 

 

For several years I have spoken against liberalism and now it might be on death's door.  We can only hope. 

 

We are being told that another caravan of illegal aliens is on the march to our southern border. I have heard numbers in the thousands. They overran the token resistance offered by the Mexican National Guard and started north to the border. When you hear them interviewed, they seem convinced that the border has been opened by Biden and they will be welcomed. I suspect, at least I hope, they will be in for a shock. 

 

I have often wondered how they all seem to have cell phones and clean clothes and plenty of food and water. How are they charging their phones? Who is supplying them? How are they dealing with bathroom needs? Just wondering.    

 

We are now informed that our Social Security COLA will be an increase of 5.8%. Thanks. The only problem is that the actual cost of living for real SSN recipients is much higher than 5.8%. In addition, Medicare costs will also rise further compromising the token increase. I do appreciate Social Security. But, if Lyndon Johnson had left it alone, our monthly benefit would be much higher. I am truly sorry for those who are trying to live only on Social Security. 

 

Meanwhile, while all of this is going on, Biden is in Europe playing nice with representatives of various countries. They seem tone deaf to the real problems facing all of us, preferring to deal with global climate change and phony nuclear test bans in Iran. They all get pretty pictures and good press. How nice. Meanwhile their respective countries go further into the hole. 

 

I understand the climate is changing. It has been since the beginning of time. Someday we may be raising crops in what is now ice covered tundra. Or, we may not. I don't know what the level of the sea is supposed to be. Neither do the so-called experts who offer their opinion. The west coast has been under drought conditions most of the year. Today they are being flooded by heavy rains. That seems to be their normal. Droughts followed by floods. Brush fires followed by mudslides. These are not man made phenomena. These are nature doing what nature does. Deal with it.

 

I wasn't around for the initial planning of this earth. I wasn't in on temperatures, sea levels, species survival, or any of the rest of stuff that advocates of the religion of global warming seem to worship. What I do know is that so far we are able to feed the millions that inhabit this planet and find new techniques everyday to make our lives better. 

 

I am pro-vax but anti-mandate. Turns out most Americans are also. As I have written before, we don't handle mandates and edicts very well. I also believe this virus is losing its hold and will soon be just an ugly memory. We can only hope.

 

What the future holds, I do not know. But I believe the One who really is in charge will make the right decisions.

 

Ron Scarbro November 2, 2021

 

P.S. The election is over and the Republican won in Virginia. New Jersey is still too close to call. This is very bad news for Biden but extremely good news for this country. Smart Democrats, are you paying attention?