The most recent Bond movie was about the same plot as previous 007 movies. Bond was saving the world against the evil Russians. This time the weapon was a DNA fluid that targeted enemies. There were some good fight scenes, car chases, explosions, stunts, and a little romance.
Danial Craig played a retired British agent, called back into service to thwart a global threat. He was not 007. That designation went to a large Black woman!! Check that box!
Judy Dench was not in the movie. Too bad! “M” was played by an old white man that was part of the evil plot. Check that box!
“Q” was played by a gay man with a partner. Check that box! Regrettably, “Q” did not have many new gadgets.
An attractive white woman played Bond’s liaison. She was sexy in a low-cut black dress. In fight scenes, she must have killed 20 heavily armed assassins. Check that box!
A young Black woman played the secretary Moneypenny! Check that box!
So overall, the movie was politically correct. I gave the movie 3 stars.
The State of NC is considering yet another scheme to make healthcare free. Apparently, some percentage of people living in NC are in debt, and healthcare bills are part of the problem. So, our state leaders want to make healthcare free. Baloney! There is no such thing as free healthcare. Either the hospitals and/or paying patients are going pay for others. Advocate Health System is reporting 35% of their patients currently are non-payers. What will happen if that % goes to 50% or higher. Nothing good!!
I have never supported the idea of healthcare being a “universal right.” People are not “entitled” to anything for free and especially healthcare. Over the last 53 years, I have paid $200,000+ for medical insurance. And- more than that amount for deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses. Most people are like me!
Every notable economist knows that full employment is the key to a strong economy. A prosperous economy is good for everyone, especially those families in the lower levels of income. When people are working, their employer provides medical insurance and pays usually 2/3’s to 3/4’s of the premium. Many people work for the healthcare coverage. If healthcare is made free for a large number of state residents, people will quit working. Unemployment will rise dramatically, and the economy will decline which will hurt the exact people our lawmakers are trying to help.
And one more point-under no circumstances should illegals be granted free healthcare. Illegals are already costing NC taxpayers millions of dollars for education, social benefits, auto insurance rates, and law enforcement. Some illegals are already protesting in Raleigh for more “free stuff.” My real estate taxes have gone up $1000 in 2 years to provide funds for illegals in schools.
We must protect our healthcare industry. Passing laws granting free healthcare is not the way!
Britain’s new migrant policy is innovative. The country has become overwhelmed with migrants coming to their shores from France. Britain has tried working with France to stop the migration. About 29,000 migrants crossed last year. So-Britain’s government has a new strategy!
Effective this month, Britain has made an agreement with Rwanda to accept migrants from the shores of Britain. Britain is going to pay the government of Rwanda to take their migrants without even giving the migrants a chance to explain their asylum claims. There are just too many migrants to deal with. Rwanda gets cash for each migrant they accept.
Australia has taken the same approach sending their migrants to other countries.
Britain believes that the flow of migrants will decrease if those people know they will be sent to Africa (6,500 miles away). Perhaps so! The trip across the English Channel is very dangerous, often in crowded inflatables crewed by smugglers paid to make the crossing.
I believe a sovereign nation has the legal right and obligation to control its borders. let’s see how Britain’s new policy works. Hope Biden is watching!!!
Late last year the voters of New Orleans elected Susan Hutson as their new Sheriff. She is the first woman sheriff in the history of New Orleans and the first Black female sheriff in Louisiana. She will oversee the city’s jail which has over 1000 inmates and is one of the most dangerous in the US. Hutson is a Democrat!
New Orleans has a history of violence and ranks in the top 15 most violent cities in the US. And-violent crime in New Orleans is on the rise with 90 murders in the first 4 months of 2022. The New Orleans jail is currently under a consent degree from the Department of Justice due to poor conditions, sanitation issues, violence and deaths, and staff turnover within the jail.
Hutson has never worked in law enforcement! She is a progressive that has promised “a more humane” approach to incarceration. During her campaign, she promised better medical treatment, more visitation rights, housing of inmates based on self-identification genders and less use of force by her deputies. Exactly how is that going to work?
Hutson’s critics are very worried about her approach. They fear a kinder, more humane jail will embolden criminals. And-crime is on the rise. Good luck Sheriff Hutson. Voters in New Orleans will likely get impacted by her success or lack thereof.
This week a California judge struck down a law that required public companies in the state to have at least 1 woman on their Board, with larger Boards required to have 2-3 women. The law was enacted in 2019. Of course, the Superior Court judge ruled the law was unconstitutional as it violates the “equal protection under the law” clause by mandating gender-based quotas.
When the law was enacted in 2019, the governor said he knew the law was “on shaky ground” but he got bullied by the #MeToo movement. It took 3 years for the courts to decide. Another huge waste of taxpayers’ money. From 2019 to this week, the law imposed huge fines ($100,000 to $300,000) on companies that failed to meet the quotas. Another waste of money!
Company Board members play a significant role bringing governance, industry expertise, ethics oversight, financial stewardship, personal connections and influence, and strategic skills to the company. These positions are extremely critical to a successful company. Gender should never be the determining factor for appointment to the Board.
Many women are qualified to serve on company boards and should be selected based on the factors stated above. Gender is not on the list.
Across the globe and throughout history as far back as the Roman Empire and Genghis Khan (1200AD) law and order has played an important role. The common denominator in every prosperous country is law and order. Trust in the legal system allows businesses to grow.
If a country, province, state, or even a city does not have laws to protect persons and property the economy will not get established. Private property will not be recognized and thus can be looted, stolen, destroyed, or taken over by the government. There will not be any reason to work hard and create goods or services if that output is not the property of those who worked for it!
Investors will not loan money to entrepreneurs with creative ideas if those investments are not protected by law. Businesses always start small and grow as money becomes available to expand. If there is no private property protected by laws, then there is no collateral. Investors will not be protected with liens.
Growing businesses create goods and services for the general public, often making life better. Businesses pay taxes which are used to provide services to the people. And-businesses provide jobs! The economy at every level is just a collection of transactions between producers and consumers. Goods to sell to those with money. Those simple transactions must be protected by laws.
Currently, there are many Third World countries without laws to protect citizens and property rights. This is the fundamental reason these countries are poor. There are 55 countries in Africa, many with vast natural resources but most are very poor. Government corruption, despotic leaders, lack of law and order are the reasons these countries are poor. Most citizens of these poor countries work “off the books” in jobs not recognized by any legal system. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is larger than France and has vast natural resources, yet its GDP is $47 billion, compared to $2.778 trillion for France. Lack of law and order and government corruption is the reason DRC does not have a prosperous economy.
America has drifted away from a country of strict law and order. Race riots in the 1960’s caused major cities to suffer financially. Many businesses were destroyed and not re-built. Jobs in the cities disappeared. The economy suffered and public services declined. More recently, race riots in 2020 occurred across the US. Thousands of buildings were destroyed Many businesses were lost. Jobs are gone. No taxes to collect which again lead to a decline in public services including schools.
Bail reform and no cash bail policies plus reducing police budgets have led to lawlessness, property damage, theft, personal injury/deaths and population decline in many major cities. Crime rates in these cities are at record highs. This is very bad for the economy, and thus for the tax base which provides services including law enforcement.
A strong economy serves all people. Prosperity creates an improved quality of life. Law and order form the base of any strong economy and has been demonstrated across the globe for 2000+ years.
I believe the US. is in a terrible mess!! And the people are angry, upset, stressed, divided, burdened, scared, and struggling financially. The causes are inflation, crime, illegal immigration, Biden’s policies, a dishonest media, Twitter, war in the Ukraine, and Federal debt. We got in this mess because of many bad ideas and actions by our elected officials. This is my list of bad ideas that got us into this mess:
Open borders allow unvetted, uneducated people into the US. It also allows criminals, guns, drugs, and disease into our country.
De-funding any law enforcement department. We all know crime rises as a result!
Bail reform puts violent criminals back onto the street. Very bad idea!
Teaching sex and gender in public schools. Why?
Declaring roads, trees, parks and buildings as racist! This is crazy!
Allowing people to destroy buildings, cars, stores, statues, etc. during riots. Same with threats of violence, and bodily harm to anyone.
Electing political activists to public office at any level. They are narrow minded, inexperienced, uncompromising, and often very stupid.
Dropping “merit” as a selection criterion for admission to colleges. America needs top talent to survive. The SAT and high school grades have been successfully used in the US for 90+ years. Math is math! Same with English. M.I.T uses the SAT’s.
Cancelling student debt is a bad idea. The middle class will pay the bill. Much of the debt is for medical degrees and law degrees. Hmmm! Biden just wants to buy votes!
America is not systemically racist! If one group of citizens under-performs another group, the causes are often effort, skills, talent, choices, parenting skills, and laziness!
Diversity is a myth. There is absolutely no evidence that a diverse team delivers better results. Does anyone think adding more white players to the NBA team rosters will make the teams more competitive? And not all women or Blacks think alike.
Casual dress Fridays was a bad idea. That led to sloppiness, irreverence, lack of personal discipline, laziness, and lower levels of respect. Sad but true!
Just back from a 10-day vacation to the wonderful island of Jamaica! Ya Mon!
Stayed at the Sandals resort, which was ok, not great! Room AV/AC was not working properly so all clothing got damp. Ugh! Food was average. Wine was Robert Mondavi Twin Oaks, about $8.50/bottle. Below average. I thought lunches were hard to get as most restaurants were crowded and slow. Several times it took 45-50 minutes to get meal.
The servers were very good. Special recognition to Andrewnique, Javel, and Ishmael.
During the stay, we re-connected with a lovely couple from Houston. Young people. It was Karma that their room was next-door. N and V are all class!
The highlight of our stay was meeting a crazy woman from Florida and her tolerant husband. She kept us entertained with her various stories and antics. She adopted one of the resort’s feral cats and allowed the cat to sleep in their bed! B and B were great. I hope we see them again.
Covid testing was required to re-enter the US. The resort provided that service. And Global Entry went well. No waiting!!! Returned to see masses of illegals crossing our southern border without testing. That situation is wrong and very dangerous!
Shiyun Malik Smith is a 23-year-old NFL player from South Carolina. He plays as a wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers. Last year, his rookie season, he caught 6 passes for 104 yards. Pitiful! In 2021, he signed a 4-year contract for $3.4 million.
However, in late March, he was arrested for speeding, driving over 80 mph in a 55mph zone. During the arrest, deputies found 49 grams of marijuana in his car and a loaded handgun. Smith did not have a permit for the gun. And any marijuana amount over 28 grams is considered “intent to distribute.” This is a felony charge. Smith is in serious trouble. He could face 3-5 years in prison.
Stop and think! He signed a 4-year contract for about $1million/year. He’s driving recklessly about 20 miles from the Panther’s stadium with marijuana and an illegal gun in his car. How incredibly stupid is that! Shi Smith has embarrassed the Panthers and the fans. And the NFL.
Facing these 3 charges, Smith will probably lose his one chance to play professional football.
This past Sunday, our local newspaper (The Charlotte Fishwrap) published the names of 50,000+ local people and businesses that did not pay their local taxes. The list was 84 full pages long, using a very small font. The list showed names, addresses and amounts owed. Just assuming each person or business owed $500/each, the total unpaid tax bill would be $25 million. And that is just for the current year, it does not count previous years.
So, I had a variety of thoughts regarding these delinquent taxpayers:
$25million is a lot of money that could be used for education, law enforcement, road improvements, and resident services.
Am I a chump for paying my taxes? Ha!
If personal property taxes like DMV are not paid, are these people still driving legally? Have their driver’s licenses been revoked? How can they afford a car but not the $300 tax?
Why isn’t the local government collecting from these people and businesses? What is that process? How hard can it be? Does the local budget “allow” for these delinquent payers?
I guess these people are using local services but not paying for them! The rest of us have to cover their expenses costs.
What % of these past due amounts does the government collect? I’d like to see that amount, and are there repeat offenders? 50,000 people and businesses is a huge number. How does that happen?
At $75,000 per teacher, including benefits, the uncollected amount would cover the employment costs for 357 new teachers!!!!
I say go after these delinquents! Track them down!
High Truths and Low Lies 