Throughout history, one of the most elusive questions of mankind has been whether absolute truth can be known. On the day of His crucifixion, Jesus testified before the Roman governor, Pilate. The apostle John recorded that Jesus said He had the attention of everyone who knows the truth. Pilate replied, “What is truth?” Two thousand years later, the world is still asking that same question.
A 2025 report by the Cultural Research Center of Arizona Christian University found the 66% of American adults “reject or doubt the existence of absolute moral truth.” In a 2025 survey by Pew Research Center asking whether moral rules are absolute or depend on the situation, 55% said moral judgments often depend on the situation (i.e. are not absolute), while only 44% said there are clear absolute standards.
A recent article by Mike Turner, pastor of First Baptist Church of Stamps, Arkansas, provides the following interesting insight into the question of absolute truth:
Abraham Lincoln once used a very clever ploy to teach some people about truth. They had come to him with a decision that was based on suppositions rather than truth. After hearing their logic, Lincoln asked, “How many legs would a sheep have if you called its tail a leg?” They quickly answered, “Five!” The president then replied, “No, it would have only four legs. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it one.”
If you don’t believe in absolute truth, then you might say, “To me, rocks are soft; water is dry; and grass is orange.” But just because you may believe it with all your heart, it does not make it so! Truth is something that is always true!
Many people struggle with truth today. Just because a man calls himself a woman doesn’t make it so; he is still a male. Just because a mother says an unborn child is an unnecessary blob of tissues doesn’t make it so; it is still her baby. Just because two homosexuals called themselves “married” doesn’t make it so; it is still a sinful union. Just because an illegal alien calls himself a citizen doesn’t make it so; he is still a criminal trespasser. And just because a cultist calls himself a “Christian” doesn’t make it so; he is still a perverter of the gospel.
Jesus had earlier answered Pilate’s question about truth. When praying to God for His disciples, He proclaimed, “Thy Word is truth.” (John 17:17). Whatever God has declared in His Word is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It is about time we stopped counting tails as legs and started believing the Word of God!
One of the caravans of illegal immigrants in Mexico headed to the American border during the Biden Administration
The illegal immigration crisis of recent years has been the worst assault on Americans in our lifetime–worse than 9/11 or COVID. There are 18.6 million illegal aliens in the U.S. You will be shocked at how much you are paying in taxes to support these infiltrators. Illegal immigration is a key link in the movement toward socialism in our country. Let’s review the massive impact this criminal activity is having and its support by the Democratic Party.
The Cost
I’ve done a little numbers crunching for you. The 18.6 million illegal immigrants within our borders is an extensively researched estimate by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). The economic impact of this 5.5% of our total population is currently $151 billion net per year according to FAIR. The “net” is calculated because the annual gross government expenditure on illegal immigrants is $182 billion, but the illegals supposedly contribute $31 billion per year in taxes, leaving $151 billion in net yearly costs. With our present population of 342 million, it is costing each man, woman, and child in America $441 per year in taxes to support illegal immigrants. Since only about half of Americans pay taxes (163 million), that amounts to $925 per tax payer, per year. Since the average family unit in America consists of 3.15 persons, the average tax-paying family pays $2,914 in taxes each year to pay the bill for the 18.6 million people who are within our borders illegally. Bottom line: multiply the number of total people in your household by $925, and that is how much you are paying in taxes each year for those in our country who are not allowed by law to be here.
The taxes we pay subsidize the illegals in a number of ways. Our federal and state governments have decided these millions of criminal trespassers will be provided government food subsidy payments, discounted housing, legal assistance, and use of almost all government public services. They receive emergency medical treatment through Medicaid. Their children are educated in our public schools and access our school meal programs. Federal, state, and local governments pay millions of dollars for law enforcement dealing with illegal immigrants. U.S. government agencies estimate the cost of investigating, apprehending, and removing a single illegal immigrant is $10,900 to $17,000.
The Threat
Although most of these illegals are not homeless or committing heinous crimes, they are all criminals. They all entered our country purposely and illegally. Most have taken jobs from Americans under false pretences. More importantly, many are horrendous criminals. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says that over 13,000 of them have been convicted of murder in their countries of origin. So, there are foreign murderers among us by the thousands. Hardly a day goes by without a breaking news story of another homicide or violent crime by an illegal immigrant. There have been over 500 violent crimes by illegal immigrants so far in 2025. Human trafficking is at its highest rate ever in America, and most of it is coming through our national borders. Recently, two deadly semi-truck and car accidents have revealed that thousands of commercial truckers licenses have been issued to illegal immigrants who speak no English and cannot read road signs. The Trump administration has essentially stopped the wide-open borders that had been inviting virtually unchallenged passage to thousands daily under the previous administration. But the multiple millions of unscreened invaders who are already in our cities and rural areas across our land will create agonizing domestic problems and spiraling costs for years to come.
The Question
With that statistical backdrop of America’s societal landscape, how can any sane person side with the Democratic Party and the leftists? The liberal left half of our nation supports and protects these criminal immigrants with a vengeance. What possible explanation is there for their vehement hate speech and often violent attacks defending what is an obvious blight on our country? Why do they rage against law enforcement that is simply performing their sworn duty according to democratically established laws?
The Answer
I believe there are two related answers to these conundrums. First, the rising young Democratic liberals have largely become radical socialists bent on destroying democracy, capitalism, freedom, and the traditional American way of life. Their vision is a socialist America with the eventual evolution to communism. The strategy to such a coup begins with creating anarchy, disregarding moral standards, demonizing capitalism, deemphasizing religion, broading their base by diluting society with maximum immigration, and indoctrinating our nation’s youth in marxism. We need to look no further for evidence of this decay than the anti-ICE riots, the government shutdown, federal judge injunctions, and socialist Mamdani’s election as mayor of the largest city in the U.S. The other associated answer lies in their hatred of President Trump. America was trending to the left until a majority of its awakened citizens rose up in last November’s election and inflicted heavy damage on the leftist socialism movement plot. For the past year, the Democrats have demonstrated only one major objective–to quash everything Republican and President Trump in particular. They know their plan cannot succeed with Trump in the White House. They must render him ineffective in order to progress. There is no other rationale to their destructive behavior.
The Hope
Hope for America is only in God’s mercy and grace along with conservative patriotic action in opposing the unraveling of democracy by the Democrat radicals. Don’t view each Democratic offence in isolation; view them all as a master plan to make America the pathway to socialism in the Western Hemisphere. Apathy is no longer an option for conservatives. Illegal immigrants must be held accountable for their invasion, and the House and Senate majority must be strengthened in 2026. It’s your move!
After 738 days, the final 20 living Hamas hostages are home! And the entire world is giving America’s president the well-deserved credit for it. Furthermore, on the periphery of the celebrations around the world are the promising signs of a broader peace among most of the Arab nations and Israel. President Trump’s peace plan may be the catalyst for a positive transformation of epic proportions in the Middle East and Western Asia.
As soon as Israel became an independent nation in 1948, it was plagued by intense opposition from surrounding nations. Within hours of the British release of their claim to Israel, the nations of Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria invaded the new country, which started the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. After the war, unrest continued, constantly fomented by the Arab nations. Blockaids of Israel threatened the Jews with starvation. The Six Day War in 1967 handed devastating defeats to Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq. The Yom Kippur War of 1973 was in response to Egyptian and Syrian forces attacking Israel in the Sinai and Golan Heights. That fierce fighting lasted less than a month when the aggressors declared a cease fire. Between all these wars, Israel constantly suffered skirmishes, territorial incursions, random invasions, and terrorist strikes. The massacre of October 7, 2023, when Hamas savagely murdered 1200 civilians and kidnapped 251 Israelis crossed Israel’s red line as they vowed to destroy their enemies completely. During the two-year war, Israel was constantly attacked by missiles, rockets, and drones from Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.
Seventy-seven years of international hatred expressed through wide-spread anti-semitism and the continuous barrage of attacks from Arab-Islamic nations would seemingly never cease. Every U.S. president of that period–14 of them–made attemps to secure peace in the region. Only one succeeded. It took him all of ten months, during which time he also settled wars in seven other sites. Without question, President Donald Trump has the rare wisdom and skill to influence world leaders to attain peace and prosperity out of war and ruin. It is rather mysterious, but I think I know some of the reasons for his success.
There is no other head of state like President Trump. I’m not sure there ever has been. He has a passion for peace. That passion is manifested in his agressive pursuit of tranquility abroad and law and order in America. He has little tolerance or patience with bureaucracy and foot-dragging. He pushes the limits to get things done, and quickly. He dispises traditional politics and nontransparent civil dialogue. He says what he thinks and means what he says. He is a consumate risk-taker. He is not reluctant to make decisions that could backfire if there will be great reward for success. He has a wry sense of humor that often knocks his opposition off balance. It is frenquently flustering and can turn political posturing to his advantage. His behavior is unpredictible. This keeps his opponents and the world off-guard and unable to assume his response to anything. His unconventional approach to high stakes diplomacy is his strength. These personal traits, backed up by the overwhelming power of our great nation, make him one of history’s most impactful American presidents and world leaders.
With such attributes, though, come many criticisms. It is difficult not to focus on his repulsive side. Yet, his phenomenally positive policies and actions cannot be denied and have radically changed the world for the better. An honest assessment of pre-Trump versus post-Trump America has to acknowledge and celebrate his improvements in quality of life globally.
I will admit that I don’t like Donald Trump. I cringe at his egotism and borderline narcissism. I wince at his speech. I don’t even like his mannerisms. But I realize fully that his ability to elevate American life, regain America’s respect, and generally make the world a better place is dependent on his unorthodox and often offensive character. His rather eccentric personal traits are what draw other leaders to him. I have come to accept him for what he is and welcome what he is doing for my friends and family as well as my country and the entire world.
I have to challenge those who would say that, because he is not exactly a godly man, we should reject his leadership. The Bible has several examples of God using less-than-godly leaders to the advantage of His people. Sixth century BC King Cyrus of Persia was a pagan. Yet, he released the Israelites from Babylonian exile and provided them excessive supplies and protection as they returned to their promised land. Two hundred years earlier, the prophet, Isaiah, wrote that God said the future Cyrus would be “My anointed one” who would free the Hebrew captives. God used Cyrus to bless His own people. Can God not use President Trump, flaws and all, to make America great again and the world a better place?
The Trump derangement syndrome will continue, because there are radical Democrat liberals whose world view is to condemn everything Trump does. My hope is that more will begin to see beyond his personality and demeanor to the breakthroughs he is making for the betterment of all concerned. Let’s tolerate the man and joy in the results.
This silly term, “gerrymandering,” has garnered a lot of media hype lately. You probably have a general knowledge of it, but you need to become very familiar with it. Gerrymandering will play a significant role in the mid-term elections next year and in the 2028 general election. It is legal, but unfair, and it may determine the next House of Representatives majority as well as the next president.
The word gerrymandering originates from Elbridge Gerry, Massachusetts governor from 1810 to1812. He earlier signed the Declaration of Independence. At the end of his term as governor, he approved a political district so strangely shaped, many thought it resembled a salamander. Later the word, “gerrymander,” became a derisive word describing the manipulating of electoral boundaries to get candidates of a particular party elected.
State districts for our national House of Representatives congressmen and congresswomen are divided into areas of nearly equal population. Presently, each district has around 760,000 people. Districts are based on total population, including non-citizens, rather than the number of voters (yes, even illegal immigrants are part of the count). These districts are subject to redrawing or redistricting of boundaries after each 10-year census. The boundaries are usually adjusted due to population growth, decline, and shifts based on the new census. Occasionally, districts will be eleminated in one state and added in another. It’s all in the Constitution. Total number of districts was set by Congress at the current 435 in 1913. Redistricting does not involve the two-per-state Senate.
This redistricting is normal and fair as long as it is done without partisan bias. However, gerrymandering occurs when the practice is manipulated for partisan gain. How does that happen? Well, the partisan majority legislature may get creative in how they draw the lines. One method is called “cracking.” Almost every state will have areas of consentrated Republicans and areas of consentrated Democrats. For instance, states may often have large inner-city populations of Democrats while outlying suburbs and rural areas have a Republican majority. A majority Republican legislature can draw boundaries in which the inner cities are divided up with a small portion combined with a large rural area. That gives Republicans a majority in the district and, therefore, virtually guarantees a Republican congressman. Conversely, a majority Democratic legislature can draw boundaries that encapsulate a large city population of Democrats and smaller population of rural Republicans for an almost sure Democratic congressman. Another method is called “packing” where large groups of opposition voters are drawn into one district leaving all other districts to the favored party. When gerrymandering occurs, the result is districts with very odd shapes and sizes. All that is necessary is that each district has close to the national average district population.
Why would the Constitution contain a process that is inherently unfair? The founding fathers were assuming the post-census adjustments would be minor and bipartisan and only to accommodate small population changes. I doubt they ever imagined gerrymandering. Both Republicans and Democrats have been using this loophole to their advantage for decades. My own state of Arkansas has sprawling, gerrymandered districts designed to essentially guarantee more Republicans than Democrats in every district, even though the state’s voters are about 35 percent Democrat.
The legality of gerrymandering was challenged in the Supreme Court in 2019. The court ruled that what states did in their redistricting was beyond the reach of federal courts. Only redistricting for racial purposes is prohibited by the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Therefore, each state legislature still determines what is allowable and not allowable redistricting in its own state.
Texas’ legislature recently passed a second redistricting plan since the 2020 census which they believe will gain them five Republican congressional seats in the 2026 and 2028 elections. The move has caused an outcry from several Democratic majority states. Texas can do this because the Constitution calls for redistricting after each census, but doesn’t specifically prohibit redistricting between censuses. The California governor immediately countered the Texas move by announcing a redistricting effort that would create five new Democratic seats. Redistricting midpoint in the census cycle is rare and is drawing the angst of some leaders of both parties.
California legislature approved an independent redistricting commission in 2008 to reduce partisan interference. So, if California follows through on their threat to counter the Texas move, it will require a statewide vote to reverse the 2008 law. Missouri is also considering midterm redistricting. Other states, particularly Democratic states, are studying the option closely. We may see a gerrymandering war across America over the next several months.
Although I applaud the current Supreme Court for most of their decisions, I believe they were wrong in not ruling against gerrymandering. The practice can impact federal congressional elections. Only federal courts can rein in the unfair process. The skewing of U.S. congressional seats based on manipulated state congressional districts just doesn’t pass the smell test for fair elections in my opinion. So far, the practice has benefited my party in my state, but, in all fairness, it opposes fairness. The Supreme Court or the U.S. House of Representative should ensure that all states form a bipartisan, independent redistricting authority to make any necessary electoral district adjustments after each ten-year census. Such authority should be only activated after each census with no adjustments permitted between census cycles. We should achieve a level redistricting playing field across America. As Charlie Kirk would say, “Prove me wrong.”
America has had three “Great Awakenings” in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries respectively. God seems to spur His people to wide-spread repentance and spiritual fervor about every hundred years. Although unlike what sparked the first three, responses to the Charlie Kirk assassination over the last several days have rekindled the hopes of Christians that a fourth Great Awakening has begun.
The first Great Awakening covered a period from the 1730s to the 1770s. It was largely led by the passionate preaching of colonial preachers like George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards. Their strong evangelical messages centered on individual relationships with Jesus Christ. They challenged many of the traditional church practices and governance structures. New denominations like Baptists and Methodists grew out of this movement. Thousands turned to faith in Christ and strong commitment to His teachings. The movement is seen by historians as greatly influencing the American Revolution.
The next Great Awakening ignited from the Protestant revivals that peaked during the early 1800s. At the turn of the 19th century, evangelical revivals were spreading like wild fires, mainly among the growing Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches. Out of this spiritual renewal in America sprang new institutions such as presently well-known colleges, seminaries, and mission organizations. Changes of hearts in many Americans contributed to the questioning of the morality of slavery and other national issues. Scholars are still discovering new levels of impact this Awakening had on the Civil War.
Usually considered the last Great Awakening, the third nationwide revival occured during the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Again, it was experienced mostly among the more conservative Protestant denominations. It focused on strict biblical doctrines, living a more holy life, and social activism with emphasis on personal evangelism. An outgrowth of this movement was greater interest in worldwide missions, the Holy Spirit, and Pentecostal spiritual healing and worship. This era saw the enactment of prohibition and the national commitment to World War 1.
For most of my adult life, I have joined other Christians in lamenting that America has not experienced another Great Awakening in our generation. I often hear that God appears to have given up on us in the 21st century. Have Americans not shown enough serious interest in nationwide revival, or in revival, period? Have we drifted so far from God as a nation that He considers us unworthy of His intervention and subject moreso to His wrath? It is not much of a stretch to conclude that we have not just drifted, but rather have fled, from Him over the last several decades. Prior to this year, I had concluded that, instead of looking for the next Great Awakening, we should be preparing for God’s imminent judgment and Christ’s Second Coming.
However (and I’m so thankful for this “however”), observations over the past few months have renewed my hope that America may be healing spiritually. Without getting too political, I’ll just say that I believe our government is beginning to make more morally sound decisions. Many influential Americans are seemingly more comfortable sharing their faith openly. Then there was the tragic assassination of perhaps the most powerful spokesman for Christ in our day, Charlie Kirk.
Most of us didn’t realize the magnitude of influence for Christ and family values this man had on our society, especially the younger generations. That was obvious at his awesome memorial service attended by over 100,000 followers listening to some of the most powerful and prominent people in the world testify to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Cell phone activity monitors showed at least another 100,000 in the immediate vicinity of the stadium. And that is trivial compared to the tens of millions who watched it on television and the internet. It was the biggest revival service in history!
Even more impressive are the 60,000+ requests within hours to form Turning Point USA chapters throughout the country. Charlie Kirk’s assassination and immediate reactions have caused a tsunami of spiritual awareness and interest in the gospel. This could certainly be the catalyst for another Great Awakening across America. Statistical data were showing a turning of our population toward Christ, particularly Gen Z young adults, before Kirk’s untimely death. Now, it appears that trend is on the verge of exploding. We may be seeing an answer to the appeals of millions of prayer warriors during recent years.
Whether this movement erupts into a fourth Great Awakening throughout our land will be known soon. It depends on our letting God work through us. He has surely given us a flame to fan into a raging fire for His Kingdom. This may be a final test for America. Let us pray without ceasing for a massive shift of the population from the pursuit of what the world offers to the ways of Almighty God. Pray and become an activist for Him.
I had a timely blog article ready to post when I got the news of Charlie Kirk’s tragic murder. That post can wait. I am so emotionally charged right now that I must make a public statement. For the last few years of liberal Democrat insanity, I have strived to keep my posts civil and respectful when I really wanted to sink to their level of rhetoric and behavior in opposition. But enough is enough.
It is time for all conservative patriots of faith to call out and aggressively oppose the unmitigated madness and hate-filled attacks that have taken over our great nation. Americans can hardly get through a day now without hearing of some senseless, brutal murder by a radicalized killer. The killer is usually a social misfit basket case who is not even supposed to be within our borders. And virtually every time, the perpetrator is an extreme liberal brainwashed by the mainstream media and Democratic extremists. Typically, they are repeat offenders quickly released from previous crimes. Videos of the heinous acts are taken by those who are more interested in filming the brutality than in rescuing the victim. These videos usually show many bystanders sitting or standing around watching without any attempt to stop the deadly violence. What has happened to the sanctity of human life?
Wednesday was the darkest day for our country in a long, long time–and we have had a lot of dark days recently. Charlie Kirk was the predominant spokesman and defender of the young adult and teen conservative, Christian, and familiy values movement. He was a peaceful protagonist. On the national stage, he championed the wholesomeness of biblical character and American heritage. He brought light to the darkness. But the evil ones of this world, including the liberal, hate-spewing politicians were not going to let him influence their coming-of-age generation Z. Their speech and actions influenced a crazed assassin to snuff out the light of a renowned godly man, husband, and father.
Almost all that is going wrong in America today has a common denominator. Our nation’s cultural sicknesses can be diagnosed as having a common catalyst: the misguided radical socialist Democrats. These ultra-liberals appear to hate everything our country represents.
I hope and pray this will be the “Turning Point” for Christian conservatives. If there is still a chance of saving our country, we have to resort to some of the enemy’s tactics. No, not violence, but we have to become angry enough to do whatever it takes to break the grip that the other half of the country has on us. Review your spheres of influence and press into them proclaiming American values and denouncing the hatred, wokeness, and lunacy of the left. Call out sin for what it is. Be courageous enough to denounce publicly the sins of transgenderism, homosexuality, gay marriage, abortion, violence, antisemitism, and thievery. Stop being silent when you see behavior that is patently wrong. Come to anyone’s rescue who is being bullied or attacked. If you don’t have a concealed carry permit, consider getting one. I carry not only to protect myself and my family but also to intervene if someone else’s life is being threatened.
Finally, and this should have been first, pray for God’s intervention to bring His light into this dark world of spiritual warfare. Pray for peace and security in the America He graciously gave us to steward and preserve. Pray for His protection as we do what we can to protect ourselves and others. I believe God may be waiting to act in a mighty way until He sees us collectively rise up out of desperation to take our country–His country–back.
President Trump has just directed the Department of Commerce to plan for a new census that would exclude illegal immigrants. Whether that is possible is questionable, but the record high number and percentage of illegal immigrants currently in America and counted in the census is a travesty. Most of these “criminals” reside in blue states adding to the states’ population which determines their number of congressional seats.
After four years of the Biden administration’s open invitation for illegal immigrants to invade America, the consensus is that we now have an estimated 18.6 million illegals inside our borders. This is after a major surge of illegal border crossings in 2024. Other estimates are 20 to 30 million. That amounts to about six percent of our population living here illegally. With a largely disproportionate amount of these illegals in blue states where they are treated with all kinds of protection and entitlements, Democratic congressional seats are obviously benefited. Congressional seats are based on state population as reported by the Census Bureau, which counts everyone, legal or illegal. Is there any doubt why Democrats champion illegal immigration?
The Census Bureau has historically counted every nose in the country regardless of status. But who would have ever thought we would someday have 20 million unauthorized immigrants that would be counted. And they shouldn’t be counted. They are here only because we can’t find them and deport them fast enough. Yet, they are a political advantage to their state of residence in that they count toward the state’s population which determines how many congressmen the state has. How unfair is that?
Although Texas and Florida have a large number of illegal immigrants simply because they are states with the most illegals entering, California has the highest number with almost three million. Also, at the top of the list are blue states New Jersey, Illinois, and New York estimated at around a half-million each. Each U.S. representative represents an average of 780,000 constituents. If the 20 million illegal immigrants, concentrated in the blue states, were no longer part of that number, many districts in those states would shift to Republican majorities. Most research estimates that excluding illegals from the calculation of congressional seats would result in over 20 additional Republican seats. The Republicans’ present House majority of only seven votes means they can only lose three votes to prevail in any floor vote. An extra 20 Republican votes would be huge. The narrow Republican House majority is because of the 20 million illegal immigrants who have invaded our country. They could lead to the Republican loss of the majority in 2026. Remember, theoretically, the illegals don’t vote, but they control the party numbers in Congress simply by their inclusion in the census.
We hear a lot about Democratic efforts to grant citizenship to illegal immigrants or otherwise giving them the right to vote. Of course, they would vote for the party that brought them into the country and gave them free entitlements. But most important to the Democrats are the congressional seats the illegals bring to their blue states just by their settling there. It is no wonder Democrats want wide-open borders, create sanctuary cities and states, and fight against ICE captures and deportations with a vengeance.
But will President Trump be able to correct this unjust circumstance with a new census that excludes illegal immigrants? Probably not. Certainly not before the 2026 mid-term elections. He attempted to fix this inequity in 2020, but a federal court rejected the effort. Subsequently, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case on a technicality. The 14th Amendment of the Constitution calls for a census every ten years to determine congressional seats by state. It also specifies that everyone be counted regardless of citizenship. However, the Amendment excluded most Indians. Over time, Indians became a part of the count, except for a small number who still have strong tribal connections. Whether Congress could legislate a similar exclusion of illegal immigrants is much debated and would end up back in the Supreme Court.
I applaud President Trump’s challenging the nearly two-and-a-half century precedent of including illegal immigrants in the census. The vast number of illegals in our country today is unprecedented and requires a relook at how we count our people and fill our congressional seats. I invite your thoughts.
Did all of my fellow Social Security recipients do a victory dance (at least figuratively) when the One Big Beautiful Bill, or OBBB, passed including the No Tax on Social Security provision? Well, we did get the biggest-in-history tax break for seniors. But, sorry, almost all of us will still be taxed on Social Security. Let’s see what’s really in the Bill.
The OBBB was a long-shot from its beginning considering the slim Republican margins in both the House and Senate. Thus, the legislation was crafted by the President’s Administration as a reconciliation bill, a partisan procedure used sometimes to avoid a Senate filibuster. A filibuster would require a 60% vote to stop it and pass the bill in the Senate with at least a 51% vote. However, reconciliation also limits what laws can be changed including Social Security. So, Trump’s insistence on eliminating federal taxes on Social Security had to be done by other means.
Reconciliation procedures do allow for the inclusion of new or revised tax deductions beginning with the 2025 tax year. Therefore, the bill provided a temporary tax deduction for most seniors. I say temporary, because the deduction expires in 2028. Hopefully, it will be reinstated at that time. Impact assessments are that 88% of Social Security recipients 65 and older may deduct an additional $6,000 per person with incomes below $75,000 per year, or $12,000 per couple with earnings below $150,000. These deductions phase out for incomes above the the maximums indicated. Government calculations are that, for almost 90% of seniors, this extra deduction will more than offset the federal taxes that will still be levied on Social Security. Most states don’t tax Social Security.
Although, most seniors are grateful for the additional tax deduction, it is disingenuous to hype the Bill as ensuring “no tax on Social Security.” Those above the income cap will lose some or all the deduction and still pay the tax. Some at low income levels, who do not pay any taxes, will not receive the deduction. And, in everyone’s case, it only lasts four years if not extended. I would prefer the Administration and Congress call it what it is rather than playing name games. The Bill really has nothing to do with Social Security. If you choose to receive Social Security at age 62, you don’t get the deduction until you’re 65, but, if you choose to wait until you’re beyond the collection age, you still get the deduction on reaching 65.
I believe the better way to handle Social Security tax is to eliminate income tax altogether. All things considered, in my opinion, federal government operations should be funded with some kind of consumption tax. Why do Americans have a disincentive to earn and save along with an incentive to buy? The value-added tax (VAT) or other forms of consumption tax are often criticized for being regressive for lower income people. That can be rather easily offset by vouchers, exemptions, or other means to level the playing field. While we’re at it, let’s get rid of local real estate and property taxes which punish home owners and vehicle buyers with never-ending taxes.
The best legislation for Social Security is to reform the entire program, making it self-sustaining instead of going broke after 2034. Several very good plans for saving Social Security have been proposed including raising the minimum age for recipients, including investments in a hybrid contribution plan, means testing for different levels of payout, etc. Something has to be done, but Congress has not grown the backbone to tackle the controversial issue. We need to keep the pressure on Washington, or Social Security is not going to work for anyone in less than a decade.
So, my fellow chronologically advanced friends and loved ones, let’s celebrate the OBBB, but don’t lose sight of what it really does and does not do for us regarding Social Security.
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As I post this, President Trump is facing the toughest decision of his presidency. Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu has asked the U.S. to enter the fray of the Israel-Iran war. Trump is reluctantly considering a single-objective mission that is probably necessary to ensure the successful denial of Iran ever having nuclear weapons. All that Israel is accomplishing will fall short of the final blow that this U.S. mission would have on Iran’s nuclear weapons pursuit. The world’s deadliest terrorist sponsor must be stopped. Let’s look at what is at stake.
Israel’s attacks on Iran were inevitable. Iran has been blatant about wiping Israel off the map since it became an Islam theocracy in 1979. The rogue state is also bent on “death to America.” There is little doubt that Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, plans to use his military’s almost attained nuclear capability to annihilate Israel. He is also developing ballistic missiles that could reach the U.S. with nuclear warheads.
Israel has amazingly destroyed much of Iran’s nuclear centrifuges, nuclear enrichment support, other military infrastructure, ballistic missile launchers, and most of their air forces. This massive show of force will continue until everything within Israel’s capability to neutralize the Iranian threat has been accomplished. However, one critical facility is essentially out of Israel’s reach.
The Fordow underground uranium enrichment facility is the linchpin to Iran’s nuclear development program. It is an extremely hardened site hundreds of feet under ground. There is only one weapon in the world that could destroy this structure. It is called the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a precision-guided 30,000-pound bomb nick-named the “bunker buster.” And it is part of the U.S. Air Force arsenal. It could not be deployed by Israel even if they had it, because the USAF B-2 stealth bomber is the only delivery system in the world that can do the job. This aircraft and bomb is what Netanyahu is asking of the U.S.
Trump has stated repeatedly that the U.S. would not become involved in the war as long as Iran did not attack any U.S. forces. However, the war is now at a crucial point. Israel could continue to set Iran back years in its race to nuclear capability. But the Fordow facility would be untouched and provide Iran a foundation from which to reinitiate the effort. Destroying Fordow would virtually ensure the end of Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and probably the end of the Khamenei regime. This one-and-done U.S. mission would be the beginning of the end of the war, much like the atomic bombing of Japan in 1945, except the MOP would cause few, if any, fatalities. It would almost assuredly drive Iran to surrender and ultimately save perhaps thousands of lives.
Israel has stated they have a number of contingencies that could deal with Fordow, but it would involve extremely dangerious and complex special forces ground operations with success not guaranteed.
The B-2 bunker buster mission would be in America’s best interest. It would take out the most dangerous threat to all of the Middle East, not just Israel. It would drive a stake into the heart of the the world’s leading terriorist sponsor. And it would potentially bring regime change to Iran’s people who have been under the oppressive control of a brutal, fanatical religious leader for almost a half-century.
I believe that, at this point, only an unconditional surrender by Iran, as Trump has demanded, would stop the President and his cabinet from giving the nod to Netanyahu’s request. Yes, it would come with some risks to America from international and domestic terrorism. And the Democrats would have a conniption. But, in my opinion, the results would be worth the risks. Watch the news!
Quandaries over riots in major cities, gender and LGBTQ+, chaos, tariffs, inflation, antisemitism, Israel, Iran nukes, Ukraine, China–wait, didn’t we vote in November to fix all this and Make America Great Again? Yet, the evening mainstream news has never been more depressing. But how is America really doing? I believe the short answer is, pretty well, actually. It takes time to undo the damage foisted on our nation from the Obama and Biden administrations. Sandwiched in between them, Trump made some sweeping corrections in his first term. But he was constantly beaten down by hateful Democratic attacks and conspiracies including two senseless impeachments. Now, early in the present administration, many positive things are happening that are being suppressed by the mainstream media. Let’s take a look at what the Trump team is pulling out of that red cap.
Democrats are screaming that Trump caused the present violent riots by illegally abducting and deporting innocent immigrants. They say his calling up the military to help quell the “peaceful” rioting is unconstitutional. Almost all the media are supporting the Democratic disinformation and lies just as they did in the George Floyd riots. Except, this time, Trump is clamping down on the insurrectionists before they spiral completely out of control. Federal law and order action is finally prevailing.
Democrats are decrying the arrest and deportation of illegal immigrants, many of whom are hardened criminals, and demanding the courts stop military involvement. Deportation of illegal immigrants is not only a legal obligation of the federal government, it was a mandate of the overwhelming majority of voters in the last presidential election. Use of the military in this national emergency situation is undeniably warrented and constitutional as an appeals court just declared. The Insurrection Act of 1807 authorizes the use of the military in domestic emergencies as determined by the president. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 allows such military involvement only in support of law enforcement through crowd management, equipment, technology, and surveillance. Posse Comitatus is Latin for “Power of the County,” meaning emergency assistance authorized by a government agency. Under these Acts, the military cannot arrest citizens or provide offensive support. The military assists and defends local law enforcement. Therefore, the truth is that the federal government has acted constitutionally in their rightful role and responsibility to protect Americans. And they are doing it swiftly before rioting causes more injury and destruction. That is the positive truth you won’t hear from the Democrats and the media.
The Democrats seem to consider the support and promotion of transgender and LBGTQ+ lifestyles as essential to the survival of the universe. This immoral, unbiblical, and reprehensible behavior is lauded by the Left and supported by “in your face” reporting 24/7 by the mainstream media. Thankfully, this burgeoning trend of support appears to have sharply reversed course after the January 20 inauguration. A Supreme Court finding recently banned transgenders from the military, the NCAA has disallowed biological men to compete in women’s college sports, and Trump’s executive order prevents participation of transgender athletes in all women’s sports. The Trump administration will not be acknowledging June Pride Month in any way, and many corporations are withdrawing their promotions of LGBTQ+ products and services. In short, America’s support for transgender and LGBTQ+ issues is being deemphasized. That is a positive you won’t hear from the Democrats and the media.
Trump’s use of tariffs as an international trade incentive to level the world trade field is aggressively opposed by Democrats as devastating to our economy. They say prices and inflation will skyrocket. Yet, just days after the tariffs were imposed, dozens of national leaders came calling on Trump to negotiate fairer trade conditions. Furthermore, we are now over four months into the Trump tariff increases, and inflation is 2.4%, which is almost at the record low of 2.33%. Consumer prices of just about everything have declined since the tariffs were imposed. But you won’t hear Democrats or the media touting any of these newsworthy stats.
The antisemitism riots all over America and the killing and persecution of Jews have been rampant for months. The Biden and Obama administrations were soft and timid toward Israel’s arch enemy, Iran. Democrats vehemently condemned Trumps rejection of the flawed nuclear negotiations during his first term. Shortly after his last inauguration, Trump gave Iran an ultimation to negotiate a good-faith agreement which they declined. On June 11th, a 60-day deadline for Iran to negotiate the termination of nuclear weapons development expired. On June 12th, Israel attacked Iran’s nuclear development facilities and killed several top Iranian military leaders. The Democrats immediately blamed Trump for potentially causing an all-out regional war and putting Americans at risk. The news media followed the Democrats’ lead. Of course, the Left will never acknowledge the truth that the attack prevented Iran’s annihilation of Israel in a nuclear holocaust and possibly destruction of American forces. All Americans are much safer today with an impotent Iranian government.
The Ukraine and Russia crisis is a world dilemma. How do you deal with a thug dictator like Putin? We know that kowtowing to the Kremlin has never gotten us anywhere in this war. But the Biden administration, which allowed it to happen in the first place, has given into Putin’s schemes since the land-grab war began. It is obvious that only peace through strength will work here. Thankfully, we now have a president who is respected and feared by Putin. It will only be a matter of time until a negotiated settlement will be struck, although preceded by a lot of fireworks. The Democrats will continue to play Chicken Little, convincing many Americans that Trump is starting World War Three. Watch for the Democratic counter punches all over social media and the news media. We must resist the gaslighting while supporting the credible strategy of the Trump administration on this one, too.
As for China, President Xi will continue to rattle his sabre publicly, but privately, he realizes that, on January 20th, the playing field changed. He was no longer dealing with a weak American president. The Democrats, supported by the media, will cry wolf constantly, scaring Americans into thinking China is overtaking the U.S. in everything. It is important that Americans maintain a patriotic confidence in our great nation in these times. We must support our president and our military. Trump and Xi have a mutual respect for each other that creates a unique connection. China will stand at the red line and beat its chest, but it won’t cross that line as long as Trump is in office, and we don’t blink.
So, how is America really doing? Before last November, our future was dismal. Woke, meek, and leaderless, we were destined for irrelevance unless provedentially rescued. The election and the first six months of the Trump administration has been God’s intervention of grace and mercy to give our nation another chance to get it right. Although it may look depressingly dark, when you seek truth and look past the Democrats and the news media, your day will brighten. After years of decline, it appears we are doing better despite the naysayers.
