Political News: Consider Newsome, Homan, and Venezuela — The Bad, the Good, and the Ugly

by Rodger Friedman | Apr 2, 2024 | Blog

It Runs in the Family: Governor Newsom Is as Insincere and Deceitful as His Aunt Nancy (Pelosi)

I was reading an article penned by Sarah Arnold on the Townhall Media website in mid- February, and I was struck by her discussion that Governor Gavin “Hair Gel” Newsom was actually blaming Republicans for the migrant chaos when hundreds of illegals were released in San Diego. Here is a direct quote from a spokesperson from the Governor’s office:

When it comes to border security, Republicans in Congress have done nothing but create chaos and sabotage any attempts at progress. In the absence of any political courage from the Republican Party, California has once again stepped up – making historic investments and serving as a model of partnership for a safe and humane border. It’s past time for the spineless politicians in Congress to do their job.

Wow! The audacity of his office to state that Congress is spineless and that the Governor is a shining star in a morass of mud. Do you need a further reason why this asshat is incapable of holding the highest office in the land?

Disturbing, and Then Some . . .

If you haven’t read the online edition of The Washington Examiner, you’re missing some really interesting stories. For example, the February 23, 2024, article by Christopher Hutton was about how the FCC voted to reinstate a dormant rule to publish race and gender data on broadcasters. The FCC board voted 3–2 along party lines (no surprise there). The rule was a holdover from the 1990s that was deep-sixed by the U.S. District Court. Now that the Dems hold a voting majority at the FCC, they resurrected the rule from a three-decade suspension.

Hutton made a point of telling us that Republican FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr compared this requirement to “posting a race and gender scorecard” and alleged that the policy change occurred due to activists wanting to see “businesses pressured into hiring people based on their race and gender.” Furthermore, the agency has decided to publicly release the documents so every liberal squad member wanna-be can chastise and harass broadcasters for not hiring enough transgender, non-binary media majors from Yale, Harvard, and State U.

I Love Tom Homan

So why would I say I love Tom Homan, and WHO exactly is Tom Homan? Well, he’s not exactly a household name, although he was President Trump’s acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Here is a bit of what Homan said during a February 2024 Fox interview on the America Reports program.

Here’s what AOC is not saying, because she’s not very smart, here’s what she’s not saying. Based on immigration court data over the last 10 years, nine out of 10 people who claim asylum at the southern border will get an order removal because they don’t qualify for asylum.

Homan went on to say that only 6 percent leave the United States after receiving a removal order.

You see, I like, respect, and—yes—love the guy because he is telling the truth based on facts and his considerable experience versus AOC who loves to hear herself talk. Homan was a border patrol agent, investigator, and supervisor before President Obama appointed him Executive Associate Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2013.

It Seems the Definition of Extraordinary Has Changed

Those of you who know me or have read my book Erasing America: Broken Politics, Broken Country know that I have an exceedingly low opinion of U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). As I write this, he recently stated that Biden’s accomplishments were extraordinary triumphs in the last four years.

To be clear (and balanced) in my reporting, I actually looked up the word extraordinary. I wanted to see the synonyms for this very powerful adjective. Here is what it said: astounding, astonishing, remarkable, exceptional, amazing.

So here is my question: Can you describe anything Joe Biden has done during his presidency that would warrant you (truthfully) characterizing it as astounding, astonishing, remarkable, exceptional, or amazing?

I rest my case. I firmly believe—and yes, it is my personal opinion—that Representative Jeffries is a liberal idiot.

Only in Kalifornia

Gather around for another whack-a-doodle story— another story about the lunatics in San Francisco. They have a seven-member Election Commission that is a civilian body. They are charged with overseeing and creating policy for the city’s Department of Elections. Here is where it gets good. The newest member of this esteemed body is not allowed to vote because she is not a US citizen. Hmm . . . why is this person (Kelly Wong) a member of a commission that sets VOTING POLICY? Well, it seems she is an immigrant rights advocate. As I reviewed story after story on the subject, I found that not one reporter wrote of or interviewed anyone who objected to this. It seems that every journalist is a liberal. Why am I not surprised?

Drop the Hammer on Venezuela

Mainstream media has reported that Venezuela is refusing to accept deportations from the United States and Mexico. Hmm. I have a few ideas to help solve this issue:

Reinstate all oil and gas sanctions on Venezuela immediately
Blockade the country’s major seaport
Establish a no-fly zone
Cut off their economic lifeline
Turn back all Venezuelan migrants at our border
Block all cash transfers from the United States to Venezuela

But oh! I forgot! The President lacks the backbone, so in all probability none of these things will ever take place. We will have to wait for the next administration to make the tough decisions that Mr. Biden is unwilling to make. And forget about Blinken, our esteemed Secretary of State. He is about as useless a public servant as we have.

Short Gems

Gem # 1

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced 176,205 more illegal immigrant encounters at the southern border in January.

Gem # 2

Taken from a Larry Kudlow update on Fox Business (February 26, 2024): According to the Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) database, 93 percent of college professors contributed to Joe Biden, and 7 percent contributed to Donald Trump.

Gem # 3

Days before yet another government shutdown, Mr. Biden is blaming a stalled deal on GOP policy demands and characterized the situation as dire. Yes, Mr. President, the GOP is demanding fiscal restraint, fiscal sanity, and fiscal prudence. Sorry, that doesn’t fit with your unlimited spending plan. Biden refuses to understand that providing funds for our country’s defense (the southern border) does NOT come after providing funds for other countries. America comes first—not second, not third.

Gem # 4

Transgender Virginia State Senator (Danica Roem) reportedly stormed out of the Senate Chamber because the Lieutenant Governor referred to him/her as “sir.” It seems this legislator lost his/her cool for being misgendered. Hey, Danica! Have you ever heard of sticks-’n’-stones? You are there to conduct the people’s business, not stand there on your own soapbox.

Gem # 5

There are excuses, and then there is reality, and it looks like Nikki Haley can’t tell one from the other. I like her, just not as President of the United States. Rather than offering countless excuses, she should see that she has “no path to victory.”

DISCLAIMER: This is solely for entertainment purposes. Published and distributed by EOCritic LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of recording, nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public use or private use—other than “fair use” as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews— without the prior written permission of the publisher and/or the author.

This is provided with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, investment, or other professional advice or services. If these services are required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

No liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken, the author and publisher assume no liability for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

Blue States Magnetically Attract Illegals

by Rodger Friedman | Mar 13, 2024 | Blog

Blue States Magnetically Attract Illegals

New York City is set to pass out prepaid debit cards loaded with $1,000 per month to undocumented illegals.
Washington State recently stopped a program where they were providing $1,000 monthly checks to undocumented illegals.
Minnesota provides free college tuition to undocumented
Illinois provides healthcare benefits to undocumented
Colorado provides subsidized health insurance coverage to undocumented
Oregon provides undocumented illegals full Oregon Health Plan

Now here’s a tough question: Which states would desperate migrants be attracted to? The states that provide FREE STUFF or the states that throw them in jail?

A Progressive Liberal’s Definition of a Far-Right Extremist

According to progressive liberals, a far-right extremist is someone who:

Is in favor of reasonable taxes to support our country and American
Believes that equal opportunity—not equal outcome—is the foundation of
Wants a balanced federal budget and fiscal responsibility
Questions the fairness and legality of the 2020 Presidential
Believes that if Democrats control the House of Representatives, there will be no investigation of the Biden family’s criminal enterprise.
Wants to be left alone and not told what kind of lawn mower they can purchase or what kind of stove or car or furnace or leaf blower.
Wants their kids to attend a local public school not poisoned with left-wing ideology, trans education, and critical race theory.
Believes that DEI now represents Deluded, Entitled, Inflexible
Believes that term limits for Congress are a good
Believes Americans are responsible for paying back their own student loans, that no one forced them to go to college or sign the loan documents where they promised to pay back what they borrowed.
Believes that corporate mainstream media no longer provides unbiased, truthful

Please tell me which of these you feel is extremist.

It’s Time for AOC to Lead

Yes, I admit it. It’s time for AOC, the economic illiterate Squad member of Congress, to lead a caravan of people to Venezuela so they, too, can experience the joys of the utopian dream of socialism. She can place all her belongings in a rucksack, sell her Tesla, and resign from her

$174,500 position as a junior Congressperson from Queens. I doubt anyone in the hallowed chamber will miss her, but they will wonder how it got so quiet.

Thank You, Florida!

The state of Florida has enacted a statewide ban on transgender residents’ ability to change their sex on driver’s licenses and other state identification. “Permitting an individual to alter his or her license to reflect an internal sense of gender role or identity, which is neither immutable nor objectively verifiable, undermines the purpose of an identification record and can frustrate the state’s ability to enforce its laws,” according to a memo obtained by the Miami New Times.

Did I read this right?

Taylor Swift is selling one of her jets.

That begs the question; just how many jets does the young Ms. Swift have?

Peeling Back the Layers of Untruths

Let’s examine one of the biggest untruth neo-Marxists are pushing as a needed change to our society- the elimination of billionaires. Crackpot Senator Elizabeth Warren has lead the charge for legislation to punitively tax (read- CONFISCATE) the money out of the private sector and into the US Treasury coffers.

I’ve touched on this topic in my book; 18 Wealth lessons That Will Transform Your Thinking-. Let’s peel back the onion on just a sliver of the immense level of philanthropy from just three of our home grown billionaires:

This is the Giving Pledge that Sandy Weill, ex-Chairman of Citi Group took:

“Our Pledge is this: We will continue to give away all of the wealth we have been so fortunate to make except for a small percentage allocated to our children and grandchildren between now and the time we pass because we are firm believers that shrouds don’t have pockets.”

$600 million pledged to Cornell University
$185 million to Neuroscience at UC San
$100 million to Carnegie hall

Elon Musk

In 2021, Elon Musk contributed Tesla shares to charity worth 5.7 billion dollars

Bill Gates

In 2022, Bill Gates contributed Microsoft shares to charity worth 5.1 billion dollars

So, the next time you visit a hospital, see whose name is on the new cancer wing.

The next time you are on a university campus, see whose name is above the library, or the new science building, or the new gymnasium. Nuff said…

My Sisters Are the Only Ones Who Really Know How This Journey Began

It was just before Thanksgiving in 2022 when I began to notice that the number of stories describing threatening government policies was off the charts!

Fast forward a couple of weeks. It was a clear, sunny Florida Sunday morning. I brought my steaming coffee out to the deck, along with my laptop. There was a slight chill in the air. I placed the computer on a table, took a sip of mocha java, and opened several online news outlets and began reading.

Immediately I saw the lead story. I read that President Biden was canceling college student loans for middle-income borrowers. It was a massive student loan cancellation by a stroke of a liberal Democrat’s pen. It meant billions of dollars—yet another example of politicians printing money. Again, the Biden administration was targeting specific groups and showering them with federal dollars at taxpayers’ expense.

I felt the acid churning in my stomach, and it wasn’t the coffee. The laptop started shaking, almost falling to the ground as my knees hit the table as I exploded in anger. I remembered there are no earthquakes in Florida. I was the earthquake. I steadied the laptop. I yelled to my wife, “Damn it, Honey! You’ve got to read this!” Then I made my decision. I had to write about this. I started a blog.

Not long after that—again on another beautiful Florida Sunday morning, clear and sunny—I brought my steaming coffee and my laptop out to the deck. There was a slight chill in the air. I placed the computer on a table, took a sip of my mocha java, and opened several news outlets and began reading. I started scanning the headlines.

For probably the third time that week, I went out to the deck again, and there was a story about and picture of AOC, the financial illiterate and ultra-liberal progressive Squad member. Every time I read her name, I get a visceral reaction—I shake all over and feel dirty like I need to jump into a shower and splash disinfectant all over my body. UGH! Again, my legs were knocking against the table. I reached out to grab the computer before it fell to the ground. I yelled to my wife, “Damn it, Honey, you’ve got to read this!”

Sometime later, my sister Diane said to me, “Ya know, you might have the makings for another book.”

At the time I’m writing this, my latest book, Erasing America: Broken Politics, Broken Country, is #1 in its category on Amazon. If you haven’t grabbed a copy for yourself, please do so. It is available in paperback and Kindle. By the way, it makes a great birthday present!

And please consider leaving an honest review on Amazon. Thank you,

Rodger Friedman

The Equal Opportunity Critic

DISCLAIMER: This is solely for entertainment purposes. Published and distributed by EOCritic LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of recording, nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public use or private use—other than “fair use” as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews— without the prior written permission of the publisher and/or the author.

This is provided with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, investment, or other professional advice or services. If these services are required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

No liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken, the author and publisher assume no liability for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

Liberal Genius Denver Democrat Mayor Cuts City Services to Pay for Illegals

by Rodger Friedman | Mar 8, 2024 | Blog

Faced with the obvious issue of paying for an influx of over 40,000 illegals, Democrat Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced that we must all share in the pain, and he detailed a plan to cut city services to residents in order to pay the exorbitant costs of hosting illegals. He terms it a plan for “shared sacrifice”—a euphemism for “I suck at leading our city.” Parks and Recreation, the Department of Motor Vehicles, community centers, and more will have less staff, fewer operating hours, and reduced days open. And, like a true liberal, the esteemed mayor blamed the sanctuary city’s financial woes on Congress.

What Do You Allow into Your Environment?

My friend Lee Milteer suggests that your diet is not only what you eat—it is what you watch, what you listen to, what you read, and who you allow to influence you. It is everything and everyone you allow into your environment—videos spewing hate-filled speech; nonstop talking heads yelling at you to sell all your stocks, invest in gold, and buy really big guns to prep yourself for the end of America; or just plain old pornography.

What CLAUSE did the Biden Administration Trample This Month?

I had a vision.

I saw Santa in his sleigh with Uncle Sam in the passenger seat—an odd combo for sure. I wish I’d had a camera to take a picture of them on their mission, grim determination etched in their faces.

They were flying high across America’s skies, the sleigh stacked with the seven Articles and twenty-seven Amendments of the Constitution.

The sleigh wasn’t pulled by eight tiny reindeer. Instead, it was pulled by some of America’s founders—John Adams, John Jay, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, James Monroe, and John Marshall. All the founders wanted to pull the mighty sleigh, but there were only eight sturdy harnesses to pull the fragile, historic contents on their trip to the nation’s capital.

On the ground below, hidden deep in a thicket, were anti-aircraft guns manned by Biden’s cabinet members who took aim, intent on bringing down Santa Claus, Uncle Sam, and their precious cargo. Biden had already trampled the Equal Protection Clause earlier in the year. Now he set his sights on ALL the clauses—even Santa himself. Fortunately, Santa and the founders pulling the sleigh had a few tricks up their sleeves. Santa pushed a few buttons on his dashboard and dropped a bevy of anti-personnel mines on the scheming cabinet members.

They exploded a few feet above the thicket in a tremendous fireball and cooked the outlaws posing as law-abiding cabinet members.

Santa and the founders made their way safely to the capital and enshrined the Constitution where it belonged. Afterward, Sam, Santa and all the founders enjoyed some strong ale at a Capitol Hill pub owned by Samuel Adams.

Hey, you can’t make this stuff up…

Don’t Let Facts Get in the Way of Ideology

As Democrats far and wide line up in support of their embattled and feeble leader, an ABC News/Ipsos poll released on February 12, 2024, suggests that 86% of Americans believe Joe Biden is too old to run for a second term as President. Hmm . . . 86% of poll respondents— that’s fact. BUT, they believe Joe Biden is the most progressive and wonderful president ever! He backs our socialist policies and believes that America is endowed with systemic racism that he is working tirelessly to reverse. HOGWASH!

Unrestricted immigration is good for America? As Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader, suggests, who will pick our fruits and vegetables on our farms? Americans will starve without illegals to perform the jobs that Americans don’t want to do. Do you want American children to starve? We NEED the illegals—the more the better! And YES, we can provide them all with full Medicaid benefits and food stamps to ensure they are healthy.

Schumer’s wrong-headed assumptions are despicable political nonsense that makes me squirm in my chair. His leftist narrative would have America tipping a $50 trillion federal debt level. The ultimate consequences of his policies is to ensure a one-party system in America so Democrats will never fear being in the minority. HOGWASH!

An Earlier Vision

At the age of 19, I was sitting in a run-down excuse for off-campus housing at 52 Erie Street, 68 miles from Buffalo, New York, writing in my journal most nights while winter temps hovered at 11 degrees. I had no clue I would come to write seven books, that the daily ritual of putting my thoughts on paper would galvanize me to write 500 to 1,000 words most days. I’m no Hemmingway, and the litany of English teachers in grade school would happily recount my failing grades in grammar, punctuation and sentence structure.

My old report cards had more than their fair share of Cs and Ds highlighted in red ink so my dad would be sure not to miss them. It reminds me of the story that Michael Jordan got cut from his high school basketball team. But heck, I suck at basketball and need an editor to cut away all my attempts at destroying grammar and punctuation. Mine was a humble beginning, experiencing how being poor feels and writing about it—and then making up my mind to actually do something about it.

At the time, I couldn’t see past paying my rent at the beginning of the month.

At the time I’m writing this, my latest book, Erasing America: Broken Politics, Broken Country, is #1 in its category on Amazon. If you haven’t grabbed a copy for yourself, please do so. It is available in paperback and Kindle. By the way, it makes a great birthday present!

And please consider leaving an honest review on Amazon.

Thank you, Rodger Friedman

The Equal Opportunity Critic

DISCLAIMER: This is solely for entertainment purposes. Published and distributed by EOCritic LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of recording, nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public use or private use—other than “fair use” as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews— without the prior written permission of the publisher and/or the author.

This is provided with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, investment, or other professional advice or services. If these services are required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

No liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken, the author and publisher assume no liability for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

Florida Did Something VERY Right Here

by Rodger Friedman | Mar 8, 2024 | Blog

The Florida State Board of Education recently permanently banned funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs at all 28 Florida state colleges. The use of state or federal funds to administer DEI programs is now prohibited.

The Board defines DEI as “any program, campus activity, or policy that classifies individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation and promotes differential or preferential treatment of individuals on the basis of such classification.”

It’s a start—one state out of 50. Forty-nine to go.

Show Me the Math

Jamaal Bowman, an asshat liberal squad member of Congress, is pushing a bill that would have the federal government recognize harm done to black Americans and provide about $330,000 in payments to some 41 million of them at an approximate cost of $13 trillion. Forget for a moment how this lunatic arrives at the $330,000 figure. This moron has nothing better to do in Congress than push for reparations because he is part of a group that he feels has been harmed by our government. Forget for a moment that this human trash rose to a spot in Congress, something that would be impossible in the presence of systematic and institutional racism. I suppose Janet Yellen could sell cookies on the corner to raise the needed funds. After all, we are already $34 trillion in debt. What’s another $13 trillion?

By the way, Bowman is the same idiot who was censured by Congress for pulling a fire alarm during an important vote.

It Wasn’t Me!

We can’t leave the subject of members of Congress without mentioning a hilarious line from the liberal progressive socialist known as AOC. It seems she went out of her way to respond to media questions regarding the closure of a New York City high school that was vacated to house illegals during a storm.

Students were told to stay at home so the city’s illegal aliens could be transferred out of tents. She was quick to announce that it was “not in my district.” Well then, I guess that makes everything better and that no additional comments such as her point of view are needed.

Although I would be very interested to hear her views if this occured in her district. It’s so sad that she moved on from bartending. I hear Boston has a bartender shortage.

Diminished Capacity and a Corresponding Increase in Absurdity

Readers of The Equal Opportunity Times know I am not a fan of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. To say this aged, misguided excuse for a politician is a perfectly good waste of molecules is an understatement. It’s amazing how the truth eludes this fellow, yet New Yorkers keep sending him to Washington—I guess they’ll do anything to keep him out of New York.

Watching a recent clip of a Senate hearing had me punching the wall as I saw this fool tell everyone in the chamber that “illegals are a huge benefit to America.” Evidently, the Senator believes that if we block illegals from our country, there will be no one to pick fruits and vegetables, and we will all starve.

It’s not foolish of me to hope that Chuck gets a NEW JOB washing dishes in the bar where AOC gets a new bartending position. One can only hope. . . .

Fine! You Don’t Pay Your Debt, We Throw You in Jail

Becky Noble’s article published on RedState media on January 17, 2024, caught my eye. The headline reads, “Childlike Student Loan Borrowers Throw Collective Hissy-Fit, Say They Will Boycott Repayment in ‘Protest’.”

The source of ALL this nonsense lies with President Biden and his continued efforts to buy votes from leftists who don’t want to pay back their student loans. Ms. Noble is correct in calling this a “temper tantrum” by borrowers who refuse to assume responsibility for their actions. I think it is reprehensible, and those who choose to boycott their legal obligations under the law should be locked up until they understand that this is not how things are done around here.

Gen-Z Congressman Says ‘Usher in Millions of Illegals’

Another liberal Democrat in Congress has gone off on how we need to usher in millions of illegals. Maxwell Frost is an activist and representative for Florida’s lunatic 10th Congressional District. This rookie Congressman previously held the position of the national organizing director for March for Our Lives. He is a thoroughly unimpressive lawmaker. His claim to fame is that he may be the first member of Gen-Z to be elected to Congress. I guess that makes him as famous as AOC for being the first bartender elected.

It looks like credentials are a thing of the past. But to be honest, Frost does have experience. He worked for the Hillary Clinton, Barrack Obama, and Bernie Sanders campaigns. Personally, I wouldn’t hire him to wash my car.

What drew my attention to this troglodyte was a stunt he pulled when he called for Republican House members to introduce legislation to remove the Statue of Liberty from New York Harbor—in protest of the inhumane practices at our southern border and to protest the Republican stance on illegal immigration.

I am astounded that American voters actually and deliberately send these idiots to Congress. It will be interesting to follow this fellow to see how utterly ineffective he is in Congress. AND, lest we forget, he is now severely overpaid with a Congressional annual salary of $174,500.

Jamie Gets It Right

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, admitted publicly what many are unwilling to acknowledge—that President Trump was right about immigration, the economy, and NATO. Implicit in this statement is that Joe Biden was wrong about all these things. One can only hope that tens of millions of Americans will actually read Dimon’s statements and agree with him when it comes time to vote for our next President.

Not the Way to Instill Confidence in Flying

It seems that the FAA is hell-bent on pushing diversity, equity, and inclusion in its workforce. Mainstream media continues to report on the agency’s push to hire people with psychiatric and severe intellectual disabilities. Other than all the obvious problems with, what about the extra supervisory staff and realted extra expenses needed to monitor and ensure that these folks are doing their jobs properly and not screwing up the entire operation. Obviously, the head of the agency tops the list for poor judgment. One can only hope that the pilot sitting in the captain’s chair of your next flight is not one of those hires.

See ya next time.

DISCLAIMER: This is solely for informational and entertainment purposes. Published and distributed by EOCritic LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of recording, nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public use or private use—other than “fair use” as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews—without the prior written permission of the publisher and/or the author.

This is provided with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, investment, or other professional advice or services. If these services are required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

No liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken, the author and publisher assume no liability for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

The Florida State Board of Education recently permanently banned funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs at all 28 Florida state colleges. The use of state or federal funds to administer DEI programs is now prohibited.

The Board defines DEI as “any program, campus activity, or policy that classifies individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation and promotes differential or preferential treatment of individuals on the basis of such classification.”

It’s a start—one state out of 50. Forty-nine to go.

Show Me the Math

Jamaal Bowman, an asshat liberal squad member of Congress, is pushing a bill that would have the federal government recognize harm done to black Americans and provide about $330,000 in payments to some 41 million of them at an approximate cost of $13 trillion. Forget for a moment how this lunatic arrives at the $330,000 figure. This moron has nothing better to do in Congress than push for reparations because he is part of a group that he feels has been harmed by our government. Forget for a moment that this human trash rose to a spot in Congress, something that would be impossible in the presence of systematic and institutional racism. I suppose Janet Yellen could sell cookies on the corner to raise the needed funds. After all, we are already $34 trillion in debt. What’s another $13 trillion?

By the way, Bowman is the same idiot who was censured by Congress for pulling a fire alarm during an important vote.

It Wasn’t Me!

We can’t leave the subject of members of Congress without mentioning a hilarious line from the liberal progressive socialist known as AOC. It seems she went out of her way to respond to

media questions regarding the closure of a New York City high school that was vacated to house illegals during a storm.

Students were told to stay at home so the city’s illegal aliens could be transferred out of tents. She was quick to announce that it was “not in my district.” Well then, I guess that makes everything better and that no additional comments such as her point of view are needed.

Although I would be very interested to hear her views if this occured in her district. It’s so sad that she moved on from bartending. I hear Boston has a bartender shortage.

Diminished Capacity and a Corresponding Increase in Absurdity

Readers of The Equal Opportunity Times know I am not a fan of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. To say this aged, misguided excuse for a politician is a perfectly good waste of molecules is an understatement. It’s amazing how the truth eludes this fellow, yet New Yorkers keep sending him to Washington—I guess they’ll do anything to keep him out of New York.

Watching a recent clip of a Senate hearing had me punching the wall as I saw this fool tell everyone in the chamber that “illegals are a huge benefit to America.” Evidently, the Senator believes that if we block illegals from our country, there will be no one to pick fruits and vegetables, and we will all starve.

It’s not foolish of me to hope that Chuck gets a NEW JOB washing dishes in the bar where AOC gets a new bartending position. One can only hope. . . .

Fine! You Don’t Pay Your Debt, We Throw You in Jail

Becky Noble’s article published on RedState media on January 17, 2024, caught my eye. The headline reads, “Childlike Student Loan Borrowers Throw Collective Hissy-Fit, Say They Will Boycott Repayment in ‘Protest’.”

The source of ALL this nonsense lies with President Biden and his continued efforts to buy votes from leftists who don’t want to pay back their student loans. Ms. Noble is correct in calling this a “temper tantrum” by borrowers who refuse to assume responsibility for their actions. I think it is reprehensible, and those who choose to boycott their legal obligations under the law should be locked up until they understand that this is not how things are done around here.

Gen-Z Congressman Says ‘Usher in Millions of Illegals’

Another liberal Democrat in Congress has gone off on how we need to usher in millions of illegals. Maxwell Frost is an activist and representative for Florida’s lunatic 10th Congressional District. This rookie Congressman previously held the position of the national organizing

director for March for Our Lives. He is a thoroughly unimpressive lawmaker. His claim to fame is that he may be the first member of Gen-Z to be elected to Congress. I guess that makes him as famous as AOC for being the first bartender elected.

It looks like credentials are a thing of the past. But to be honest, Frost does have experience. He worked for the Hillary Clinton, Barrack Obama, and Bernie Sanders campaigns. Personally, I wouldn’t hire him to wash my car.

What drew my attention to this troglodyte was a stunt he pulled when he called for Republican House members to introduce legislation to remove the Statue of Liberty from New York Harbor—in protest of the inhumane practices at our southern border and to protest the Republican stance on illegal immigration.

I am astounded that American voters actually and deliberately send these idiots to Congress. It will be interesting to follow this fellow to see how utterly ineffective he is in Congress. AND, lest we forget, he is now severely overpaid with a Congressional annual salary of $174,500.

Jamie Gets It Right

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, admitted publicly what many are unwilling to acknowledge—that President Trump was right about immigration, the economy, and NATO. Implicit in this statement is that Joe Biden was wrong about all these things. One can only hope that tens of millions of Americans will actually read Dimon’s statements and agree with him when it comes time to vote for our next President.

Not the Way to Instill Confidence in Flying

It seems that the FAA is hell-bent on pushing diversity, equity, and inclusion in its workforce. Mainstream media continues to report on the agency’s push to hire people with psychiatric and severe intellectual disabilities. Other than all the obvious problems with, what about the extra supervisory staff and realted extra expenses needed to monitor and ensure that these folks are doing their jobs properly and not screwing up the entire operation. Obviously, the head of the agency tops the list for poor judgment. One can only hope that the pilot sitting in the captain’s chair of your next flight is not one of those hires.

See ya next time.

DISCLAIMER: This is solely for informational and entertainment purposes. Published and distributed by EOCritic LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of recording, nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public use or private use—other than “fair use” as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews—without the prior written permission of the publisher and/or the author.

This is provided with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, investment, or other professional advice or services. If these services are required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

No liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken, the author and publisher assume no liability for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

California’s Atlases are shrugging, and leaving

by Rodger Friedman | Mar 8, 2024 | Blog

Is it unfair to say that elected Democrats have been hostile to high earners? Those who occupy the highest tax brackets in California, typically earning $1 million or more per year, have begun a great march out of this state that demonizes and ostracizes them for their abilities, their successes, and their achievements.

We are witnessing many who are fleeing to states with reasonable tax policies or no state tax income tax at all. Texas and Florida come to mind, as well as Tennessee. The march—no, the stampede—out of the state has become deafening in the halls of the California State Legislature. Mainstream media tells us that the top 1% of California’s earners contribute approximately 40% of all state income taxes collected.

So what are the state’s elected officials going to do when they realize that far more than the current 25% drop in personal income tax collection for 2023 is on the horizon? What state programs will be scaled back or eliminated because of a severe decline in tax receipts?

We will no doubt hear a chorus of representatives blaming the greedy rich for inflicting such pain on the less fortunate.

Case in point: I’m told that over a thousand pizza delivery jobs will be eliminated in California before January 1, 2024, since the state’s new fast-food minimum wage law mandates a minimum hourly wage of $20 per hour for workers. I suspect the number is much higher, but for now, those are the headlines I read. No wonder the franchisees who own the restaurants are eliminating the jobs that will kill their profits. It seems that these owners are the only ones who realize that getting in a car and driving a pizza from point A to point B is not worth $20 per hour. The politicians are clueless beyond their mantra that everyone deserves a living wage.

Here’s an idea. Look at the folks working two to three jobs. They embody the spirit of going after the living wage and personal responsibility.

Business owners are not at the mercy of leftist politicians who seek to claw more and more money out of businesses and into state coffers. They simply shrug, change their business models to account for a hostile regulatory environment, or in extreme cases sell their businesses and move across state lines, giving the silent middle finger to the politicians who destroyed their profit incentive.

The politicians refuse to understand that a business owner’s capital is at risk every day their business is operating, and when profits are threatened, those owners will assess whether or not it makes sense to remain in their current business or take action to mitigate the risk. Like John Galt in Ayn Rand’s monumental work Atlas Shrugged, the brains and businesses are being drained from California due to its hostile tax and regulatory policies. Once the state government understands that it has driven away the best and the brightest and has left behind all those of modest achievement, it will wonder what happened. The legislators brought it on themselves. The outcome is not rocket science.

We deeply regret our actions

Have you ever noticed that when a governmental agency or member of Congress gets caught doing something they know they had no authority to do or was plainly illegal, unconstitutional, or immoral, they pull out their old standby defense: We deeply regret our actions. Well, I regret that they don’t face jail time.

Whether it is an agency head speaking for the FDA, the FTC, the SEC, or a member of Congress, playing the regret card is akin to a get-out-of-jail-free card. We often hear that “we take this lapse very seriously, we lacked the internal controls necessary to detect . . .” or “I didn’t realize I had crossed a line that should never be crossed.” The outcomes are always the same; we promise to do better in the future, or we will strive to prevent similar lapses in the future.

HOGWASH! Misconduct is unacceptable or improper behavior, and regretting it means nothing. They regret that they were caught.

If these individuals were regular people, they would be subject to a very public and humiliating trial, asset forfeiture, fines, or jail time (that’s my favorite, by the way). Often they would lose their jobs and any accrued benefits. Police officers would lose their pensions, and those in the military would face loss of benefits and a dishonorable discharge. The “I deeply regret my actions” card doesn’t work for these folks.

Before we put this discussion to bed, I want you to think back to all the corruption we have read about with elections, tampering of evidence, made-up lies, and so on. Would you care to consider how many of these perps are in jail? My guess is that they regretted their actions, were given a slap on the wrist, and went on their merry ways to reap hundreds of thousands in consulting fees in this grand land of different rules for different people.

Expanding medical coverage for illegal aliens

Here is a December 30, 2023, headline from Newsmax:

As California grapples with a looming $68 billion deficit in the upcoming fiscal year, the state is set to usher in the new year by extending free healthcare coverage to undocumented immigrants eligible for its government-operated health insurance initiative.

The article, written by Jim Thomas, goes on to say, “This expansion is expected to provide complete coverage under the program to approximately 700,000 undocumented immigrants between the ages of 26 and 49.” Mr. Thomas indicated that the expected expense of the program would top $2.6 billion annually.

If I lived in California, I would need a sedative after learning this. What I don’t understand is how seemingly intelligent people—you know, the 1% of high-earning Californians who contribute 40% of the state’s personal income tax revenue—stand by and actually bend over to be paddled on the butt like in the frat house scene from a popular movie and say, “Thank you, sir. May I have another?”

Is it wrong for these taxpayers to expect their elected officials to use reason and intelligence in allocating scarce resources for the benefit of the state’s citizens?

Would it be wrong for the state to eject all these illegals and send them back across the border?

Would it be wrong to elect conservatives to high public office who would get the state’s fiscal house in order and attempt to meaningfully lower its $68 billion budget deficit?

Okay. I’m done—for now.

US exporting taxpayer dollars to support transgenderism in South America

Jim Thomas, the Newsmax reporter, must have been on a roll when he wrote this headline:

Biden WH Funds Dance Program to Support Peru’s LGBTQIA+ Youth.

The story, published on December 29, 2023, tells that American taxpayer dollars are being funneled through the State Department to provide grants for ballroom dancing for gender- diverse and transgender Latinos and blacks in Peru. I surmise that blacks and Latinos are NOT minorities in Peru. Yet the Biden Administration is keeping with its stated policy of exporting its transgender policies to the rest of the world. And yes, your federal income taxes will rise to support this and many more initiatives deemed important to the progressive socialists running our country.

’Til next time, this is Rodger Friedman, the Equal Opportunity Critic.

DISCLAIMER: This is solely for entertainment purposes. Published and distributed by EOCritic LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of recording, nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public use or private use other than “fair use” as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews without the prior written permission of the publisher and/or the author. This is provided with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, investment, or other professional advice or services. If these services are required, competent professionals should be sought out. No liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken, the author and publisher assume no liability for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.