Woke Corporations Are Attacking American Values

 

Corporations are attacking American values and, in doing so, are hurting their bottom lines. Can corporate leaders be this clueless or does the agenda trump their duties to shareholders and customers? 

A few days ago, Target lost $9 billion in market value after making the mistake of offering products that celebrate the practice of adults chemically and physically maiming impressionable minor children. 

Now, why would Target do such a thing?

Did they not internalize the error committed by Bud light when they made the ill-fated mistake – a few weeks ago – to insult its core customer base by partnering with Dylan Mulvaney? Mulvaney is a man who maintains he is a woman, all while offering almost a comic parody of what real women are like. It has been more than 6 weeks and Bud Light still cannot stop the bleeding of losing over $110 million in sales volume year-to-date. 

Surprisingly enough, after the marketing fiasco, it took Bud Light over 2 weeks to respond and take any form of action. That was more than ample time for its competitors to watch, learn and avoid the same pit falls. In fact, thanks to the ill-conceived marketing concept by Bud Light, other brands such as Coors Light and Modelo are especially making the most of the gift they have received. Perhaps their marketing department should call Bud Light and thank them for their respective 23.2% and 22.2% growth of the market share.

Now, ask yourself, why would any corporation decide to insult its customer base and expect that base not to change its purchasing habits? After all, isn’t that one of the first lessons one learns about running a business? 

Either leadership at some of these corporations has forgotten the simple basics of running a good business or are intentionally making ill-fated decisions based on ideology instead of fiduciary duty.  Are they simply genuflecting at political correctness, which seems to be permeating board rooms all over the country? 

Do they even teach fiduciary duty in business schools these days? Once held as a marker for everyone in the business world to emulate, fiduciaries took their roles very seriously and with a high standard of care, loyalty, and honesty in providing services to their clients and stakeholders. It was once understood that anyone in a fiduciary role was required to prioritize the interests of the beneficiaries over their own.

Many of these corporations take their dominance of their respective market for granted. It only takes a quick study of history to know many corporations that once were at the apogee of the market are either irrelevant or non-existent. All simply because they failed to adjust to the needs of the market and consumers. It appears some of these corporations are either ignorant of this fact or too willing to pay whatever price it may cost them all in the name of bowing down to political correctness.

A number of other corporations have stepped into the proverbial quicksand. In 2021, Major League Baseball (MLB) took a misguided stand against Georgia election integrity legislation that mandated voter identification. Voter ID is one of the most popular forms of voter protection in the U.S. MLB’s protest against the bill included the decision to move the MLB All-Star game out of Atlanta. The Job Creators Network sued Major League Baseball and they were joined by former Attorney General Edwin Meese III and the American Constitutional Rights Union, of which he is a member of the Board, with a hard-hitting amicus brief supporting Job Creators Network in their lawsuit. I also sit as a member of the policy board of ACRU. 

The move caused major economic consequences to the greater Atlanta community. This led to complaints that Major League Baseball was not representing the interests of its owners as it participated in political cancel culture and appeared to do the bidding of leftist activists, such as Stacey Abrams, who maintained that measures such as voter identification are racist. The backlash against MLB was swift, severe, and long lasting. 

Disney also paid a price in 2022 for taking a stance against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act? Perhaps this could explain their recent woes across various segments of the market. It certainly led to Disney losing some perks in Florida laws that had benefited the company for decades. 

These corporations and others would be wise to pay heed to the warning signs lest they fall into the same trap that has ensnared others before them. 

Millions of Americans are watching you. “Go woke. Go Broke.”

The Truth About the Railway Safety Act

 

Three months later, the 4,700 people of East Palestine, Ohio, continue to bravely deal with the fallout from the tragic Norfolk Southern train derailment. Over 1.6 million pounds of toxic chemicals were dumped into the community, and the cleanup continues.

Sadly, U.S. Senators such as Sherrod Brown (D-OH) are ignoring the people of East Palestine and are instead using this senseless tragedy as an opportunity to grant powerful unions their legislative wish list through the so-called “Railway Safety Act.”

Under the guise of public safety, this bill sacrifices free market principles and innovation for the sake of regulation, with impractical requirements. For example, the bill requires railroads to go to personal inspection points and inspect each train car in the direction of travel, which would cause significant congestion and delays on the nation’s rail network. It would also require hiring new inspectors without being able to demonstrate a safety improvement.

The current inspection and maintenance system has worked well for many years. In fact, track-caused accidents are down 55 percent since 2000, and are at their lowest-ever rate across the entire industry. In fact, equipment-caused accidents are down 21 percent since 2000. The inspection requirements of the bill would only burden the railroad industry with unnecessary costs and cause more problems than they solve.

A one-size-fits-all performance standard for failed sensors is also problematic. These new rules would ignore the vast differences in Class I rail networks, geography, and operation. Different rail networks have unique needs and requirements, and a one-size-fits-all approach would not consider these differences.

In addition, the bill’s requirement to combine multiple regulatory frameworks into one system must be clarified to make enforcement more manageable. 

Moreover, the bill creates a huge loophole that grants vast powers to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to regulate the use of detectors. Buttigieg, who is eager to run for president again, is looking to make up for the Biden administration’s initial absence from East Palestine and is now ready to overregulate the rail industry, stifling innovation and improvements. Where was President Biden and Secretary Pete before tragedy struck East Palestine? Was Sleepy Joe and Mayor Pete asleep at the wheel, neglecting rail infrastructure investment when they were at the helm?

Equipping a two-person crew is also problematic. To begin with, the train that derailed in East Palestine had three people in the train cab, so a two-person crew requirement would not have prevented the accident. It also ignores decades of safe and successful use of the one-man crew in passenger and freight rail systems worldwide. One-person teams have been used successfully in Europe and Canada. In addition, a government mandate requiring a two-person crew weakens the rail industry’s ability to compete with less climate-friendly modes of transport, such as trucks and air traffic. It also changes substantive collective bargaining by removing the opportunity for railroads to negotiate in good faith with their employees.

The Railway Safety Act is a misguided bill. Its provisions should be less directive, based on reasonable, science-based safety principles to ensure derailments are minimized. As demonstrated, the freight rail industry has a strong safety record, and new federal regulations must be data-driven and targeted. We should strive to find practical solutions that prioritize both public safety and economic growth.

My prayers go to the community of East Palestine; all affected by this derailment deserve to be well compensated. It is time for Congress to quit the political opportunism and take a stand with the people of East Palestine.

Minnesota Democrats Left Minnesotans Behind

 The legislative session has wrapped up here in Minnesota, where we are carefully reflecting on the outcomes and how they will affect our lives. But what happened here in Minnesota shouldn’t just be a point of consideration for our own residents, but coast to coast as we examine the dangerous, lasting impacts of what has become a national test kitchen for extreme liberalism.

Minnesotans voted for single-party control of state government last fall. Democrats won full control, in large part, by making promises on the campaign trail they clearly never intended to keep. Democrats promised popular things like tax relief and support for law enforcement, and said they’d help Minnesotans struggling with rising costs in their everyday lives. They broke those promises and we’re all going to pay the price.

In this first session of full control, Democrats pivoted to advance a radical agenda, moving fast and furious to enact a laundry list of partisan priorities, and they’re sending Minnesotans the bill.

Minnesota’s historic $17.5 billion surplus even had Democrats pledging tax relief in the form of returning the surplus. On the campaign trail, Gov. Tim Walz promised Minnesotans huge $2,000 rebate checks. But then Democrats started spending, and they quickly realized they’d rather use that surplus themselves to increase state spending by a staggering 40 percent than give it back to our state’s overcharged taxpayers. I’m already hearing from constituents who are disappointed to learn the rebate checks are a measly $260 for a select few Minnesotans, and many won’t see a penny.

The full elimination of the tax on Social Security is another area of tax relief that had bipartisan support. Several Democrats in both the House and Senate campaigned on the issue and said they would hold their votes to get it. Republicans gave plenty of opportunities for them to join us and hold true to that promise, but, once again, they were already committed to spending taxpayer money and no longer wanted to provide relief. They chose political paybacks over seniors, and Minnesota will continue to be one of only 11 states that still tax income from Social Security benefits.

It gets worse: not only did Democrats fail to keep their promise on reducing taxes, but they also actually raised taxes. Democrats raised nearly $10 billion in taxes and fees across the budget — and we’re still counting. Minnesotans will pay more when they get their car tabs renewed, register their boats, buy gas, order online, shop in the Twin Cities metro area or buy a car. All workers will pay new taxes for a new statewide mandate and bureaucracy for an untested paid-leave system that will eliminate private paid-leave benefits many workers already have and like. Everyone will be paying more to fund out-of-control spending. The small tax rebate is temporary, but the tax hikes are permanent.

Not only did state Democrats pile on tax increases at a time of economic uncertainty but they caused doubt over general safety as well. Democrats promised voters they would get serious about public safety, but when push came to shove, they were more focused on the rights of criminals than the rights of victims. From felon voting to making 92% of the prison population — more than 7,000 criminals — eligible for early release and reduced jail time, Democrats are taking chances with public safety as they push through soft-on-crime policies that will do nothing to prevent criminal activity at a time violent crime remains abnormally high in our state.

All of this was done in one of the most partisan sessions ever. We saw dozens of strong, bipartisan positions get stripped out of this year’s major bills, many times with no discussion, in the dark of night and to the shock of the Republican authors. Legislation is stronger when it is built with support from both parties and includes the feedback of people from across the state, but that’s not the way Democrats operated this session.

Minnesota has turned into a Democrat pilot project for just how far unchecked power can push the envelope. Democrats here in state and nationally are describing this session as “transformative,” and it certainly has been. The changes wrought by radical, one-party rule will make Minnesota a less affordable place to live, work, and raise a family. That’s not the transformation voters asked for and, frankly, it’s not even what most Democrats can support.

It’s up to Minnesota voters to hold Democrats accountable for their broken promises and extremist approach.

Constitutional Principles And The Debt Deal

 In justifying the “historic” debt deal, Rep. Jason Smith said Republicans only control one-half of one-third of the federal government. But it was the most important one-half of one-third. The failure by the House to take advantage of its constitutional power may deliver the United States into receivership by the International Monetary Fund as the nation careens toward bankruptcy.

The House is where money bills are supposed to begin.  All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives, the Constitution says.

Smith can find that on the website of his House Ways and Means Committee.

The Constitution also says: The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and…To borrow Money on the credit of the United States.”

In the case of the debt deal, the House had passed a bill and the Senate did nothing with it. That’s not the fault of the House. The House did its constitutional duty.

The House should have stood its ground. Indeed, McCarthy had all the leverage and could have insisted on a reduction in debt as well as:

    Building the border wall
    Repeal of the green wasteful “Inflation Reduction Act,” which causes inflation.
    Repeal of Obamacare.

Instead, House Speaker McCarthy begged for a meeting with Biden and his regime. At first, Biden refused to negotiate, putting pressure on McCarthy, who eventually agreed to the “negotiations.”

By doing nothing, the Democratic-controlled Senate was putting pressure on the House to comply with the debt deal proposed by Democrats and the Biden regime. But there is no reason why this meant the House had to comply and do their bidding.

The result was that more Democrats than Republicans voted for the ultimate deal.

All of the constitutional power rested with the Republicans in the House. They had the leverage and gave it up. They should have waited until Biden and the Senate Democrats complied with their demands.

In other words, McCarthy gave up his power position. Not only did he give up his power position, but his original debt ceiling proposal also raised the debt ceiling. Once he was in “negotiations,” he agreed to more debt and spending. There was no reason to do this. A default would have been the preferable option.  A default means that the U.S. would restructure the debt.  There is nothing inherently wrong with this.

The alternative, accepted by McCarthy, is to devalue the American currency through inflation. In other words, more of the same. Bharat Ramamurti, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, notes the deal “locked in” the “progressive accomplishments” of Biden’s first term.

This is what McCarthy agreed to.

A restructuring of the government’s financing would include coming to grips with the fact that the federal government can’t pass an audit.

Here’s what the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says, “GAO has been auditing the federal government’s consolidated financial statements since FY 1997 (as well as various other federal financial statements). However, GAO continues to be unable to render an audit opinion on the government’s accrual-based consolidated financial statements — which present historical information such as assets, liabilities, revenue, and net cost.”

This is one reason why fiscal policy, according to the Department of the Treasury, is on an “unsustainable” path.

On this basis, what sense does it make to give this government more of an ability to go into debt and spend money? We actually need a complete restructuring of the federal government and the “debt” they say we owe.

In the future, as America goes further into debt, it will be left to the “progressives” and their international comrades to start the process of receivership, using the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to impose or force certain policies on the United States.

One conservative activist commented in response to this debacle: Republicans are their own worst enemy; with Republicans who needs Democrats; and keep your enemies (Democrats) close to your vest, but Republicans closer.

Migrants In America Causing Collapse Of Law Enforcement

 These sanctuary governors and mayors are arguing the wrong point. It is not so much about where to house these people and re-shipping them to other locations, but rather the scandal should be to tell the entire illegal immigrant operation that there is nothing in America to come to that is better than what they left. Consider just how much money these people spend to come here and the deadly traveling just to get beyond our borders. Are these people coming to anything better in the long term than what they left? Do they really want to work in slaughterhouses, work farms in disgusting living conditions? Do they really want to be trafficked in the sex trade industry?

Ah, but read on to see a Chicago police station and consider how it is in expensive hotels across the country where we have no idea of their names, ages, or even their history, no visas, no passports, and no documents at all. How can law enforcement even begin to deal with this considering all the other existing crime across the country…

A huge hat tip to Rebecca Brannon!

New footage shows a Chicago police station filled with mattresses and dozens of illegal migrants, as the city struggles to house the hundreds of border crossers arriving there each day.

Officials in Chicago have said they cannot afford to rent hotel rooms for the more than 8,000 migrants who have arrived in their city and have pushed for more federal funds to cover costs.

Due to the lack of available shelters, some migrants have turned to police stations for a safe place to sleep.

The migrant-housing crisis in Chicago follows last week’s end to the Trump-era COVID-19 border restriction known as Title 42, which allowed U.S. authorities to send migrants back to Mexico without giving them a chance to seek asylum.

Tens of thousands of people hurried to cross the border illegally into the U.S. before President Joe Biden implemented a strict new asylum policy to replace Title 42.

In the shocking footage posted by photojournalist Rebecca Brannon, dozens and dozens of migrants are seen sitting on and around mattresses in a Chicago police station.

Brannon reported that many of the migrants have slept and eaten on the floors, which has placed a strain on the law enforcement officers whose day-to-day jobs have been made more difficult by their presence.

Small children were seen running around and an alley sits full of trash produced by the migrants.

Chicago already has a serious violent crime problem, with its new influx of migrants likely to further strain budgets desperately needed to try and make the city safer.

More than 8,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago since August, which is when southern states started to bus asylum seekers north. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent migrants to the Democrat-led cities to help ease the burden on border towns.

‘To provide much-needed relief to our overrun border communities, Texas began busing migrants to sanctuary cities such as your ‘Welcoming City,’ along with Washington, DC, New York City, and Philadelphia, with more to come. Until Biden secures the border to stop the inflow of mass migration, Texas will continue this necessary program,’ Abbott noted in a letter earlier this month.

Migrants have been sent to cities such as Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York. Migrants have also arrived in Washington, DC, with buses stopping outside the home of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Democratic Party is having dictatorship of the proletariat right now.  Seattle statue

Despite Chicago’s obvious overcrowding issue, new Mayor Brandon Johnson, a progressive Democrat who assumed office Monday, said in his inauguration speech that in Chicago, ‘there’s enough room for everyone.’

Johnson’s affirmed commitment to welcoming migrants to Chicago follows his predecessor – Lori Lightfoot’s decision to declare a state of emergency earlier this month, calling migrant arrivals a ‘humanitarian crisis’ and pushing for increased federal aid.

Chicago officials have said they expect a $53 million shortfall without additional aid because of the cost of housing migrants.