Ryan Retires, Who's In Control, Money For Nothing, Holocaust Remembrance Day

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Ryan Retires

 
House Speaker Paul Ryan announced this morning that he will not seek reelection this November, and will retire from Congress at the end his current term. 
 
It is no secret that Ryan has not enjoyed his time as speaker.  He reluctantly accepted the job after John Boehner resigned, and he can hardly be described as an enthusiastic supporter of President Trump's agenda.
 
Ryan's retirement isn't doing his party any favors.  With just over 200 days until the November election and no candidate, it could be difficult for the GOP to hold his seat. 
 
 
 
Who's In Control?
 
One of the biggest lies often repeated in the media is "Conservatives control everything in Washington and look how little they have done."  I even occasionally hear this from frustrated conservative activists. 
 
Here's a reality check.
 
President Trump has accomplished a great deal already.  His appointment of Neil Gorsuch saved the Second Amendment.  It also improved our chances of protecting religious liberty and limiting abortion.  Trump dramatically cut taxes and enacted the first major tax reform since Reagan.  He is also rebuilding our military. 
 
But it is a tremendous distortion to say conservatives "control everything in Washington." 
 
As I have noted before, you cannot effectively control the Senate unless you have 60 votes due to the filibuster rule.  Without changing that rule, which I believe should be jettisoned, the current GOP majority of 51 votes is not enough to get everything done.  But let's put that aside.
 
How many times has President Trump tried to do something only to have the left run to the nearest courtroom for an injunction?  Clearly, conservatives do not control the courts.  Obama packed them with left-wing activists.  Trump has a chance to change that, but it takes time.
 
Then there is the DC bureaucracy and the Deep State.  Enough said.
 
The media has been called the "Fourth Estate," meaning the fourth branch of government.  We rightly believe a free and fair press is an essential check on government.  But the media are anything but fair.  They are cheerleaders for the left and attack dogs against the right.
 
There are big problems beyond Washington.  America's educational system, at all levels, is producing indoctrinated liberals. 
 
Just look at polling of Americans between the ages of 18 and 30, those who grew up in the Obama era.  For eight years, they heard Obama apologize for America, berate our past, attack law enforcement, etc.  The polling shows this is the least patriotic generation in history. 
 
Even American sports, which used to be a bastion of patriotism, is being pulled down into the leftist quagmire. 
 
But the battle for the heart and soul of America is far from over.  I refuse to believe that this great country, "the last best hope of earth" as Abraham Lincoln said, is destined to decline.   
 
With your continued prayers and support, American Values will continue to fight for faith, family and freedom!
 
 
 
Good News
 
Here is some encouraging news I want to share with you.
 

  • Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is pushing back against the left's delaying tactics.   He warned senators that if the stalling doesn't stop, he will keep the Senate in session non-stop, working through weekends in order to get Trump's nominees confirmed.
  • House conservatives are threatening top Justice Department officials with contempt charges and even impeachment unless they fully cooperate with oversight demands.
  • China's president made a big concession when he announced plans to reduce tariffs on U.S. cars.  Trump welcomed the announcement, but demanded action not just rhetoric.
  • The federal bureaucracy is shrinking.
  • Trump signed a memo ordering the end of "catch and release" for illegal immigrants.
  • The Arizona Supreme Court ruled unanimously that in-state tuition breaks for illegal immigrants is unconstitutional.  That means Arizona colleges will no longer discriminate against American citizens from other states in favor of illegal immigrants.
  • Ground was broken this week on the first stretch of the border wall.
  • President Trump welcomed the players from the University of Alabama football team to the White House yesterday to celebrate their latest national title.  Nobody took a knee.  Instead, several players on the multiracial team huddled around the president to pray for him and our nation.

 
 
 
Money For Nothing
 
How much did you make yesterday?  I guarantee it wasn't nearly as much as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. 
 
As you know, Zuckerberg testified for several hours before the Senate's Commerce and Judiciary committees yesterday regarding privacy violations and security breaches at the social media giant. 
 
We really didn't learn very much.  In fact, Zuckerberg doesn't appear to know very much. 
 
Yet while he revealed next to nothing about Facebook's inner workings or why it censors conservatives, he did quite well lining his own pockets.  Apparently, investors felt his evasive performance wasn't damaging to the company, and Facebook shares rose 4.5% yesterday -- adding $3 billion to Zuckerberg's bottom line. 
 
 
 
Holocaust Remembrance Day

Events marking Holocaust Remembrance Day began this evening in Israel.  It is a day of reflection on the unthinkable, remembering that Adolf Hitler and his national socialists murdered six million Jews, one-third of the world's Jewish population.  
 
Today also happens to be the 73rd anniversary of the Allied liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp.  To comprehend the horrific extent of the Holocaust, consider this:  More than 70 years later, the world's Jewish population has yet to fully recover

It is hard to imagine that such evil could ever occur again.  But today the lessons of the Holocaust are fading.  Sadly, we regularly see reports of anti-Semitism on U.S. college campuses.  Anti-Semitism is spreading again throughout Europe, even becoming stylish among some of its left-wing elites.
 
And, of course, there is the radical regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran.  The supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, denies the first Holocaust while routinely promising a second Holocaust through the annihilation of Israel.  He did so again just last week.

But there is good news. Millions of Christians are standing with the Jewish people. Together, we will defend Judeo-Christian civilization and fight persecution whatever its source.  NEVER AGAIN!