Patriot Neighbors: What, Me Worry?

“There is either a red wave this November or America is doomed. Imagine four more years of this getting worse …” —Elon Musk March 15, 2024, on X/Twitter

By Robin Itzler 

Commentaries and insights selected from Robin's weekly newsletter Patriot Neighbors. Cartoons may  be added by me.  I often triage her newsletter to fit my blog, so if you wish to get the full edition,   E-mail her at PatriotNeighbors@yahoo.com to get on her list, it's free.   Let's start here:

BIDENOMICS: What would Corn Pop do?

Joey spent an hour yelling at the American people during his state of the union screamfest. Most Patriots believe he was drugged, but maybe we are asking too much from the feeble radical socialist who likes to fondle young children, sniff their hair, and hide top secret classified documents in his garage. After all, the special counsel already said the elderly Joe Biden’s memory is gone. Let’s just focus on quantifiable data:

• Since February 2021, inflation has increased by a whopping 18 percent!
• Core inflation is up 3.8 percent (year over year). 
• Since February 2021, real wages have fallen by 2.5 percent. To maintain the same standard of living, you would need a 20.5 percent increase.
• To maintain the same quality of life an average family had in January 2021, they need to spend about $12,000 MORE per year. 
• Since Biden took office in January 2021, mortgages are up about 60 percent. 
• Since Biden took office in January 2021, gas is up 39 percent. 
• Since Biden took office in January 2021, energy is up 35 percent. 
• Since Biden took office in January 2021, baby food is about 30 percent.  
• Since Biden took office in January 2021, airfare is up 31 percent. 
• Since Biden took office in January 2021, electricity up more than 28 percent.
• Since Biden took office in January 2021, apparel is up 12 percent. 
• Since Biden took office in January 2021, eating out is up 21 percent. 
• Since Biden took office in January 2021, housing/rent is up 20 percent.
• Since Biden took office in January 2021, pet food is up nearly 23 percent. 
• Since Biden took office in January 2021, used cars are up 20 percent. 
• Since Biden took office in January 2021, overall food is up 21 percent.

Ask your family, friends, and neighbors: Are you financially better off today than you were four years ago? 

 

JOBS: More part-time than full-time available You won’t hear this from the Biden administration, but the “true rate of unemployment” (TRU) is 23 percent. TRU comes from the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity and includes people who would like to work full-time but can’t find full-time work or work part-time and want more hours or work two or more part-time jobs. (Full-time is considered 35 hours or more per week.) It also includes “discouraged” people – those who could work full-time but became tired of searching for full-time employment and not being hired so they stopped looking.

Below is a sampling from a variety of industries that shows what a success Bidenomics continues to be:

• Catalent (biopharma) – Plans to lay off 130 workers at one of its Indiana manufacturing sites.
• The Container Store (retail) – Is cutting 2.5 percent (about 100 employees) of its corporate workforce as sales slow.
• Dollar Tree (retail) – Announced it would close 600 Family Dollar stores in the first half of fiscal 2024 and another 370 as leases expire. 
• Drizly (alcohol delivery app owned by Uber) – Announced plans to shut down at the end of March and lay off its entire staff of 168 employees. 
• Electronic Arts (technology) – Announced it would lay off 5 percent (approximately 13,400 employees) while also reducing its corporate space. 
• IBM (industrial research) – Informed employees that it will be laying off staff in its marketing and communications division. Last August, IBM announced a plan to replace nearly 8,000 jobs with artificial intelligence (AI).
• Inscribe.a. (fraud detection software) – Laid off 40 percent of its employees.
• Morgan Stanley (finance) – Will lay off hundreds of employees in its wealth-management division. The division has about 40,000 employees. Stash (fintech) – Laid off 25 percent of its staff (about 80 employees).
• Toast (takeout and food delivery app) – Reported that approximately 10 percent of its staff (550 workers) would be gone by the end of the fiscal year (June 2024).
• Zoom (videoconferencing) – Announced that about 150 positions (2 percent of its workforce) would disappear.

AWFUL $1.2 TRILLION SPENDING BILL

Did your representative vote for this disgusting spending bill that only passed because spineless House Republicans voted with Democrats? If yes, we bet they’re telling you there’s something in the 1,000 page bill (that they probably never read) that helps your district, city or state. What about the rest of the crap? Thanks to Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul, let’s look at what is in this awful bill:

1. $1M granted to SAGE, an elderly LGBTQ+ advocacy group in New York for "cultural competency" training for medical staff
2. $2M to the University of Maine for the construction of a kelp and shellfish nursery
3. $388K to Columbia University in New York, a private university with a $13.6 billion endowment 
4. $1.5M to Game On New York to expand the gaming industry 
5. $1.7M for wind energy workforce education and training in New York 
6.  $250K for the Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education Archives in West Virginia 
7.  $1.5M for economic and business development training for lobstering in Maine 
8.  $249K for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra 
9.  $85K to a public school district in Connecticut to increase school attendance
10.  $1.1M for a food incubator project in Delaware 
11. $1M to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital 
12.  $500K to the San Diego Zoo for a student biodiversity corps program

Per Senator Paul:

“These are only 12 of the over 1,400 wasteful earmarks included in this week’s spending bill. Just two weeks ago, Congress had another spending bill with a price tag of $468 billion and that included over 6,000 earmarks. In one-month, big spenders in both parties in Washington have managed to waste billions of your hard-earned money on their pet projects.”

Did your representative approve this asinine spending bill?

See INFO-MEETINGS-EVENTS attachment to find out!

QUESTION: What does Haym Solomon have to do with $1 bill? The First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin create a seal for our currency. Working with a team of Patriots, it took them four years to accomplish this task and another two years to get the seal approved.

Now you will need a $1 bill. Turn the $1 bill over. It clearly reads: IN GOD WE TRUST. If you look at the left-hand circle, there's a unfinished pyramid. This represented that the United States was not yet finished. The Latin above the pyramid, ANNUIT COEPTIS, means, 'God has favored our undertaking.' The Latin below the pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means, 'a new order has begun.' At the base of the pyramid is the Roman Numeral for 1776. (MDCCLXXVI)

Now look at the other circle … what does it have to do with Haym Solomon? 

ANSWER: Haym Solomon saved the Continental Army

Looking at the reverse side of your $1 bill, notice the arrangement of the 13 stars in the right-hand circle above the bald eagle. The 13 stars represents our 13 colonies and were specifically arranged as a Star of David.

This was ordered by General George Washington who, when he asked Haym Solomon, a wealthy Philadelphia Jew, what he would like as a personal reward for his services to the Continental Army, Solomon said he wanted nothing for himself but that he would like something for his Jewish people. The formation of the 13 stars to represent the Jewish Star of David was the result.

Known as the man who financed the American Revolution, Solomon, who was born in 1740 Leszno, Poland, saved the Continental Army with his financial contributions. Many times, when George Washington was in dire need of funds, his written or verbal response was, “Send for Haym Solomon.” Sadly, Solomon died in 1785 at age 44 when his family’s financial position had greatly deteriorated.

Editor's Note:  This story is more sad than what Robin reported here, "Due to the failure of governments and private lenders to repay the debt incurred by the war, his family was left penniless at his death at age 44.   The hundreds of thousands of dollars of Continental debt Salomon bought with his own fortune were worth only about 10 cents on the dollar when he died." RK

DOUBLE HATERS COULD DECIDE PREZ ELECTION

On the REPUBLICAN and DEMOCRAT sides, there is a group of voters who dislike both Joe Biden and Donald Trump and refuse to vote for either one. According to a March USA Today/Suffolk University poll, these “double haters” make up about 15 percent of the electorate. Some polls have it as high as 20 percent. Many “double haters” are looking at third-party candidates, particularly Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

In “Meet the Surging ‘Double Haters’ Who Could Decide Whether Biden or Trump Wins the Election,” Joey Garrison writes in USA Today: Yet even if Kennedy, Stein and West don't match their current polling in November, they could be major factors in battleground states potentially decided by a few thousand votes or less.

GOOD NEWS FOR TRUMP: 

On the INDEPENDENT side, on March 26, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced that PROGRESSIVE Nicole Shanahan, the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergi Brin, will be his vice-presidential running mate. In 2020, Shanahan supported Democrats Marianne Williamson and Pete Buttigieg. When they dropped out, she endorsed Joe “Dementia” Biden.

Shanahan supports pro-crime Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon. Prior to the announcement Shanahan told USA Today that she was very interested in supporting Kennedy.

“In my opinion, he is the best presidential candidate we have on the issues close to my heart: environmental health, regenerative agriculture and social justice.”

Are those issues close to YOUR heart? It’s not close to our hearts. What we care about is closing the border, stopping freebie giveaways to illegal alien invaders, returning them to their host country, reducing rampant crime, bringing down inflation, and getting the homeless off the streets, to name a few issues.

The Trump campaign is thrilled with RFK’s uber leftist veep choice. Democrats who do NOT want Joe Biden for a variety of reasons (too old, too feeble, too senile, too pro-Hamas, too anti-Israel, too open border, too much rampant crime, too much inflation, etc.) but who would never vote for Donald Trump now have a viable option with RFK. Jr. From Dinesh D’Souza on X/Twitter: “RFK Jr’s selection of Nicole Shanahan as his VP is a very positive development, in my opinion. It makes it far more likely RFK Jr will now take votes away from Biden than he will from Trump. Had RFK Jr made a more conservative choice, he might have taken votes away from Trump.”

Watch for Democrats to viciously go after Kennedy and Shanahan. 

 

 

On the REPUBLICAN side, expect more RINOs to join Alaska’s Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski and tell interviewers that they are thinking of leaving the GOP if Donald Trump is the nominee. No one should be surprised that RINOs are disrespecting the GOP base. Look at what they are doing in Congress!

As a reminder, insane Republicans voted to oust New York Republican George Santos who was replaced with a Democrat in a special election. America First Republican Representative Jim Jordan said on Fox News:

“I don’t know why we got rid of George Santos...George Santos was at least voting with Republicans.”

Did your representative vote to oust Santos? See attached list.

RINOS: Ronna McDaniel Liz Cheney

There are many RINOs in Congress and/or leading the Republican party. Two recent examples: Ronna McDaniel: In a 2023 CNN interview with Chris Wallace, McDaniel said:

“…There were a lot of problems with 2020. I don’t think he (Biden) won it fair. I don’t.”

But on the March 24 Meet the Press, the now former RNC chairwoman and (at the time) newly hired NBC pundit said Joe Biden won “fair and square.” This was the conversation with host Kristen Welker and McDaniel:

McDaniel: Fair and square, he (Biden) won. It’s certified. It’s done. 

Welker: Ronna, why has it taken you until now to be able to say that? McDaniel: 

I’m going to push back a little because I do think it’s fair to say there were problems in 2020 and to say that does not mean he’s not the legitimate president. 

UPDATE: NBC fired McDaniel two days after that interview as the left-leaning network staff could not handle hearing from a Republican, even a RINO. To share your thoughts with NBCUniversal Group Chairman Cesar Conde via his two vice presidents (send one email):  

• Caitlin Herder, Vice President NBC 212-664-2235 Caitlin.Herder@nbcuni.com 
• Jennifer Asare, Vice President NBC 212-664-2115 Jennifer.Asare@nbcuni.com

Liz Cheney: In late March, the infamous Liz Cheney spoke at the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University. This is what she said: 

“I believe that we’re in a situation where the future of the democracy depends upon making sure the Republicans are not in the majority in the House and in the Senate in 2025. I say that as somebody who has significant disagreements with policies of many of my Democratic colleagues… We can’t survive leaders who are going to torch the Constitution.”

In November, America First Patriots must NOT vote for the “R” candidate if the “R” stands for RINO. Aren’t you exhausted being repeatedly told that the RINO is better than the Democrat but then once elected, the “R” votes with Democrats? Once Donald Trump is elected, America First Patriots must take back the Republican Party or start a new one!

ARE WE NOW A RADICAL SOCIALIST NATION?

Some recent events that make us wonder if the republic can be saved.  BED ROTTING—Rather than pick themselves up by their bootstraps and tackle life’s challenges, many progressive Generation Zers require safe spaces. Now it’s reported that they stay in bed for extended periods where they conduct passive activities. Called “bed rotting,” they claim to be burnt out from everyday demands (school, work, family demands, social engagements, etc.) and don’t want to deal with any of it.

• MINNESOTA—Is it fair that only men who identify as women (with or without their male equipment) can go topless in public? Minnesota State House Representative Samantha Sencer-Mura doesn’t think so. Mura wants women to be able to go topless without worrying about being arrested. Mura told the Star-Tribune that the state’s law should be amended so that exposed breasts cannot be considered indecent exposure.
• INDIANA—In 2021, Mary and Jeremy Cox were investigated by the Indiana Department of Child Services because they refused to refer to their SON with feminine pronouns. Indiana took their SON from them and placed him in a home where HE would be referred to as a SHE. The Indiana Supreme Court sided with the insane Indiana Department of Child Services. (Keep this in mind if you are in a blue state and assume life would be better in a red state.) The Catholic couple with the help of a Catholic agency filed a petition to the Supreme Court asking for their case to be heard. The United States Supreme Court of the United States REFUSED to hear their case.

But there’s also uplifting news from Indiana—see next article.

JOE “Big Guy” BIDEN PROCLAIMED SUNDAY, MARCH 31 AS “Transgender Day of Visibility.”

March 31 was EASTER SUNDAY, the holiest day on the Christian calendar. Yet, (the supposed Catholic) Joe Biden wanted the focus to be on mentally ill transgenders.

INTERNATIONAL

GREAT BRITAIN—The Daily Telegraph reported that a shop in Spalding, Lincolnshire didn’t want to promote EASTER eggs. Instead, the ad touted them as “gesture” eggs. This was the store’s owners desire to erase the Christian religion from the EASTER holiday. Cadbury, makers of the delicious chocolate EASTER eggs, was not connected to this insulting promotion.

IS THE TIDE TURNING TO FREEDOM?

With our prayers and involvement, we must have hope of saving our republic. Let’s look at some recent wins that show the tide might be turning in the direction of Conservative Judeo-Christian values. However, we need Republican LEADERSHIP, which seems to be in short supply.

INDIANA—Throughout the school year, East Central High School senior Cameron Blasek had flown an American flag from his pickup truck. However, in early March, Blasek was informed by school administrators that the flag was against the rules and needed to be removed. After Blasek showed school administrators that no rules had been broken, they relented the next day.

The story would have ended there but a local American Legion heard what happened and it generated publicity. Then GCI Digital Imaging of Cincinnati offered to give his truck a complimentary patriotic custom wrap. 

To share your appreciation with GCI Digital Imaging: Email: Link below Phone: 513-521-7446 Write: 5031 Winton Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45232

PLANET FITNESS—The chain saw a $400 MILLION drop in value following news that a MAN was in the WOMEN’S locker room. The MAN was photographed shaving by a female Planet Fitness member. Guess who got the boot? Yup! The female member who thought it was wrong for a MAN to be in the WOMEN’S locker room. Of course, Planet Fitness put out a news release … yada-yada-yada trans this, trans that. 

To share your thoughts with Planet Fitness CEO Chris Rondeau through Investor Relations: Email: Investor@planetfitness.com Phone: 844-880-7180 Write: 4 Liberty Lane E, Hampton, NH 03842

INTERNATIONAL

IRELAND—Right-leaning Simon Harris of the governing Fine Gael party won an unopposed election to succeed left-leaning Leo Varadkar. Upon winning Harris told supporters:

“This is a moment for Fine Gael to reset. Under my leadership, Fine Gael stands for supporting businesses, especially small businesses … Fine Gael stands for supporting the family farm … Fine Gael stands for law and order, on the side of An Garda Siochána (police), where our streets are safe and crime is never allowed go unchecked’.”

Read “The Heroic Sacrifice of John Eastman” — link below.

Patriot Neighbors welcomes sharing readers’ opinions.

Southern Border Desperadoes, by Terry Payne — North Carolina

President Biden in his rambling 2024 State of the Union failed to mention the invasion by illegals at the Southwest border with Mexico. His administration has repeatedly announced that, in fact, the border is secure from drug cartels, slave trade traffickers and terrorists from numerous countries hostile to the United States.

I disagree and submit that this intentional omission of a “whopper” disregards our immigration laws and sovereignty. It is the most outrageous example of serial “gaslighting” in the 248-year history of the United States. The motivation to ignore our laws is in plain view. Recruit undereducated, desperate, and financially dependent illegals so they become “undocumented democrats” and over time modify our demographics in favor of veto proof Democrat Party majorities. Politically, they’re ripe to pick the Democrat Party’s votes every two years.

Who are these invaders? They’re not sending us their best and brightest.

• As a result of Biden’s reckless open border policies, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency charged with enforcing immigration laws inside the United States disclosed in its 2023 annual report that enforcement arrests doubled in a year in which thousands of criminals were apprehended, including dozens of known or suspected terrorists.
•  The distressing figures in the 2023 ICE report are understandable considering that 2023 was a record-breaker for illegal immigration with a horrific 2.48 million foreigners entering the U.S. through the southern border, surpassing what was previously a historical high of 2.38 million in 2022.
• In fiscal year 2023 ending in September, ICE arrested 170,590 illegal immigrants inside our country. Almost half of them with criminal records had an average of four charges and convictions each, including more than 33,209 charges or convictions for assault, 7,520 for weapons offenses, 1,713 for homicide-related crimes and 1,615 for kidnapping.
• Removals included 3,406 known gang members, 139 known terrorists, seven human rights violators, and 108 foreign fugitives wanted by their government for crimes including homicide, rape, terrorism, and kidnapping.
• The most pervasive criminal offenses were Driving Under the Influence, possession of serious drugs, assault, weapons offenses, sexual assault, burglary, and thousands of the arrested migrants stole vehicles.
• ICE freed over a million illegal aliens in the U.S. under Biden’s controversial catch-and-release policy known as Parole Plus Alternative to Detention, supposedly tracking them with technology and other tools. In truth, which is in short supply under Biden’s administration, they’re being bused or airlifted using taxpayer well-funded NGOs throughout the US without tracking or accountability.
• ICE Health Service Corps spent a whopping $352 million to provide medical, dental, and mental health services for illegal immigrants detained in facilities nationwide.
• ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) seized an astounding 1.2 million pounds of narcotics, confiscated $5 million in assets and property, identified 1,806 victims of child exploitation, helped 731 victims of human trafficking, seized $949 million in criminally derived assets and more than $148 million in virtual currency from criminal elements.
• In cases involving drug cartels that smuggle humans, narcotics, and money, HSI seized 69 firearms, 14,182 rounds of ammunition, 4,846 pounds of illicit drugs, and over $383,446 in currency. In one program known as Operation Blue Lotus, HSI partnered with Customs and Border Protection to seize more than 8,200 pounds of fentanyl.

This unchecked invasion is not about compassion for the destitute and illiterates in third world countries. “Houston, we have a problem and it’s lunch pail guy Joe Biden!”

LAUGH, CRY OR SAY AMEN

Laughter helps us to get through this Democrat mess we are in.

The left keeps calling me “far right,” but what they really mean is “right so far.” 

In less than four years we went from not being able to buy toilet paper to not being able to afford it.
I need to get my life together, but I am waiting to see if the world ends before I put too much effort into it.

I just finished doing my taxes. Apparently, I owe Ukraine $15,832.12. 

Just when I am losing faith in society, I see a little old lady give up her seat on the bus for a pregnant man with a beard. 

 Legal gun owners have 300 million guns and probably a trillion rounds of ammo. Seriously, folks, if gun owners were the problem, you'd know it. 

Rob Reiner … a life spent proving that Archie Bunker was right. 

If guns kill people, then pencils misspell words, cars drive drunk, and spoons make people fat.

Dining at an all-you-can-eat buffet when my wife said, “That’s the fourth time you’ve gone back for dessert. Doesn’t it embarrass you?” “No,” I answered. “I keep telling them it’s for you.”

Babylon Bee: NYC Mayor Eric Adams assure migrants that if they run out of prepaid debit cards, they can just rob Americans directly.

Congratulations to CNN: First network with more employees than viewers. 

Constituent: Your comments make no sense! No one can figure out what you are saying.  Politician: Thank you! 

We are sharing the diary entries from a long-time married couple: 

Wife's Diary: 

Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a nice restaurant for dinner. I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment on it. 

Conversation wasn't flowing, so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk. He agreed, but he didn't say much I asked him what was wrong; He said, "Nothing." I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said he wasn't upset, that it had nothing to do with me, and not to worry about it. On the way home, I told him that I loved him. He smiled slightly and kept driving. I can't explain his behavior I don't know why he didn't say, "I love you, too." 

When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him completely, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there quietly and watched TV. He continued to seem distant and absent. Finally, with silence all around us, I decided to go to bed. About 15 minutes later, he came to bed. But I still felt that he was distracted and his thoughts were somewhere else. He fell asleep -- I cried. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else. 

My life is a disaster.

Husband's Diary: 

Motorcycle wouldn't start, I can't figure it out.

Contact:

 Copy to email MSNBC (aka MSDNC): Caitlin.Herder@nbcuni.com and Jennifer.Asare@nbcuni.com (send one email to both VPs)

Click here to email GCI Digital Graphis in Cincinnati.

 

Copy to email Planet Fitness CEO Chris Rondeau through Investor Relations: Investor@planetfitness.com

 

Copy here to email Craig Huey: craig@craighuey.com

Read:

Unveiling the Prophetic Tapestry of the 2024 Solar Eclipse, by Katherine Daigle.

The Heroic Sacrifice of John Eastman by Benjamin Eastman and Christina Wheatland.

Considering donations?

 

Click here for John Eastman legal fund.

Click here for Jewish National Fund.

Click here for World Outreach Church.

Click here for Morale Boosters.