Jehu on the Issues

You’ll always know exactly where I stand. I haven’t had to ‘evolve’ on the issues, because I’ve always said what I believe is true and I’ve been championing the same core principles for the last 20 years.

The Radical Democrats’ War on the Middle Class --Inflation

“the arithmetic makes it plain that inflation is a far more devastating tax than anything that has been enacted by our legislature.” Warren Buffet …

“the arithmetic makes it plain that inflation is a far more devastating tax than anything that has been enacted by our legislature.” Warren Buffet

“Inflation is the cruelest tax of all.” Milton Friedman

Modern Monetary Theory, as advanced by the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, maintains that printing money doesn’t cause inflation. Well, we all know how that turned out. Californians have been hit especially hard with inflation almost since the beginning of the Biden Administration--an inflation that was “transitory” according to Biden and Treasury Secretary Yellen.

Inflation is caused by too much money chasing too few goods. Yes, the indiscriminate flood of money from the Covid relief package is definitely was a cause of inflation, that the so-called “Inflation Relief Act” actually worsened inflation by pouring printed money into the economy. We all know, after the bill was passed, that is real purpose was a backdoor to passing the bulk of the Green New Deal-- a pork-barrel to Democratic donors.

The money supply also has been increasing over the past 15 years due to the federal government’s zero interest rates for loans provided to the banks. Yes, this artificially juiced up the economy. Now we are paying the price. The federal deficit is expected to grow to $1.4 trillion in fiscal 2023 (the 12 months ending September 30), according to the Congressional Budget Office. Additionally, the CBO projects that annual deficits will average $2 trillion from next year over the next decade or so. The deficit amounts to 5.3% of GDP in 2023 and is set to rise to 6.9% of GDP by 2033. The report notes that is significantly higher than the 3.6% of GDP that deficits have typically averaged over the past five decades.

Yet, the Democrats, led by Joe Biden, are doubling down on spending and increasing the deficit. The Congressional Budget Office projects that at this rate, we’re going to add another 19 trillion in debt over the next 10 years. This does not count the $400 billion that will be added to the deficit if Biden’s student loan forgiveness- a subsidy that makes 87% of the population pay for debts of 13%, mostly wealthier individuals, survives court challenges.

This has to stop. The spending has to stop. We need to freeze the federal budget where it is. With time, deficits will go away if we freeze the federal budget. Otherwise, inflation, the secret tax on the middle class, will increase.

The Democratic Elites versus the Middle Class

Democrats used to fight for the little guy, but now, they are the party of the elites. They help the elites grow rich while making war on the middle …

The Democrats, the IRS and Taxes

Don’t be fooled either by the Democrats’ call to raise taxes on the “rich” and corporate entities. Biden repeatedly says that his tax …

Don’t be fooled either by the Democrats’ call to raise taxes on the “rich” and corporate entities. Biden repeatedly says that his tax increases will only affect taxpayers earning more than $400,000. But, depending on who you talk to, from 25 to 70% of increased corporate tax rates wind up being paid by labor, in the form of decreased wages.

Big corporations and the super wealthy have their armies of accountants and lawyers, and they have enough cash and assets on hand so they can work around anything on a temporary basis. Believe me, there is no way that the IRS can keep up with $2,000- an-hour tax attorneys, no matter how large of an auditor army is assembled.

Basically, the tax code has two purposes. One is to raise revenue. The second is to effect policy directives. For example, because Congress has wanted to incentivize investment, it lets companies accelerated depreciation of the purchases of capital equipment. Likewise, in order to incentivize the production of oil and gas, explorers can deduct the cost of exploring up right away. Farmers can deduct all of the cost of planning trees right away. But on the other hand, we have a highly progressive income tax rate. Half of taxpayers don’t pay any income tax, only Social Security and Medicare. The vast bulk of income taxes are paid by the top 10% of taxpayers. Why? Because it’s been decided in our Congress that we should redistribute income.

This policy conflicts with the first policy goal, that is, to raise revenue. Former President Obama was asked the following question: if you had the choice between increasing taxes on the wealthy and at the same time reducing net revenues of the government, or reducing taxes risk, resulting in high revenue which we which would you choose? Obama revealed his philosophy when he said he would prefer a higher tax rate, even if it resulted in lower revenues.
Because income taxes are disproportionately paid by the wealthy, who have discretion as to when to realize gains or can structure their lives to pay less taxes, lower tax rates historically increase tax revenues. Not only did the Trump tax cuts increase money in the pockets of almost all Americans, including the middle class, it dramatically increased tax revenues. This leaves Democrats fuming, because they garner votes by appealing to envy and discord.

My position is that we should fix income tax rates solely on the basis of increasing net tax revenue to the federal government. Period.

Stop the Extremist Democrat Wing’s War on Women and Girls

Over 50 years ago, Congress enacted the following law, which we know as Title IX: No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be …

Over 50 years ago, Congress enacted the following law, which we know as Title IX:

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.
It took a long time to get this legal protection fully implemented, but it changed the world for our daughters. They could participate in soccer, track and field, swimming, you get it. But the Democrats want to change that. They want men-individuals who have developed stronger musculatures and higher lung capacities-- advantages that don’t go away just because the man might take estrogen or undergo surgery-- to compete with our daughters. In the past year, these men have been setting records in many athletic events, while women, young women and girls have been deprived of the chance to compete on a fair playing field. A young woman can train harder than anyone else, but get beaten by a man claiming to be a woman.

A similar situation is taking place in our universities in our high schools and dare say even in our elementary schools. To make it worse, our female athletes must disrobe and shower in the same room as these boys and men, who usually continue to possess and display their male genitalia.

Following on this, the Biden Adminstration has proposed a rule that outlaws the banning of men competing in women’s sports, and vice versa, in schools and colleges.

On April 20, 2023, the Republican House of Representative passed H.R. 734, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023. The Democrats voted against the bill, and Biden indicated he would veto it if passed. The official bill summary states that.

This bill generally prohibits school athletic programs from allowing individuals whose biological sex at birth was male to participate in programs that are for women or girls.

Specifically, the bill provides that it is a violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 for federally funded education programs or activities to operate, sponsor, or facilitate athletic programs or activities that allow individuals of the male sex to participate in programs or activities that are designated for women or girls. (Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs or activities, including in public elementary and secondary schools and in colleges and universities.) Under the bill, sex is based on an individual's reproductive biology and genetics at birth.
The bill does not prohibit male individuals from training or practicing with programs or activities for women or girls as long as such training or practice does not deprive any female of corresponding opportunities or benefits.

Tell me, why in the world are Democrats against this common-sense legislation? I’ll tell you why. It is because they are afraid of losing votes from a radical, often violent group and their radical allies.

Stop Horrific Crimes Against Children

Thousands of our children are being irreparably harmed across the country by the pernicious “gender affirming care” epidemic. We know this …

Thousands of our children are being irreparably harmed across the country by the pernicious “gender affirming care” epidemic. We know this is a fad, because it has become widespread after being a rare condition, and because that is the pattern of this diagnosis in Western Europe. For example, in Sweden, the condition was virtually non-existent until 2012, skyrocketed until 2019, when it declined by 65%.

Most children channeled into “gender affirming care” have other, more traditional psychological issues such as autism, anxiety, or depressive disorders or ADHD. As a parent on my eighth teenager, I know that some children seem to sail to adulthood, and others, to a greater or lesser extent, traverse psychological high water as they forge their own identities. Self harm, suicidal ideation, and substance abuse can cause parents many sleepless nights, as their child bounces from crisis to crisis. Sometimes, the pain and confusion becomes overwhelming, and a child is lost to suicide or a drug overdose.

Thankfully, I have not lost any of mine, but a friend of one of my daughters did not make it. You never quite recover from this tragedy. I cannot imagine what her parents went through: for me, I am to this day haunted, wondering if I could have done something differently.

What happens is that these troubled children are often now being told, by social media or by activist groups and their adherents into thinking they are transgender. Of course, the child easily seizes upon this explanation and is slated for hormone treatment, or worse, surgery and/or sterilization.. In a landmark study, only 6 to 23 percent of boys and 12 to 27% of girls treated in dysphoria clinics persisted as dysphoric in adulthood, and most of the boy’s gender dysphoria desisted. Ethical issues raised by the treatment of gender-variant prepubescent children, Drescher, Pula. And the evidence that puberty blockers or surgery provide any benefit over just psychological therapy is thin. A review published on April 14 for Current Sexual Health Reports acknowledged the fact that neither puberty blockers nor surgical removal of reproductive organs are not only unhelpful, but counterproductive:

Systematic reviews of evidence conducted by public health authorities in Finland, Sweden, and England concluded that the risk/benefit ratio of youth gender transition ranges from unknown to unfavorable. As a result, there has been a shift from “gender-affirmative care,” which prioritizes access to medical interventions, to a more conservative approach that addresses psychiatric comorbidities and psychotherapeutically explores the developmental etiology of the trans identity. Debate about the safety and efficacy of “gender-affirming care” in the USA is only recently emerging.

Although American medical authorities usually take the position that the effects of puberty blockers are reversible (except for irreversible losses in bone density) they are an outlier. Recently, These hormones can cause permanent health issues such as bone loss.

Surgery is permanent. It leads to sterility as well as the inability to breastfeeding females.

Yet, the White House, and as far as I can see, the majority of Democratic lawmakers think that this forced sterilization is a good thing. And it is forced. Just as children lack the ability to engage in sexual activities or to marry, they lack the ability to consent to irreparably deprive themselves of their right to procreate.

In the 1920s, in our United States, many states provided for forced sterilization of Blacks, American Indians, the poor, the incarcerated, and the disabled. In 1927, Buck v. Bell, the Supreme Court approved the use of sterilization, stating “It is better for all the world, if instead of waiting to execute degenerate offspring for crime or to let them starve for their imbecility, society can prevent those who are manifestly unfit from continuing their kind.” (Justice Holmes for the 8 to 1 majority).

The world took note. Only six months after a charismatic leader became Chancellor. Gesetz zur Verhütung erbkranken Nachwuchses (the Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring, also known as the Sterilization Law) allowed the forced sterilization for anyone suffering from genetic blindness and deafness, manic depression, schizophrenia, epilepsy, congenital feeble-mindedness, Huntington's chorea (a brain disorder), and alcoholism.

Fortunately, the Supreme Court reconsidered the issue in a 1942 case, Skinner v Oklahoma. The Court stated that “The power to sterilize, if exercised, may have subtle, far-reaching and devastating effects. . . . . Any experiment which the State conducts is to his irreparable injury. He is forever deprived of a basic liberty.”
As a result of these atrocities, the 1950 European Convention of Human Rights provided that all people have the right to procreate. More recently, Europe has banned the forced sterilization of persons requesting to be registered as the opposite sex.

We prohibit child marriage in this country, and rightly so. Our laws clearly provide that boys and girls below a certain age are incapable of consenting to sexual relations. Not only do these laws promote individual body and emotional integrity, they also serve to protect our youth from relationships for which they are not psychologically ready. Noted, that in the state I reside, a child involved in a car accident preserves a right to sue after reaching age 18, irrespective of any settlement entered into by a parent. Yet, a child marriage can be terminated and have less than a lifelong effect. However, clinics, and in some cases Federally funded hospitals have sprung up across our country for the purpose of either outright sterilization of children, or injecting them with hormones for the purpose of forestalling puberty.

Our society is changing rapidly, and with AI, the pace of change can be expected to accelerate. Children, including adolescents, often lack the experience and the maturity to deal with these changes and their search for identity. Our responsibility is to love them and ensure they have the necessary mental health services to help them transition them as parents with the help of professional therapists. But surgical or chemical sterilization is too extreme and violates their fundamental rights.

The federal government clearly has the power, and the responsibility, to prohibit these violations of human rights, and to, at a minimum defund any medical facility from Federal payments which participates in them.

Individuals need to tell their elected representatives to prohibit child sterilization, by civil and even criminal proscriptions. The possible use of legal action to take preemptive action against this growing violation of human rights would also seem to be appropriate.

California Needs a Senator Who Will Work and not Showboat

Let’s look at the three main candidates for the Senate. Adam Schiff has been in Congress since 2000. He was a state senator before that, and was a …

Let’s look at the three main candidates for the Senate.

Adam Schiff has been in Congress since 2000. He was a state senator before that, and was a government prosecutor before that. He has never operated in the private sector. What are the bills which Schiff has written and introduced?

In 2007, he sponsored an amendment to clarify that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is the exclusive means of collecting foreign intelligence in the USA.
In 2014, he caused an amendment to be passed to the omnibus appropriations package to reduce helicopter noise in Los Angeles County.

Wow.

That’s all?

Schiff has been looking to upgrade his position. According to Axios, Schiff wanted to fill Xavier Becerra’s Attorney General spot when the latter was tapped for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Schiff was opposed by some groups due to his “tough on crime” reputation. Originally a moderate, he has tried to position himself as a Progressive, without much luck.

Schiff has done so, in my opinion, mostly by grandstanding as the spear point in the House against Donald Trump. Whatever you may say negatively about Donald Trump, you cannot credibly accuse him of Russian collusion. That Steele dossier, prepared at the direction of the Hillary Clinton campaign and passed off to the FBI as “independent” by the campaign’s lawyer, was a complete fabrication. The Mueller investigation showed that. But for months on cable news, Schiff used his position as Chair of the House Intelligence Committee to claim that any day, bombshell information regarding Trump’s guilt would be made public, and that Trump had taken help from the Russians.

Schiff was lying.

In May 2020, the House Intelligence Committee released transcripts of 57 interviews it conducted in connection with the alleged collusion—transcripts which Schiff tried to keep secret. As stated by the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, “no one should ever believe another word he says.” (From May 13, 2020 print edition).

I am convinced by what one commentator said. Read it and form your own opinion.
of the DOJ Attack Adam Schiff for continually saying that he knew of really bad things about Trump re Russian hoax, he is a complete liar.

One more thing. With the release of the Twitter files, it has come out that Schiff tried to pressure Twitter to censor journalist Paul Sperry, who had been critical about Schiff’s outing of his whistleblower, alleging that the entire process had been staged. Schiff falsely claimed to Twitter that Sperry was a “QAnon” conspirator.

Members of Congress should not be trying to censor the press.

Katie Porter has been in Congress only since 2019, after redistricting representing the 47th Congressional District. She has never sponsored or authored any legislation. She has aggressively questioned several Trump Administration officials. I know this brings in donor money but I don’t think it is substantial. Porter clerked for a judge and then has been in academia or politics her entire professional life, except for a few years working for a big law firm. She taught Consumer Law in law school.

Porter is a protégé of Progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren. I don’t think that Porter would disagree that her political philosphy is very much aligned with Warren. In my personal opinion, based on talking with thousands of Californians, I think her views are too extreme for California.

But even if I agreed with her politics, for me, Katie Porter lost all credibility during her 2022 reelection campaign when she attacked her Congressional opponent, claiming that 20 years ago he was indicted. He was, but the court threw it out because it was 100% political. By making that false light accusation, she assented to the use of the police state for political purposes.

The Story of Scott Baugh, Republican candidate for California’s 45th Congressional District.

Scott Baugh lost the 2022 election, by a vote of 137,574 to 128,261-a difference of 3.44%.

Baugh was indicted in 1996 by an Orange County grand jury with four felonies, including falsifying campaign reports and persuading another person to commit perjury. He was also charged with 18 misdemeanors for allegedly concealing the source of campaign money. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-03-23-mn-50374-story.html

Three years later, the State of California moved to dismiss the criminal case against Baugh.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-mar-21-mn-19583-story.html

The DCCC said on June 8, 2022 that Baugh had “racked up multiple criminal charges for corruption and fraud.”
https://dccc.org/the-case-against-scott-baugh/

In fact, Baugh was indicted based on perjured testimony and all charges were dismissed. So egregious were the Orange County District Attorney’s conduct that Democrat Bill Lockyer,The State Attorney General took over the investigation, resulting in the dismissal most charges and the levying of a civil fine instead.

Reference: Article in the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review, Vol. 35, No. 2, Article 3, page 2

Second, critics also point to the indictment of Assemblyman Scott Baugh as similar evidence of the grand jury's abuse of power. In 1996, an Orange County grand jury indicted Assemblyman Scott Baugh on four felony and eighteen misdemeanor counts of falsifying campaign records in 1995, during a special election.6 An Orange County superior court judge dismissed most of the indictments because the district attorney failed to present exculpatory evidence, which would have impeached the credibility of a key witness. 7 Later, the Orange County District Attorney's Office was removed from prosecuting the case and State Attorney General Bill Lockyer forwarded the matter to the Fair Political Practices Commission so the commission could determine "if the campaign reporting problems merit[ ed] civil fines. "8 [Jean 0. Pasco, Election Violations Cost Baugh $47,900, L.A. TIMES, July 28, 1999, at Bl (stating that in July of 1999, Scott Baugh agreed to pay a civil fine of $47,900 for nine violations of the State Political Reform Act).]

So, in summary, (a) Scott Baugh was indicted for political reasons using perjured testimony, (b) the prosecutor was removed because of that misconduct, and (c) Baugh was not convicted and he only had to pay a civil fine. Now, would you like to be in Scott Baugh’s shoes in 1996? No. As the former head of the Soviet KGB, Larentiy Beria, said, “Show me the man, I’ll find you the crime.”
When Katie Porter and the DCCC said that Scott Baugh was “indicted” for crimes, I suppose it was literally true. But completely misleading and false. I submit that by tagging Baugh as they did, they assented to, and became equally guilty of, this gross use of the justice system.

When Porter titled her new book, “I Swear: Politics is Messier Than My Minivan,” she really knows from her personal experience.

Barbara Lee has been in Congress since 1998, that is, for 25 years. She has been in politics her entire life. She is 76 years old. If she is elected, she will be 84 at the end of her Senate term. Her voting record is 100% aligned with Biden’s stated position and she is one of the most progressive members of Congress. For this fact, I believe she is too extreme for California. I also believe that due to her age, she lacks the vigor to begin a grueling Senate career.

She has only authored one piece of legislation, which directed USAID to develop a program to improve primary and secondary education in CARICOM countries.

Reforming Immigration

Both parties have complained about a “broken immigration system for years, but the two parties have different interpretations of what that means.

The War in Ukraine

Jehu has unparalleled experience to help Congress navigate the issues surrounding the war in Ukraine. An inveterate student of diplomacy …

America Has to Decide If It Will Counter China’s Military Threat

Recent intelligence leaks point to a growing threat from China. According to Josh Rogin, a Washington Post columnist …

Recent intelligence leaks point to a growing threat from China. According to Josh Rogin, a Washington Post columnist (article dated April 13, 2023) China is taking several actions which will likely prevent America from interfering in its planned invasion of Taiwan:

• Development of a hypersonic missile with range of up to 8,000 kilometers. We have almost no defenses against this missile and one could easily destroy one of our aircraft carriers deployed in the region.

• Building 350 new nuclear missile silos and bases for mobile rocket launchers, in the biggest nuclear buildup since the end of the Cold War.

• Rogin has also stated in tweets that China learned from the economic sanctions imposed on Russia, and that is why it is attempting to supplant the United States dollar’s position as a global currency. Brazil, Russia and Saudi Arabia have already entered into currency agreements.

• In addition, according to Rogin, China lacks sufficient support vehicles to establish and maintain an invasion of Taiwan, but believes that an invasion is likely by 2025.
The Department of Defense’s Annual Report to Congress, 2022, Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China details the rest of the picture with respect to China’s military and political buildup.

Another Post article by Max Boot on April 17 points out that according to war games, we currently lack the ability to defeat China if it invades Taiwan, and that a nuclear war is certainly a potential outcome.

Why should we care, other than letting millions become enslaved? China would then control that area of the planet. More importantly, it would control advanced electronics, including those used in military hardware. The most advanced computer chips are made in Taiwan. Although we have started bringing some chip plants to America, these factories are unable to produce the most advanced chips, because we lack the supply chain to back up production.

What does this mean? It means that if we merely talk loud and carry a small stick, any “line in the sand” we draw will be rightly laughed at by China. Do we spend our national treasure on an increased military buildup, and fend off war? We have to decide. We cannot expect to bluff our way out of this problem.