I'm Just Going to Stick with What I Know, Thank You Very Much: It's Columbus Day

by Leonard Knath, staff writer

I'm sorry. Did you just call it Indigenous People's Day? I have a new name for it too, actually, now that you mention it. I am going to call it Blow it Out Your Ass Day. In other words, you can take your political correctness and literally shove it where the sun doesn't shine, and I don't really care about what you think about that any more than you care about changing history, and what a holiday is called.

As it happens to continue to be a free country, with the 1st Amendment so far untouched by cancel culture, I am going to say what I want just like you feel so free to.

By the way, have you seen a bottle of Pearl Milling pancake syrup lately? It says right on the label, "Formerly Aunt Jemimah," so what are you really accomplishing here anyway? I think nothing but more liberal BS that only a very small circle of people care about that accomplishes nothing but to create more division.

Curated by the very people who drive around in Tesla's crying about climate change with "Coexist" stickers on their bumpers while acre and acre of land is mined for minerals to make batteries as coal plants burn ton after ton of coal to bring sparks of electricity to the very plug you put in where the evil gas pump is supposed to go.

Ah. I get it. We're saving the planet and saving ourselves from...ourselves. For the greater good, supposedly. 

Ten years from now we'll be burying those massive car batteries, and ten years after that we'll have aquifers polluted by them after we bury them. The left who clamored so loudly for them will simply blame the big corporations for being the problem, of course.

"You were supposed to figure out how to recycle them. Not bury them!"

Look, whether or not it was Columbus who landed on our shores way back when or whether or not the people he saw when he landed were people from India or indigenous people doesn't matter. It's our history. Right or wrong. It's what it is. It's what it was.  

Why can't we just discuss the mistake? Why do we have to change the history? Why do we have to cancel it? What purpose does it serve to deny it? I mean, what if, in Germany, they completely tried to erase the Hitler era and make it sound more appealing? Because that's really what Indigenous People's Day is all about. Making people feel better. 

Like it or not, good or bad, we have a history just like anywhere else in the world. We don't have to like it. It doesn't even have to be a good history. Slavery sucked, for example. It was terrible. The Jim Crowe days are no more appealing than a colonoscopy without anesthesia or lube. But it still happened.

You can call the day whatever you want to call it. That's your right just like it's mine to call BS on it, and to continue to call it Columbus Day. I'm only mad about it because you're mad about what I want to call it. Otherwise, I couldn't give two hoots.

But that's part of it too, isn't it? You want to control me. You want me to conform to your demands. You want me to crater under the weight of your pressure.

"You can't call them Indians."

Oh, the hell I can't. You can try your best to rewrite history and change the story. You can tear down the statues and rename the pancake syrup. But what you can't do is change the facts, no matter how badly you want to or no matter how hard you try.

Since 1937 it has been called Columbus Day. If you want to call it something else, that's fine. But you're going to have to step in line and wait your turn if you want everyone else onboard with it. It's been Columbus Day for far longer than you have been opposed to it being called that. And if I call it what it is to me, well, you're just going to have to accept it just like you expect me to call it what you want me to call it now.

Season's greetings or Merry Christmas? I don't know. Both are correct. You decide. But don't try to tell me which one is right, and which one is wrong. You don't get to have exclusive dibs on who makes the rules. That's not how it works.

Leonard Knath, pronounced like math, is a seeker of truth and an adamant denier of the status quo. He makes his home in Stratford, New Jersey in Camden County where he lives with his wife Dee and their two cats, Lawson and Saul.

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© 2024 Leonard Knath

The Role of Businesses in Society: It's More than Just Taxes

I often revisit the topic of taxing the rich and big businesses because I think it's crucial to understand it in a different way than we usually tend to. Although, I will admit, it's probably a rather controversial thing to say, I think it's likely in the best interests of most Americans to maintain the current system, even if it appears unfair.

If we view taxes as a contribution to society and our way of life, as they fund essential public services, infrastructure, and social programs like Social Security and Medicare, forming the glue that keeps everything functioning, similarly, businesses contribute enormously too, even if they pay a lower percentage in taxes than the average working-class citizen.

If we consider taxes as a means to enhance society, ensure smooth functioning, and in some circumstances, redistribute wealth, businesses also play a crucial role in achieving these goals through what they produce.

Consider that businesses provide employment, helping people support themselves and their families. They drive innovation, creating new products and technologies that improve our lives. Although they may not send a physical check to the IRS, they significantly contribute to the tax base by stimulating economic growth through their goods and services, which generate tax revenue. Businesses also make substantial contributions to society by supporting communities through charity, sponsorships and volunteer efforts. For example, Anheuser-Busch has donated cans of water for disaster relief, and Elon Musk made Starlink available for communication in hurricane-affected regions. Additionally, businesses heavily invest in infrastructure, including communication networks like telephone and Internet services, as well as rail and shipping services.

In other words, when we demand the rich and the businesses pay their fair share, are we overlooking the valuable contributions they already make? We all play a role in a functioning society, and if we solely measure contributions in dollars and cents, we're missing the point. We're focusing on the wrong things.

How would we feed our families without the jobs that businesses provide? Beyond that, how much wealth would we miss out on without the opportunity to invest in these businesses through stock sales? Without the profit incentive, what inventions that enhance our lives might never have existed?

Taxing businesses or the wealthy more pulls money out of the real economy and places it in the hands of the government who are not equipped to function as drivers of innovation and growth. The rich, with less to invest, would be hindered in creating new ventures or expanding existing ones. Instead of fostering economic growth, as the government suggests more taxation would achieve, taxing businesses more actually depletes resources, leaving less money available for meaningful contributions to society.

Sure, it can seem disheartening to see the top 1% getting richer and richer, and it may seem like they're holding back the lower rungs of the financial ladder. But I believe the opposite is true. Without strong businesses growing and generating massive profits, society would be in far worse shape than it is today.

As I said before, we all have a role to play. I think understanding our place in the world is important, and rather than undermining the achievements of one class, what another class achieves should be an incentive to have loftier goals for ourselves—on top of that, success should never be something that we should ever want to penalize. 

When it comes to taxation, we have to ask ourselves what truly improves our lives? Is it economic growth that fosters better opportunities for working Americans, or the artificial redistribution of wealth that fails to lift anyone out of their current class and circumstances?

Regardless of what anyone thinks "fair share" really means, I think businesses are already paying their dues and we have more to be thankful for than to be angry about. No matter how unfair it seems. When we look around us, all we see are the businesses and the massive profits they generate. We fail to see how our lives might be very different if they did not exist, or what opportunities might not exist without what they contribute for them to even be possible.

The United States is the richest nation in the world for a reason. And that's because we allow people to become rich and be more in control of their own wealth. You can say my commentary here is a commentary on trickle-down economics and claim it doesn't work. I contend it has always worked, and the only problem we have with it is that some people simply don't open the spigots to their faucets.

Taxing the rich and businesses more is not the solution to our own financial problems we face. Allowing the free markets to work and educating people on how they can participate in it is the answer. Taxes do not contribute to better opportunities for society as a whole. It robs us of them.

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© 2024 Jim Bauer

Kamala Harris and the Illusion of Change

Looking at the Kamala Harris campaign, I can't help but recall the early 90's Jack in the Box E. Coli outbreak, which tragically killed four children and infected 732 people across four states. This comparison isn't meant to disparage Jack in the Box or dredge up old events that they likely prefer to remain in the past.

The truth is, it was one of the worst incidents of its kind at the time, and Jack in the Box nearly went under for good. Their name was tarnished, and no one would dare eat there. So, what did they do? They tried to rebrand themselves as Monterrey Jack's instead.

The problem is, it's essentially still Jack in the Box with nothing more than a new sign and name. The leadership, business practices, food sources, quality standards, and sanitary standards all remain unchanged.

Which brings me back to Kamala Harris. They've done nothing more than slap a new label on the same product. It's the same Kamala Harris as always, just with a different facade.

There was a time when you could be fairly confident that a rebrand wouldn't fool anyone. People would catch on quickly. "Hey, wait a minute, this is just a Sourdough Jack with a new name. What's going on?" But the difference is that the times we are living through now are probably the most politically divided as we have ever seen.

In times like these, logic and critical thinking go right out the window, and they have.

Yet, I can't shake the feeling that times might not be so different after all. Perhaps it's just hope, wishful thinking, or even naivety. But I want to believe that as a people, we haven't entirely lost our grip on reality. Can it be that now, when it seems like we've lost all sense, it's really still there? Lurking in the shadows. Just waiting for the right moment to emerge and bring back our faith in the system and what's right in the world.

When you look at the polls, there are so many things that point to this presidential race being a very close one. Based on what we know, it shouldn't be. Not if the elements that make up commonsense were working properly.

Moreover, the media should be falling all over itself over what the Harris campaign is trying to pull off. After all, they own the archives. All they have to do is rewind the tapes, and not all that far back, to see we're being lied to and badly.

The rebranding shouldn't work. Not only based on what they are trying to sell us as the new and improved Kamala Harris. But based on the last four years that Kamala Harris was part of. She went along with all of the policies Biden put into place, and when those policies failed, she went out and defended them.

The economy is humming along. The border is secure. Inflation's not so bad (hey folks, dontcha love this thing we call Bidenomics?)...

How could it ever be possible that the past four years could be in such stark contrast to the four years prior, that we could be lied to about the president's health, and that Kamala Harris could go on the view and tell the hosts she would not change a single Biden policy decision, and still be elected president?

If Kamala Harris pulls this off, take note Jack in the Box. If you ever need a comeback, she's your gal.

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© 2024 Jim Bauer

It's Like it Never Really Happened

It's not necessarily that what Kamala Harris is saying is wrong. The economy sucks, inflation sucks, the border sucks, we're lacking opportunities, and it's harder than ever for the American people to succeed and achieve the American dream. America is in bad shape, and we need someone in the White House who can recognize the problems, offer the right solutions, and turn it all back around.

I am so glad, Mrs. Harris, that you have finally awakened to the reality that we've got some serious problems here. Where have you been all these past four years?

Oh, wait. Weren't you in the White House? 

Wherein, not only was she party to all of the no-good policies and bad decisions that got us here, but she also defended them all along, right out there standing alongside Joe Biden telling us what our eyes and wallets knew damn well was a lie was wrong.

"Everything's running superbly. This is Bidenomics, folks. Isn't it wonderful?"

She's saying the right words. What she is saying is true. Things are bad and we need to take a different course. But the amazing thing to me is that, at the core of her campaign, it's as though Biden never happened. He's been wiped out of memory completely. Joe Biden, who? The way you hear Kamala Harris talk about it, Trump was the guy in the White House all along, these past four years, Harris is the newcomer on the block, and it's Trump's fault that all of what went wrong in America happened.

The remarkable thing is that I think the Democrats believe it, and so does the media. It's remarkable to me how quickly Joe Biden has been erased from the political landscape. Do we even feel like he's president anymore? Has anyone in the media even mentioned his name?

If they have, it's been in passing. "Oh yeah, he's still president."

The thing that scares me is that, even if in my heart I don't want to believe it's as tight at race as the media portrays it, maybe it is. Trump suffers from a lot of hate out there, and when all that hate is clouding judgements about what Biden did and what Trump will fix doesn't matter.

Even if, in their hearts, anyone who wants to cast a vote for Harris, they know it's all a lie. That it's all a big game of smoke and mirrors. The magician has pulled the rabbit out of the hat, and everyone is convinced that the rabbit wasn't there all along.

They'll still vote for her and hand over the keys to the Oval Office.

The second part of the problem is that while Trump has the right ideas and even the proven track record, the reality is that he's not a great orator, and so his message gets trapped in the mud. In a moment in time such as this, what we need is a Reagan-like delivery. 

On spot. Front and center. Straightforward. Here's the problem, here's who caused it, and here's why these are the people responsible for it.

The hope is that the American voter has become accustomed to Trump's style enough that they understand that he means more than what he says and will do more than what he doesn't say. The hope is that memories have not failed, and that voter's don't fall for the rouse.

Harris isn't the solution. She's the problem.

With all that's happened in the past four years, this should be the markings of a landslide victory for Trump, but here we are looking at polls suggesting Trump may actually lose the election. I do think the voters are smarter than all of this, and I have trust in my cynicism of what the media is trying to sell us.

Can you really erase Biden's four years and pass the blame onto the guy that wasn't there through it all? I guess we will find out in November.

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© 2024 Jim Bauer

Kamala Harris Speaks More Word Salad with Oprah Winfrey

The term world salad was not something coined for Kamala Harris. In fact, the term has been around for a very long time. Sort of like the term fake news, that many people think Donald Trump came up with. It's actually been a term in circulation since the 1890s. Trump simply popularized it.

But the term word salad absolutely applies to Kamala Harris anytime she speaks off script and without a teleprompter, and her recent Town Hall with Oprah Winfrey, which followed a similar (in fact almost uncannily similar) bit of lines as her ABC interview with Brian Taff just days after the debate, was no exception.

Not only did Kamala Harris dodge questions and answer replies in riddles, but she also pretty much said nothing at all.

Every time you see this you wonder, "Is the media getting all this? What about the voters?" Because you still see endorsements and high accolades coming. You still see polls suggesting she's surging in popularity against Trump.

How?

Well, sane people can ask this question when witnessing any of this. But not all voters are sane, of course, and as far as it goes for Democrats, I haven't decided yet what to think of what they're thinking. Can they just be that focused on winning that they don't care that Harris' policies will send America so deep into the abyss there may never be the possibility of a return?

What worse, does anyone really know what any of her policies even are? The Babylon Bee posted a hilarious article suggesting that going to the Harris/Walz campaign page would simply redirect you to Trump's page.

You have to admit, that is pretty funny, by the way.

What makes me scratch my head even more is how someone like Oprah Winfrey could not be worried about her credibility endorsing Harris for president after a Town Hall like that. Was Oprah able to make sense of anything Kamala Harris said?

Probably not. Oprah Winfrey may be a lot of things, but dumb isn't one of them.

Better yet, can anyone not just articulate what they think Kamala Harris stands for or why she the best choice to be president, but explain to us what the hell she is even saying that makes any sense to anyone?

I mean, imagine hearing a string of words in any normal setting and saying to yourself, "I have no idea what she just said, but I like it."

Beyond that, isn't it a very obvious clue that we're being played by the media and her handlers? I mean, how can she step up to a podium and sound clear and good but fall so miserably flat on her face in a one-on-one interview with voters or reporters?

Because she isn't the person the media wants us to believe she is. How can she ever be in command of the country when she can't even be in command of her own words?

Imagine a conversation between her and Putin. First, he'd need to translate her words to Russian. Next, someone would have to translate her words into actual English so that the Russian that came out on the other end would even make any sense. If that would even ever be possible.

The danger in all of this is as I have said so many times before I have lost count. That the media has too much power to influence the minds of voters, and that alone could potentially put her in the White House, and by the time we realize we made a mistake, it's going to be way too late to fix whatever happens because of it.

At the end of the day all we can hope for is that it all really is just smoke and mirrors that the voters are buying this Kamala Harris as the best choice for America story. Sort of like what the media was doing back when Hillary Clinton was running against Trump, and we were told she had a 95% chance of sealing the necessary 270 electoral votes to become president.

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© 2024 Jim Bauer