Important headlines for January 30th
Bottom Line: These are stories you don't want to miss and my hot takes on them...
Brightline opposition group to hold meeting tonight in Stuart - Palm Beach Post
Excerpt: Citizens Against Rail Expansion in Florida — a group that has spent years fighting to block Brightline’s northern expansion to Orlando — will hold a public meeting tonight in Stuart to discuss its battle against the private rail project. In a single-page response on Monday, Hanlon (of CARE FL) said the deaths show it will take more than a public awareness campaign to “address the dangers” of Brightline’s trains.
Hot take: This is the kind of BS that drives me up a wall but it's also extremely instructive. I've suggested that virtually all of the "backlash" to the Brightline safety concerns has come from those with an agenda rather than a legit safety concern. Have the biggest anti-Brightline interest group meeting to discuss how to exploit the irresponsible activity of others is all of the confirmation that you need. Is there really anyone who wants to have the intellectual argument about how blinking lights and cross bars down in front of the tracks isn't enough of an indication that it isn't safe to cross the tracks. If you want to have that dance reach out and let's go. Otherwise at least spare me this suedo-concern and discuss your opposition to Brightline in intellectual terms. Using the careless deaths of others for the advancement of a political agenda is just about as low as it gets...and in politics that's pretty freaking low. An average of eight motorists die on the roads in Florida daily. Where's the concern about driving cars?
The Very Simple Truth Behind Trump's Davos Triumph Charles Gasparino, NY Post
Excerpt: President Trump, the same guy who compared certain Third World countries to sewage and has bemoaned global trade deals, got something close to a hero’s welcome last week at the World Economic Forum, an annual confab dedicated to solving problems like hunger and income inequality through decidedly anti-Trumpian, globalist solutions.
And the reason is simple: It’s hard to argue with success.
Hot take: In the grand scheme of anything that matters on the world-stage it's this. Every world leader cares more about their country than ours (and as President Trump has pointed out they should just as he places the US first) and the only reason other countries take time to really care about others is due to the economics and the resulting influence. Why is it world-wide news when Trump does anything? Nobody, including the Swiss, even knows who the President of Switzerland is and that's where the event happens every year. Why? It's Switzerland. Florida's economy is bigger than the entire country (I'm not kidding Florida's economy is really is 10% bigger than Switzerland). Remember when Obama was loved around the world and would make everyone love us? How'd that work out exactly? And why are things better now? Because of economy is rocking and that's making them a bunch of money too. It's the economy stupid and anyone who tells you anything different is probably still attempting to explain how Hillary Clinton's reset button worked to heal the divide with the Russians or my all-time fav... The virtues of John Kerry bringing James Taylor over to sing "You've got a friend" after terrorism. Now that's what nets you love and respect on the world stage...
Trump's SOTU Will Be an Economic Victory Lap Russell Berman, The Atlantic
Hot Take: It should be. The media and and every federally elected Democrat spent the entire first year slandering the man and his agenda daily. He says, in so many words, screw that and screw them (venting through Twitter most days) and created the best economy since the 90's in one year. Everyone who's opposed his agenda is already provably on the wrong side of history after year one. That's worth taking a lap or two if you're inclined. I'd prefer it Nascar style with the burnout smoke clouding out everyone who lied to the American people because they were more interested with trying to take out the President than make your life better.
Until tomorrow...