Top Three Takeaways – June 7th, 2021
- We aren’t racist but it isn’t for a lack of trying. My expectations for what will be articulated by President Biden are low. That’s to say that commonly I’m dismayed by what’s being said but not especially upset by it because I don’t expect good policy ideas out of him, and I do count on a hard left agenda. I get through my days basking in the sanity that is Florida, praying for sanity to be restored to Congress after next year’s elections and otherwise hoping the country can hang on until the next presidential election. My greatest frustration in politics isn’t any specific law or policy. It’s when politicians pit Americans against other Americans by exploiting superficial differences. The alleged “uniter in chief" was at work again over the weekend doing the exact opposite of what Martin Luther King Jr. preached. Judging people simply on the basis of their skin color and this time, identifying “systemic racism” as one of the three greatest threats in the United States today. In a video speech aimed at the class of ‘21 he had this to say: You face another inflection point. As we put this pandemic behind us, rebuild our economy, root out systemic racism and tackle climate change, we’re addressing the great crises of our time with a greater sense of purpose than before. No, I don’t think the American people are racist, but I think after 400 years, African-Americans have been left in a position where they are so far behind the eight-ball in terms of education, health, in terms of opportunity. In April I brought you this: Dr. King’s dream was that one day we’d judge people based on the content of character rather than the color of one’s skin. Now, think about the implications of the inverse of that dream. What happens the more we focus on superficial differences, like skin color? And then think to yourself about what’s changed since 2004. In 2004 no sports leagues or corporations were engaged in racial social justice. Black Lives Matter didn’t exist and yet 68% of Blacks and 74% of Whites thought race relations were good in this country. Now consider that today, with corporations and sports leagues engaged in the racial social justice game and groups like Black Lives Matter on the scene, race relations are only good according to 36% of Blacks, and 46% of Whites. Funny what’s happened the more that our society has defiled Dr. King’s dream. And the main reason Derek Chauvin’s case is what it is, is a result of those factors. I seriously doubt Americans are significantly more prejudice or racist than 17 years ago. I do think we’re far more exploited than we were 17 years ago. Look for superficial differences and you’ll find them. Focus on them and you’ll have lost focus on the person. I can’t think of a worse message for graduates than what Biden’s been offering. I’d imagine MLK couldn’t either.
- The other thin blue line. If not for West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin there’s a realistic chance the Senate filibuster would be gone, the Supreme Court would already be packed, taxes would already be raised, and we’d have the federal takeover of elections. One that’d include banning photo ID to vote and automatically registering everyone of age – which would also drop to 16. Yesterday Manchin penned an opinion piece saying this: I believe that partisan voting legislation will destroy the already weakening blinds of our democracy, and for that reason, I will vote against the For The People Act. We commonly talk about police being the “thin blue line”. There’s another. Joe Manchin and thank God for him.
- A Royal about face. As recently as Friday there was no clear indication as to when cruises might depart out of Florida based on two outstanding issues. The CDC’s “no sail” order requiring 98% of crew and 95% of passengers to sail without a series of successful experimental tests and the cruise industry’s vaccine mandate for passengers. Both stand in the face of Florida law as of July 1st and Governor DeSantis’s executive order until then. Royal Caribbean's decision to waive the vaccine mandate is a game changer. As they indicated, crews will be completely vaccinated, and customer surveys have shown 90% of would-be passengers are already vaccinated. The info is instructive as it gets close to the CDC’s mandate anyway without having a mandate. This data may provide the CDC a path to resolve the state’s outstanding suit in the DeSantis administration's favor while still saving face.
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