Mike Rowe on average Americans

 image credit: nbcnews.com

Mike Rowe is one of my favorite guests on news and opinion programs. Ben Shapiro has a one-hour interview accessible at Legal Insurrection here(scroll to the bottom). Here’s the appetizer:

This week, Shapiro spoke with TV host and entrepreneur Mike Rowe. Their conversation covered a number of topics such as work and higher education. In the segment below, Ben asks Rowe about the divide between elites and average Americans.

The FOX News Insider reports:

Mike Rowe to Ben Shapiro: ‘Profound’ Disconnect Exists Between Elites and Many Americans

Reality TV star Mike Rowe told Ben Shapiro that he believes there is a widening gap between the so-called “elites” and everyday Americans.

Rowe said the gap has always existed to varying degrees, but he now sees a growing “disconnect” and a lack of appreciation of things that are basic in everyday life…

“If we’re not blown away by the miracle that occurs when we flick the switch and the lights come on; if we’re not gobsmacked by flushing the toilet and seeing all of it go away; when we start losing our appreciation for those things, the gap deepens. And I think the gap right now is extraordinary,” said Rowe.

He has a way of hitting the nail on the head. Link here.

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National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day

Photo by USAF Tech Sgt Ashley Tyler

I am a day late with this tribute; via Don Surber:

Friday was a national day to honor the American sacrifice in the Korean War. It coincided with the 65th anniversary of the cease-fire. It remains America's longest war, at 68 years and counting.

Kim Jong Un returned what is believed to be the remains of 55 American soldiers who died in combat. Forensic tests will determine just who these men are.

“For 3 brutal years, our Armed Forces and allies fought valiantly to stop the spread of communism and defend freedom on the Korean Peninsula. On National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, we remember the bravery and sacrifices of those who fought and died for this noble cause,” President Trump said in his proclamation.

The U.S. media gave scant notice to this.

Surber's full report is here.

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In the news: Richard Cordray, candidate for Governor of Ohio

art credit: telegraph.co.uk

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was set up under the Obama administration, and it was designed to be exempt from checks and balances and accountability. An overview at Competitive Enterprise Institute sums it up in an article titled “Unconstitutionally Structured and Harmful to Consumers”; article is here.

Cleveland.com has a report by Eric Heisig with the headline

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau loses lawsuit

against Cleveland debt collection firm

A federal judge has ruled against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in a lawsuit it filed against Cleveland debt collection firm Weltman, Weinberg & Reis.

. . .

Senior U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent wrote in an opinion released Wednesday that the CFPB did not prove that Weltman, Weinberg & Reis sent demand letters that were false, misleading or deceptive.

The CFPB sued Cleveland firm Weltman, Weinberg & Reis in April 2017, saying the firm's attorneys were not sufficiently involved in sending out the letters, even though the letters prominently mention they were sent out by a law firm and occasionally raise the possibility of legal action for unpaid debts.

. . .

Nugent also wrote that Weltman, Weinberg & Reis sent out similar letters when Alan Weinberg was hired to collect debts for the state of Ohio between 2009 and 2011 under then-Attorney General Richard Cordray.

The point was significant because Cordray, a Democrat who is campaigning for Ohio governor, was the head of the CFPB between 2012 and last year. He was at the federal agency when it sued Weltman, Weinberg & Reis and authorized the lawsuit, the judge wrote.

The Cleveland firm considered calling Cordray as a witness during the trial, which took place before and after Ohio's primary elections, but chose not to do so.

…

Read the rest here. I haven’t followed this one, but I would not trust the CFPB under Cordray from here to the door. From the Wikipedia page:

On May 21, 2018, the bureau was weakened after US President Donald Trump signed into law Congressional legislation repealing the enforcement of automobiles lending rules.  On May 24, 2018, Trump signed into law further Congressional legislation exempting dozens of banks from the CFPB's regulations.

I wish President Trump would just shut the thing down. And Mr. Cordray is running for Governor. 

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Desperation at MSNBC

Art credit: quotesgram.com

Today’s headline at Breitbart:

‘Woke Nation’: Joe Scarborough Rebrands ‘The Resistance’ as Tea Party of 2018

Cultural appropriation?

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Happy birthday Cleveland

Public Square, Cleveland

Photo credit: Library of Congress via cleveland.com

Happy birthday Cleveland

Founders Day July 22, 1796

Cleveland turns 222 years old tomorrow, on July 22. For the occasion, cleveland.com recently posted a great collection of historical photos, mostly of downtown Cleveland. Click here.

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Ohio Libertarian Party regains ballot access

Splitting the vote? Here’s part of a report by Tyler Arnold from Ohio Watchdog on the upcoming elections and the consequences of Libertarian candidates qualifying to run in this cycle:

The Libertarian Party of Ohio regained ballot access this year, which means its candidates’ names will appear alongside of Republican, Democrat and Green Party candidates. This could affect the hotly contested race for Ohio governor.

“We feel fantastic that our party has support from all 88 Ohio counties and over 102,000 of our fellow citizens were willing to put their name to support the efforts of liberty and choice for all Ohioans,” Libertarian Party of Ohio Communications Director David Jackson told Watchdog.org.

The Libertarian Party of Ohio passed the signature threshold needed to regain “minor party” status, which allows its candidates to be on the ballot for the first time in four years. The party has more than 20 candidates running for state or national office in Ohio this November.

“It would not take many Libertarian votes to affect the election outcome in a close race,” Ohio State University political science professor Vladimir Kogan told Watchdog.org. One of Kogan’s areas of expertise is state politics.

Republicans are likely to hold onto most U.S. House seats in Ohio while the Senate seat will likely go to the Democrat, analysts predict. However, the governor’s race is closely contested with polls showing Democrat Richard Cordray ahead of Republican Mike DeWine by just 1.6 percent on average. The Green Party candidate is Constance Gadell-Newton and the Libertarian Party candidate is Travis Irvine.

Read the rest here.

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Impeachment in the news

Impeachment proceedings against President Andrew Johnson 

Image credit: TheNation.com

The word “impeachment” is being bandied about everywhere, both from the media and members of Congress screaming for President Trump’s head, and from the House judiciary panel and conservatives preparing articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein for “stonewalling their requests for documents”. So here is a link to a web page that provides an overview of the impeachment process, whether of the President or of a federal official. This overview concludes:

Historically, Congress has issued Articles of Impeachment for acts in three general categories:

·         Exceeding the constitutional bounds of the powers of the office.

·         Behavior grossly incompatible with the proper function and purpose of the office.

·         Employing the power of the office for an improper purpose or for personal gain.

The impeachment process is political, rather than criminal in nature. Congress has no power to impose criminal penalties on impeached officials. But criminal courts may try and punish officials if they have committed crimes.

The rest of the overview is here. 

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