The (Daily) Vent 2

(Those Close To The President) President Trump convened his first full Cabinet meeting but the "Chair," so to speak. was DOGE Director, Elon Musk. As he was standing before the assembled Secretaries and other explaining to the audience and Agency heads, as well as President Trump and Vice President Vance, that each Department would need to "cut the fat," so to speak. Musk's role in the government is unique. He is a personal assistant to Trump and his is the specific role  Harry Hopkins had a specific role with the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Administration. He was the most visible member of a Presidency and a close advisor that President Roosevelt used as a special envoy when British Prime Minister Churchill opened discussions in the wake of Pearl Harbor and American entry into the War. However, in constructing the New Dea, there were a series of left-wing technocrats like Alger Hiss and Harry Dexter White who were in fact Soviet agents. Elon Musk is no Soviet or ...

(A Close-Run Thing) By the skin of its teeth, the size of its Majority, House Republicans passed their version of President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill." Included are the extension of the 2017 tax cuts so that will not be an issue later. Four trillion has been added to the debt ceiling another two trillion in cuts are anticipated, The Bill is a reflection of Trump's priorities, a framework to be sent to the House Committees, in addition to tax writing, also Defense, Energy, and the Border. While all the heavy lifting remains, the first exertion has been accomplished. It is not surprising that President Trump had to personally intervene with some Members to switch their vote to "Yea." Equally not surprising was every Democrat also voted "No." And, with this House vote, as action translates to the Senate, they will be forced in a sense to include the House frame-work , and the tax cuts. The Senate first track that had been proposed by Majority Leader...

(Guns Of February) Today, February 24th, 2025, the Ukraine War has been in progress for three years. It could end this week. How it got this far, in a Russian excursion that made Afghanistan a debacle long before President Biden and his catastrophe. Fron the beginning, it was a question of Russian leadership. The campaign should have been brief as the Russian Army presented such an overwhelming correlation of force that the issue should have never been in doubt. The role of Kiev and President Zelenski in initiating the conflict can be in doubt. Senior leadership, might mount "stars." but that is not necessarily a reflection of ability. Russian and Soviet History is littered with Generals and Marshals that either failed or fell to Stalin's Purges. When World War II, the "Great Patriotic War as the Russians call it, the ability to perform in intense combat that had been the German invasion in June, 1941. Secretary of Defense Hegseth, with the assent of President Trump,...

(Cyphers & Codes) One can begin this morning with offering a word for Pope Francis who is having raspatory issue. In any study of cryptology, there is the "cypher," or the alphabet of information to be en-cyphered, and there are "codes," words derived from that cypher. A famous example would be Enigma used by German Armed Forces in the Second World War. Enigma was first broken by Polish cryptologists before being developed by British cryptographers at Bletchley Park. By the end of the War, Bletchley was reading Enigma regularly. President Trump is a cypher. His is the "alphabet" in his Administration and the "codes" are the things and people Trump has set in motion. Kash Patel was just confirmed as FBI Director and that is all but a sweep of the President's Nominees. The "codes," therefore, are those leading the departments and while Trump has ultimate authority, how each director or secretary would have a certain independenc...

(Great Expectations) February 22nd is the birthday for George Washington. Revolutionary War Hero, first President of the United States. The current President of the United States, Donald Trump, could be "going postal." Not the events of a deranged mail man shooting up an office, but President Trump, could be looking to incorporate the Postal Service into perhaps the Commerce Department. The Service has been losing money for decades and when people used e-mail more than regular postage, the need for stamps necessarily decreased. But as long as letters to Santa or to gramma who sadly broke her hip. That is what one expects from President Trump. Are the same standards being applied to Congressional Republicans ? To borrow a line from Star Wars, "I grow tired of asking this, this is going to be the last time. Where is the Rebel Base ?" Or, where is the vote on the Reconciliation Package ? Doubts about the final go ahead are accumulating. On the rumor that GOP progress o...

(Banking On A Windfall ?) The term is "profit." Each commercial or government concern spends money. In a private corporation, at the end of the year, or quarter as might be measured, if the company made more than it discharged, that is the money made. The question is what to do with it ?  Usually, the profit gets re-applied back into the fiduciary structure of the company. Another option is to pay a dividend to share-holders. There can be advantages to both courses. Dewey's has the best Seafood in Destin, Florida. Dewey's is a small business. It is family owned. A small business in other words. But it is very popular. The restaurant makes money. As Dewey's is on the water, improvements are continually being made like expanding parking, seating arrangements and so on.  On the other hand, larger companies do need share-holders. They make money but that would be in measure to those who bought the original stock. The largess from DOGE has the same methods, either its ...

(Looking For Mr. Goodbar ?) Nominally, one is talking about the Hershey chocolate confection with peanuts. It is also a 1977 film with Diane Keaton where a schoolteacher wants to live the wild life until it kills her. The candy-bar is more appealing, In any event, who is looking for a "Mr. Goodbar" themselves ? The Democrat Party is looking for who could be called Party Leader. President Trump has endorsed the House process for his Big Beautiful Bill to which the Senate still needs to acclimate. Who is the head of the Democratic Party ? When the Civil War erupted, the only viable senior officer was General Winfield Scott. In time, General Robert E. Lee took command of the Army of Northern Virginia whereas President Lincoln went through a series of Union commanders before deciding on Ulysses Grant. There is no shortage of senior Democrats going back to Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. President Biden can be dis-counted. Nancy Pelosi ? Surly not former Vice President Harris. Jimn...