Starting the Weekend on a High!

Dolphins FINALLY fire GM Chris Grier after 10 Miserable Years.

Another DEI hire bites the dust. Took way too long.

Deja Vu - Brilliant

Recently I was sent a video of remarks Ronald Reagan made some four decades ago. They still apply today.

He was lamenting the natural instincts of Democrats.

"You know every time a Republican gets elected President, the Democrats start acting like it's the end of the world.

Every time we cut taxes or try to trim expenses, they act like the sky is falling. You gotta admire their consistency.

If the stock market surges, it's because Republicans are helping the rich. If it crashes, they say - see, that's what happens under Republican leadership.

If a Republican President shakes hands with world leaders and makes peace deals, it's appeasement. If there are tensions abroad, it's...see I told you the world would catch fire if he was in charge.

You know, it's fine to disagree on policy. That's called democracy. But, if you're best shot at winning is hoping the American people lose, maybe you're in the wrong country." RR

And that's why he was called the Great Communicator. Hands down, he and Rush were the best at saying it like it is. Once on Johnny Carson, Reagan was opining on his belief that government is not the solution, but rather the problem. He was ticking off examples of the many wasteful programs the federal government spawns. He said, "Let me tell you about another one. It was called the Demography of Happiness. It discovered that rich people are happier than poor people. Young people are happier than old people. Healthy ones are happier than sick ones. It took $249,000 of taxpayer money to figure out it's better to be young, healthy and rich than old, sick and poor!"

Our Greatest City's New Leader

(A bit of a read, but I thought you should know)

Zohran Mamdani was born in Uganda and moved to the Upper West Side with his parents when he was around 7. His father is a Columbia University professor and his mother, Mira Nair, is a filmmaker. A practicing Muslim of South Asian descent, he is married to a Syrian. 

Parental Influence

In the spirit of it all starts at home, here are some of the view his professor-father drummed into his head. "America is the root of all evil. Abraham Lincoln was the inspiration for Adolf Hitler. Suicide Bombers need to be accepted as a feature of modern political violence and not stigmatized as a mark of barbarism. The Suicide Bomber is a soldier.

Seriously. Don't believe me? You can read about it in Mamdani Senior's book, his lectures and tweets on X. And you wonder why kids turn out the way they do.

His education

Mamdani attended the posh Bank Street School for Children, a private K-8 school before earning a diploma from the prestigious Bronx High School of Science. He graduated in 2014 from Bowdoin College, earning a bachelor’s degree in Africana Studies, which clearly prepares him to lead our largest city. He co-founded the school’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. Mamdani faced heat earlier this year when it emerged that he had checked both Asian and African-American when applying to Columbia university, which did not accept him.

Career Accomplishments

Mamdani doesn’t have a long resume — but it does include a rap career.  His brief stint as the rapper Young Cardamom and Mr. Cardamom includes releasing a single, “Nani,” in 2019 and working as a music supervisor on a 2016 Disney movie, “Queen of Katwe,” directed by his mom. He worked as a "foreclosure prevention counselor" with a Queens advocacy group before getting more involved in politics. He was campaign manager for Ross Barkan’s failed 2018 bid for state Senate and field organizer the following year for Tiffany Cabán in the Queens district attorney race.

Mamdani was elected to the state Legislature in 2020, repping the 36th Assembly District that includes Astoria and Ditmars-Steinway in Queens. Sounds Obama-like, no? Community organizer.

Noteworthy Credentials

A card-carrying Democratic Socialist of America member, Mamdani holds many left-wing positions. He identifies as a democratic socialist, which, according to the national DSA organization, is someone who “fights for reforms that will weaken the power of corporations and increase the power of working people” within a capitalist society. Translation? He takes takes from the productive and gives to the unproductive to buy votes and seize power.

In the past, Mamdani called to “defund” the NYPD. As he launched his mayoral campaign, he backed off that controversial position (Trained by Kamala). He has repeatedly accused Israel of a genocide and war crimes, and said that, as mayor, he would order the NYPD to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he came to New York City.

He said he doesn’t think billionaires should exist. Mamdani’s platform states he will jack up property taxes on “richer and whiter neighborhoods,” though he insists his proposal is not driven by race but inequalities between areas. Yeah right!

His Plan

Zohran (A circus act comes to mind - Zohran the Great.) proposes paying for his $10 billion plans by raising taxes on the wealthiest individuals and corporations. Pledges free buses, universal childcare and city-run grocery stores.  Free buses alone will cost the City $800 million a year and guarantee city buses are filled with vagrants, drug users and other undesirables along for the free ride.  How would you like your child riding that way to school?

He plans to do away with Charter Schools and kill all programs for gifted and talented children.  In other words, kill meritocracy.  NB: this same strategy was a disaster in SF. Mamdani’s wants to freeze rent for the approximately 2.4 million New Yorkers who live in rent-stabilized apartments.  Any question what that will do to upkeep?

His public safety platform revolves around creating a new Department with outreach workers who will respond to mental health and other calls instead of the NYPD. Hope they're strapped.

His Backers

In late September 2017, Palestinian American activist Linda Sarsour, once the darling of the Women’s March and the self-declared face of the "resistance" against Donald Trump, though facing mounting criticism for antisemitic remarks and her embrace of extremist views, was seen beaming on a NYC city sidewalk, as she pumped her iconic fist in the air kneeling shoulder-to-shoulder with City Council candidate Khader El-Yateem. Among the smiling faces in her group was a young organizer named Zohran Mamdani.

A database of 110 groups backing Mamdani is led by a tight inner circle of organizations that identify as Muslim or socialist. Particularly important in this political machine are two networks – Sarsour’s MPower organization and a closely affiliated constellation of groups called Emgage. These organizations have been generously funded. In total, billionaire George Soros’ Open Society philanthropies have given MPower and Emgage nearly $2.5 million in recent years, according to tax filings. 

Keep in mind what's happening in the UK and major cities throughout Europe.

I lived in Manhattan for the better part of two decades.  I have visited 3 or 4 times pretty much every year since I left in 2000.  In fact, I'm going for a long weekend in December before Mamdanism sets in. What will inevitably happen if (when) this communist gets elected both sickens and offends me.

Elsewhere Hope Emerges

Argentine President Javier Milei secured a decisive victory Sunday in midterm elections, expanding his control of Congress and giving his government fresh momentum to push forward with deep spending cuts and sweeping free-market reforms. His party increased seats in Argentina's governing body by 70%

Reuters reported that inflation has fallen from 12.8% before Milei’s inauguration to 2.1% last month. His government has also posted a fiscal surplus and pushed through broad deregulation measures — a dramatic reversal after years of economic turbulence.

Americans - are you paying attention? Midterms are around the corner.

85% of Americans Now Think Political Violence is ON THE RISE!

Wonder why this is so? Here's an example of why. Jolanda Jones, a representative and leader in the Texas State House, said "We need to wipe out all Republicans - in NY, Illinois in California, everywhere." At the same time she was making a slashing gesture across her throat.

Scary

Air Traffic Controllers report increasing stress and strain after 30 days without pay. In 2019 the country's longest shutdown broke because of strain on the ATC and staff shortages. Better use the bus for Thanksgiving.

Choices Looking Ahead

To lead your country, would you prefer JD, Marco, DeSantis or ...AOC, Jasmin Crockett, Zohran Mandami or, perhaps, Jolanda Jones? Talk about no bench.

Time to Reign In H1-B

Consider this...

There now 730,000 H1B-B visa holders and 550,000 dependents in the US. Seventy percent, repeat 70%, are in IT. H1-B visas are "supposed to be" primarily to allow skills badly needed by America to be supplied by foreigners. Most of the H1-B IT visa holders are paid significantly less than US grads, offering employers a cost advantage (just like manufacturing in China).

Meanwhile unemployment among US grads with IT credentials is higher than the average and that doesn't count "underemployment", which means grads with IT degrees are employed in jobs other than IT and typically at pay rates far lower.

Ask yourself - if Technology is the future and H1-B IT supplements are so badly needed, why have companies laid off 250,000 IT workers in the past 18 months?

As you know Trump has ordered a $100K fee for an H1-B visa.

Ballroom Update

WAPO's "new" editorial board defended President Donald Trump's ballroom construction on Sunday and argued that the next Democratic president would be happy to have the ballroom.

"In classic Trump fashion, the president is pursuing a reasonable idea in the most jarring manner possible. Privately, many alumni of the Biden and Obama White Houses acknowledge the long-overdue need for an event space like what Trump is creating. It is absurd that tents need to be erected on the South Lawn for state dinners, and VIPs are forced to use porta-potties," the editorial board wrote.

And then there's Eric Swalwell (CA Rep)...who wrote Saturday on X: "Don’t even think of seeking the Democratic nomination for president unless you pledge to take a wrecking ball to the Trump Ballroom on DAY ONE."

Drill Baby Drill

More good news.

If you go back just 20 years ago, the U.S. was the third-largest producer of oil and gas in the world. Saudi Arabia and Russia were larger, and at that time, their combined production was 3X what the U.S. produced. Today, production in the U.S. of oil and gas is larger than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined.

The pipes are churning, and sand and water are flowing once again as America’s oil executives focus on increasing domestic supply and aim to bring prices to a "low point" in 2026. Chevron CEO Mike Wirth noted that America’s vast energy resources are not just an economic advantage – but also a matter of national defense by insulating itself from oil adversaries like Russia and Iran.

Promise made, promise kept.

Who'd a Thunk?

Apparently two camps in ICE are squabbling over deportations. Not what you'd guess. Tom "The Bulldog" Homan wants to go slower and Ms. Kristi Noem wants to ramp up. Stay tuned.

Only In Remission?

While I'd love to believe DEI is DOA, I fear that is not the case. Just look at the "potential leaders" who are emerging. Victimhood is the "coin of the realm" for left wingers. Nothing they love so much as a group they can classify as victims - and then pretend to help them (vote).

Without the ability to claim racial, ethnic, or religious inequality and persecution, the liberals have nothing about which to chant. So Woke ain't dead. It's only dormant. Lying in wait to spring up as soon as a big Trump stumble.

Can you imagine if the Dems ever got back in control?

Another Know-It-All Pivots

Bill Gates is calling for a change in the fight against climate change by shifting the focus away from reducing carbon emissions to fighting poverty and preventing disease and hunger. 

"Although climate change will have serious consequences — particularly for people in the poorest countries — it will not lead to humanity’s demise," the Microsoft co-founder wrote. "This is a chance to refocus on the metric that should count even more than emissions and temperature change: improving lives. Our chief goal should be to prevent suffering, particularly for those in the toughest conditions who live in the world’s poorest countries."

Gates went on to say...now he's more concerned about cold than heat because it's killing more people. No word from AOC who predicted we'd all be dead in 12 years, while making a frozen margarita.

Trade Unions and Today's Democratic Party - Same MO

When I first started my career in 1969 and for three decades after that I was a management consultant. At first, the specialty of my employer was increasing productivity so as to lower unit cost and boost both competitiveness and profitability. When I started my own firm we specialized in the transformation of organizational behavior to implement business strategies - also to increase competitiveness and corporate value

Back then the industrial landscape was much different. Manufacturing dominated. Technology meant machines that made stuff and service industries were a blip on the commercial radar. 90% of the clients we served were union shops.

Almost all had distinctly adversarial cultures. Union leaders didn't trust management and vice versa. Workers and supervisors viewed each other as enemies. Workers were brainwashed that, without the Union, they would be exploited. Companies lived in fear of work stoppages and outrageous contracts that would render them noncompetitive..

To me, even at the tender age of 23,this seemed both ridiculous and highly counterproductive. Companies and workers were inseparably intertwined. Without skilled, productive workforces companies could not operate, let alone thrive. Without paychecks and benefits, neither could workers. It just seemed like common sense that they stop all the infighting and work together to make the company great again. But they didn't and today trade unions represent a fraction of the rank and file they once did. Except, of course, in the case of public service unions where the same tribalism and antagonism still exist.

Now, in the past, unions were not the only ones to blame of course, but It strikes me that the today's Democratic Party is much the same. Brainwashing students, minorities and other liberal-leaning groups that the government, the corporations and, in some cases, even America itself are the enemy. Adopting anti-American positions, hurling destructive rhetoric, spreading fake news, even committing acts of violence all in the purported interest of standing up for victims. While, in reality, the goal is to grab power and personal riches. Hard to shed a tear for someone who "devoted to his life to service" and is now a multimillionaire.

Not sure where I'm going with this except to say the similarities are striking and I hope the Democratic Party goes the way of Trade Unions (and the Dodo bird).

Have a great weekend.