Republican Education and White House Decorum

Americans really dropped the ball in November 2024, and this past Tuesday, one year after the disaster, they kind of admitted as much. One year ago, the American people voted for a party and a president who have little clue how to govern the country. Republicans didn't try to hide that information. In fact, they spelled it out in their platform in capital letters. Their first two goals focused on the border. 

1. SEAL THE BORDER, AND STOP THE MIGRANT INVASION
2. CARRY OUT THE LARGEST DEPORTATION OPERATION IN AMERICAN HISTORY

This blog has included discussions on immigration, education, employment, debt, medical coverage - all topics the Republican Party Platform (RPP) simply chose not to address in any detail whatsoever in the last two presidential cycles. In 2020, the RPP consisted of two words: Think Trump. 

Of course, on every mind in the country right now is SNAP and healthcare, so let's talk about education.

I have two kids in college and one in high school at a public high school in Milwaukee. My wife and I set up a education funds for all the kids; none have really been touched up to this point. The two in college haven't had to touch it,  yet because of grants and scholarships made available during the Biden administration. The oldest is studying fresh water sciences and got a scholarship and science grant that so far has paid his tuition. The future of the science grant is uncertain, however. This grant has been frozen by the Trump administration because they claim to be reviewing it for {and cleansing it of} "woke" language - evidently regarding global warming. {Global warming does not exist in the MAGA, which has to be very nice.} That's what my son has been told. He is in a good position to continue even without the grant but others in the program will have to take loans if the grants aren't unfrozen - keep in mind these funds were already allocated for the 4-year program - these are science grants from the federal government dependent on the student maintaining at least a 3.00 GPA, staying enrolled full-time in the program, and staying on track to graduate in 4 years. 

The Biden administration was, at the very least, trying to address college costs. Republicans seem uninterested and have stooped so low as to discourage kids from attending college; instead they've actively advocated to start working instead of pursuing the "scam" of college...yikes...we all know that college degree holders earn more over a lifetime than high school diploma holders...and yet, Republicans are urging students to work rather than study. Why? According to the Great Leader: "I love the poorly educated."

The RPP's solution to K-12 includes more prayer in school and less woke-ism. In other words, more wishful thinking and less questioning of authority.

As for higher education, liberal education was never designed to be vocational training. There are vocational programs, for sure, but even medicine and law, for example, don't necessarily train someone to actually perform those jobs. They provide the foundation and the subsequent internship prepares the graduate to work. First year lawyers benefit tremendously by working with established lawyers, for example.  

Liberal (in its original Latin sense, "of or pertaining to free people") education was designed to teach people critical thinking skills - how to learn, how to study, how to research. The purpose of liberal education was "not to teach that which is peculiar to any of the professions; but to lay the foundation which is common to them all." As Fareed Zakaria argues in "In Defense of a Liberal Education, liberal studies were designed to provide breadth and depth of study. For decades, the US education system in many ways functioned as the model other countries emulated.  

In the US, there have been a variety of ways to pay for a college degree. As late as into the mid- 70's, there were universities in the US that charged no tuition. The GI Bill has paid for millions of veterans to go to school. Pell grants and scholarships and FAFSA loans, have allowed millions more earn degrees.  

There have been many reasons why the cost of college has increased almost exponentially since the 80's; these include state and federal funding cuts, larger numbers of student enrollments, increased endowments - yes, endowments, those gifts to universities covertly increase tuition fees for the students because less funding is available for actual salaries and costs of running the schools, but I digress. State university systems still provide excellent value for the investment, by the way. A clear example of the government working for the people. {One year of study at Marquette University will cost you about 50k (not a knock on MU), while one year at UWM will run you about 10k for in-state tuition (not a knock on UWM)}

Today, universities around the world offer free education, but not in the US. Most notably in recent years are the German universities attracting the attention of US students by offering tuition-free studies. In Iran, as another example, there's no tuition. Students receive fully paid studies in exchange for certain social commitments after graduation, which can be deferred for various reasons, such as graduate study, military service, etc. 

Free tuition around the world is not uncommon. Yet, it's unheard of in the wealthiest country in the world and denigrated as "socialism" or "government handouts". That's a ludicrous position to hold.

Isn't education an integral aspect of the public welfare? Our well-being, our progress, our infrastructure build on the foundations of an informed society. 

I interrogate and examine and cross-examine him, and if I think that he has no virtue, but only says that he has, I reproach him with undervaluing the greater, and overvaluing the less. And this I should say to everyone whom I meet, young and old, citizen and alien, but especially to the citizens, inasmuch as they are my brethren. For this is the command of God, as I would have you know; and I believe that to this day no greater good has ever happened in the state than my service to the God. For I do nothing but go about persuading you all, old and young alike, not to take thought for your persons and your properties, but first and chiefly to care about the greatest improvement of the soul. I tell you that virtue is not given by money, but that from virtue come money and every other good of man, public as well as private. This is my teaching, and if this is the doctrine which corrupts the youth, my influence is ruinous indeed.

_______________________________________________________________________________

In regards to Trump's building and design sensibilities, I think this picture tells us all we need to know about the Trump ballroom. Garish cannot begin to describe it.

Every picture tells a story:

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-tower-photos-inside-apartments-penthouse-2019-5#though-the-penthouse-is-still-kept-relatively-private-trump-has-used-the-residence-for-business-including-when-he-hosted-japanese-prime-minister-for-a-wonderful-dinner-to-discuss-the-two-countries-relationship-23

~ In the party platforms, the Democratic party spelled out specific ways they were trying to address the costs of higher education.

The Republican party said nothing about it. Their platform was more concerned with bringing back prayer to schools and eliminating "indoctrination".

Https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/2024-democratic-party-platform

Https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/2024-republican-party-platform

~ https://www.statnews.com/2025/10/29/nih-banned-words-analysis-grant-title-changes/

~ https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2025/2/cruz-led-investigation-uncovers-2-billion-in-woke-dei-grants-at-nsf-releases-full-database

~ https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/research-summaries/education-earnings.html

~ https://www.aplu.org/our-work/4-policy-and-advocacy/publicuvalues/employment-earnings/

~ Plato, Apology of Socrates. https://classics.mit.edu/Plato/apology.html

Healthcare, the ACA and Obama's Legacy

Credit is due to the Republicans holding town halls around the country. But that's about all we the people can offer, because, while they had the fortitude to hold the town halls, they had no grit in answering their constituents' questions.

Take, for example, this week's Ron Johnson call. It was pretty pathetic. When asked explicitly what the Republicans will do to lower the costs of health insurance premiums, all listeners heard was deflection. "Obamacare has failed to lower the costs, and we have to fix it by letting it go away by allowing the free market to operate. Americans should be able to shop for insurance and if they want catastrophic insurance, that should be available." 

When the Senator was pushed for the actual plan to carry this out, it became increasingly more apparent that there actually is none. Republicans want us to return to the time before the ACA.

Now, if you're one that can't quite remember what health insurance was like 15 years ago, here's a quick recap: some 40 million Americans had no health insurance. Millions of others only had insurance that kicked in under life threatening circumstances and millions of others had coverage with exorbitant copays and massive deductibles. Tens of millions of people relied solely on ER visits for healthcare. 

Way back in 1980, this was such a problem in the country that Ronald Reagan, a fiscal conservative, signed the EMTALA act that paid hospitals with federal dollars for taking care of anyone who showed up ill. The struggle with medical bills and insurance got so bad that in a presidential debate in 2011, while the Republican candidates were arguing about what to do with uninsured sick people in the hospital, Ron Paul suggested that no one should take care of that person, the audience cheered; when asked whether that meant Mr. Paul would let the uninsured patient die, the audience yelled, "Yeah!"

That's the country we were living in. 

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), the act derogatorily referred to by Republicans as Obamacare, was supposed to function as a marketplace for insurance! While this seems unbeknownst to MCs like Ron Johnson, the ACA's structure was based on the Massachusetts health care act signed into law by Mitt Romney. That's true! That's the same Republican Mitt Romney who ran for president against B. Obama. The ACA was actually a fiscally conservative plan.  

The reasons that health insurance premiums are rising get complicated quickly, but it's not because of the ACA marketplace. The Kaiser Foundation indicates that premium costs are rising at lower rates than prior to the ACA.

Check it out:

The graph shows that prior to the ACA's introduction in 2014, premiums were rising by double digits. Premiums were growing faster prior to the ACA. Strangely to the chagrin of Republicans, Obamacare has been slowing the growth of premiums.

Surprise, surprise, surprise!

So, back to the town halls. This was the common theme around the country: Obamacare has failed, trust Republicans to fix this, and, oh yeah, by the way, they have no plan. Republicans have done nothing over the last 15 years. Not even Concepts of a plan.

To make it even worse, President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill defunds EMTALA taking the USA back to pre-1980 conditions.

Don't be deceived. Donald J. Trump and his minions, the Republicans, on this issue do not care about the American people. 

Democrats are right to hold out for the extension of the subsidies. Let's hope we get it. And let's hope Republicans wake up and stop kowtowing to the megalomaniacs in the White House.

Senator Ron Johnson, Have you no Integrity?

Senator Johnson,

I understand that you might be intimidated by the Party's power and the President's yardstick, but I dare to remind you what duties Congress must uphold: to raise revenue, to create and pass legislation, to act as the checks and balances to the executive and judicial branches. 

Unfortunately, for whatever reasons, it seems you and your colleagues have chosen not to exercise your duties. This nonsense at the White House's east wing exemplifies this blatant lack of oversight. Many are attempting to categorize the outrage and disgust that has been expressed as mere tempest in a teapot. I beg to differ. The very idea that multi-billionaires have funded this palatial demonstration of the President's unhinged fantasy of the purpose of the people's house suggests that an unfair advantage in future business proceedings could possibly be at stake. This befouls the nature of American free enterprise and conjures up the notions of cronyism and oligarchy and grift. This whole demolition and construction project reeks of anti-American values.

Is it not finally the time for Congress, for you, Senator, to stand up to this misguided administration? Have you no pride in your position, sir? What benefit do you receive by kowtowing to a President who clearly does not have the American people in mind when spending hundreds of millions of dollars on an ill-perceived, unvetted, building project while also kicking people off SNAP and health insurance? 

Our nation was never meant to be regal. Our front door was never meant to represent the castles of olden empires or the palaces we saw in Iraq built by Saddam or the golden facades on display all over the middle east. America has always represented something unique - something different. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" - this is on our welcome mat. 

The whole thing stinks to high heaven: we can't raise taxes on the uber-wealthy, but we can accept massive donations to build a 90,000 square foot ballroom for Trump...that's pretty putrid fecal matter...

Will you hold the executive branch responsible for this degradation? Will you, please, sir, stand up and act like a Senator, a representative of the people? Are many of your constituents in favor of the President's reckless and impetuous behavior or do my concerns echo the anxiety felt by many others? If my letter is but one of many, perhaps this is a sign that the Senate needs to come together to carry out its duties.  

Sincerely, 

Your humble constituent

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Does ICE have authorization to arrest US citizens?

No, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) does not have the legal authority to arrest or detain U.S. citizens, as their authority is limited to non-citizens. However, mistaken arrests of U.S. citizens by ICE have occurred, so it is important for citizens to assert their status, ask to speak with a lawyer, request the officer's name and badge number, and be prepared to provide proof of citizenship if questioned or detained. 

Understanding ICE Authority

• Civil vs. Criminal Matters: ICE's primary role is enforcing civil immigration laws. 
• Constitutional Protections: As a U.S. citizen, you are protected by the Constitution, which ICE cannot violate. 
• Misidentification: While legally prohibited from arresting citizens, ICE has been known to erroneously detain U.S. citizens. 
• What to Do if an ICE Agent Interacts With You
• Assert Your Citizenship: State clearly that you are a U.S. citizen. 
• Ask to Speak to a Lawyer: You have the right to legal counsel. 
• Request Identification: Ask for the agent's name and badge number and record the information. 
• Do Not Consent to Searches: You can decline a search of your person or property. 
• Be Prepared to Prove Citizenship: While you don't carry a passport all the time, have something like a birth certificate or other documentation ready to quickly prove your status.

Seeking Help

• If ICE detains or questions you in error, consult a lawyer about filing a lawsuit, as the agency and its officers may be liable for damages.
• If you are a U.S. citizen, you cannot be deported.

Sources:

• https://iamerica.org/know-your-rights/
• https://goldman.house.gov/media/press-releases/goldman-warren-padilla-kelly-and-correa-demand-investigations-ices-detention#:~:text=ICE%20policy%20makes%20clear%20that%2C%20%E2%80%9C%5Ba%5Ds%20a,times%20appearing%20to%20use%20violent%20physical%20force.
• https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/LSB/HTML/LSB10362.web.html

And so it goes, the devil's at the helm

Wickedness incarnate:

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked Thursday about Trump’s promise to work with Office of Management and Budget Director (and Project 2025 architect) Russ Vought to ax so-called “Democrat Agencies” in the government. “Is that real?” a Fox News host asked Leavitt. “Or is that a negotiating tactic?”

“Oh it’s very real. And the Democrats should know that they put the White House and the president in this position,” Leavitt replied. “And if they don’t want further harm on their constituents back home, then they need to reopen the government. It’s very simple: Pass the clean continuing resolution, and all of this goes away.”

It's putrid and disgusting that an administration would behave this way. We should all be equally disgusted that she said this while flaunting the cross of Christianity:

These are not Christian ideals. No Christian should support these tactics. Awful. 

Fire Karoline Leavitt. What the hell is a Democrat Agency?