BULLIES

People don't like bullies.

                  President Trump's re-election was facilitated by numerous things, not the least of which was President Biden's bullying of Trump throughout his tenure.  It was a never-ending cascade of lawsuits and aggressive posturing that gave Trump underdog status.  Who doesn't want to pull for the underdog?  We're all sympathetic to the underdog.

                  If two football teams play and one has a 10-0 record and the other a 0-10 record and you have no affiliate loyalties to either team, which one are you going to pull for?  This is just human nature.  And if one team gets chippy and starts throwing punches, you're always going to cheer against them.  Nobody likes bullies.

                  Unfortunately, Trump is eroding the underdog equity he garnered while being out of office now that he's returned.  And he's quickly being perceived as a bully.

                  Few things are more bullyish than sticking your nose in places that don't want you.  As we approach this Christmas season, consider how unbullyish the Christ child was.  Born to humble peasants, away from home, in a crude stable.  It was the most unassuming entrance you can imagine 

                  Even today, His entrance into a heart comes after He "stands at the door and knocks."  What a wonderful example of how even the God of the universe waits for an invitation.  To be sure, He doesn't always and won't always, but that's a story for another day. 

                  With that in mind, I submit that Trump is destroying his political equity by invading cities with ICE agents.  These cities don't want him.  He says he wants to help rid America of crime, but we have police and sheriff's department to do that, and if they don't want outside help, then be a gentleman and let them solve it their own way. 

                  Let these cities implode.  Who needs a Chicago, New York, New Orleans, or Los Angeles?  Can our country survive their demise?  Absolutely.  If they can't govern themselves and become unlivable as a result, let them collapse.  When things get bad enough perhaps people will change the way they vote.

                  Ditto blowing up drug boats in the Caribbean.  I don't trust the government an inch.  They say these are drug boats; are they?  And why are drugs illegal?  A government that can deny me taking cocaine can also deny me drinking raw milk.  When the government gets between my lips and my throat, I call that an invasion of privacy.  Legalize it all and along with that eliminate ALL government involvement in health care, including mental health. 

                  Our nation right now suffers from DECISION DEFICIT DISORDER.  Few people have to suffer the consequences of their decisions because somebody will always come and bail them out.  Profligate bankers get bailouts.  Bankrupt car manufacturers get bailouts.  Soybean farmers get bailouts.  Illegal trespassers get bailouts.  Dysfunctional cities get bailouts.  Drug and Coca Cola addicts get bailouts through government health care. 

                  The first rule of decision integrity is to suffer the consequences, or enjoy the benefits, of your decisions.  Those of us who make good decisions get taxed and regulated to death while those who make poor decisions have a safety net of goodies. 

                  When I was a teenager I supplied a restaurant in Staunton with eggs.  Owned by a wonderful Greek family, behind the cash register was a big sign:  A GOOD MONKEY DOESNT MONKEY WITH OTHER MONKEY'S MONKEY.  Somebody needs to hang that around Trump's neck. 

                  If the current federal government is at 100 percent size, what do you think its constitutional and appropriate size should be as a percentage of today's 100?