This week’s column is an update on some of the events that don’t get headlines on the front pages or breaking news on radio and TV. Let’s start with that great Midwestern city of Chicago, the great ‘windy city’ moving toward being known as the ‘The Lethal Labyrinth of Lucifer.’ This is the third largest city in our country (behind New York and Lost Angeles, CA.).
It probably wasn’t newsy enough to hit front page headlines, but 163 residents of Chicago have become homicide statistics during the first 4 months of 2016. In addition another 957 people have suffered injuries received by being on the wrong end of a bullet.
Another problem troubling Chicagoans is the billions of dollars of unfunded debt for retired city employees. As if those aren’t enough difficulties, the school teachers and the city fathers including Mayor Rahm Emanuel are not getting along well. While Chicago probably won’t become bankrupt, the city will almost certainly become intractable; ungovernable.
Two years ago, a volcanic eruption at the Veteran’s Administration was a front-page disaster of epic proportions. Sick veterans were dying due to delays in treatment and blame was spread over officials and workers at all levels. Former Proctor & Gamble CEO and West Point graduate Robert McDonald was appointed Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs in July, 2014. Government statistics show that wait times are now 50% longer than two years ago. This is part of the reward for pledging one’s life to defend his/her country.
VA officials Diana Rubens and Kimberly Graves appointed themselves to alternative jobs with reduced duties, higher pay and $400,000 in relocation expenses (by taxpayers). They were helping themselves instead of helping veterans according to the inspector general. They avoided being fired by being re-classified. Federal employees apparently can’t be fired unless they murder someone in the presence of a gallery of witnesses. This situation prevails in spite of President Obama’s demand for an investigation, the FBI criminal investigation and an internal VA audit released on June 9, 2014 revealing that at least 120,000 veterans received delayed treatment or no treatment.
Although two years ago Secretary Kerry said we will crush ISIL and Mr. Obama declared that we will degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL, neither has mentioned when that effort will start. As you read this column, ISIL is filling social media with taunting messages of hatred and death, recruitment and donation appeals for those who want to take up the cause of jihad. One of their leaders, Abu al-Walid recently tweeted a message on his 464th Twitter account. Twitter, Facebook and You-Tube have taken down 26,000 pro ISIS accounts in March. Bucking that trend, ISIS has posted 21,000 accounts (with messages) during the same month. Twitter reports that 125,000 pro-ISIS accounts have been deleted since mid-2015.
Are we (the US and our Allies) crushing ISIS as Secretary Kerry echoed the words of Mr. Obama? Many months ago, the President announced containment of ISIL. The terrorist organization is about as contained as a bathtub sponge. It appears that the destruction of ISIS will be granted to the winner of the presidential election in November of 2016. The newly inaugurated President will need to decide, probably the first or second day in office in January 2017 if climate change or ISIS is the top priority.
Lacking the will to order overwhelming action against ISIS, Mr. Obama has chosen climate change or climate control or atmospheric warming or whatever is popular to babble about as our surrogate nemesis. Weather yields to high sounding words; ISIS heightens fear and trembling among millions of people with visions of death and destruction and requires decisive action.
The purpose of today’s column is to remind readers that our nation has succumbed to the fervor of corruption and political gain rather than adherence to the principles of our founding fathers. We have reversed Lincoln’s immortal words at Gettysburg when he declared that we are a ‘government of the people by the people and for the people’. We are governed by lobbyists, union bosses and political elites. We have become a society that has traded entitlements for votes. Our oratory is superlative; our performance is perfunctory. Our political elites are clueless.
Dick Baynton
