Dems Tackle Housing Affordability
With affordability expected to be a key factor in deciding the outcome of the 2026 elections, Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) says he is giving his top housing advisor Cea Weaver "free rein. She has some fabulous ideas that will greatly reduce the cost of housing for the masses."
"The major impediment to efficiently housing our population is the notion that the middle-class should be home-owners," Weaver insisted. "They are lured into this trap by the notion that owning a home can help them build equity and grow their wealth. This is bourgeois nonsense. Private home-ownership is riddled with costly redundancies like in-home kitchens and private bathrooms. We need to shift toward communal methods to improve efficiency. In the housing provided to college students individuals living in dormitories get a private bed, but they share a bathroom and their food is prepared by professionals and served in a cafeteria."
"I see no good reason why this model couldn't be modified to suit families," Weaver continued. "Instead of just having an individual bed for one student, a family could have a suite of rooms varying in number and size based on need as determined by the public housing authority. A multi-family bathroom could be shared on each floor of the apartment building and a communal cafeteria on the ground floor would serve all the meals. Each individual or family would pay a standard 30% of their income, if they have an income, for this food and shelter. Those unable or unwilling to pay would be subsidized by those who are. This would exemplify the collectivist warmth that Mayor Mamdani has promised will replace the frigid rugged individualism that has plagued America since its founding."
"For now, individuals will be permitted to opt out if they can afford it," she added. "Persons who have made significant contributions to public service like former Vice-President Kamala Harris will be able to buy private homes like the $8 million seaside mansion she has just purchased in Malibu California. In the future, there will come a time when all housing is owned by the government and assigned to residents that have met the criteria required to serve the collective good."
The former Vice-President acknowledged that "previously, I said to live in a coastal community is to live on the front lines of the climate crisis. It is fitting that I, one of the nation's leading citizens bear this risk so that the common people don't have to. I'm not too worried, though. When I was in the Senate I cosponsored the Living Shorelines Act. This law allocates $50 million/year in federal funds to fight rising sea levels. So my new home should be safe."
Trump's Great Healthcare Plan
President Trump sharply criticized President Obama's Affordable Care Act (ACA), saying "time has shown that this plan is not affordable and does not provide the results promised. The majority of those on the ACA were not able to keep their doctors. Nearly half of those on the ACA have just a single provider where they live. The premiums they must pay are high as are the deductibles. Most would've fared better if they had been allowed to buy catastrophic coverage, but the ACA didn't allow that. We need a better system."
"My Great Healthcare Plan shifts the decision-making authority to each individual," Trump emphasized. "Instead of putting the needs of big corporations and special interests first, our plan finally puts you first. It puts more money in your pocket. The government is going to pay the money directly to you. It goes to you, and then you take the money and buy your own health care. This is essentially very similar to the plan that members of Congress have for themselves."
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) called Trump's plan "a formula for disaster. Individuals lack the expertise to make their own choices. That's why President Obama's ACA fined everyone not covered by their employers' health insurance plan if they didn't buy an Obamacare plan. Democrats are the ones looking out for average Americans. Universal healthcare paid for by the government is part of the warmth of collectivism that we need to shelter individuals from the consequences of their inevitable mistakes. The experts in the pharmaceutical industry know this. That's why they are big donors to the Democratic Party. Insuring that everyone has access to their drugs and vaccines is critical for the nation's health."
"The fact that Sen. Schumer carefully set up an alternative to Obamacare for himself and his colleagues that is not allowed for the citizens who pay his salary shows how little confidence he has in the ACA," Trump argued. "Healthcare was more affordable when treatment for minor ailments was paid out-of-pocket and major illnesses and accidents were covered by catastrophic coverage. We also need to address the injustice of American-made pharmaceuticals being sold for lower prices in foreign countries than they are here. The Great Healthcare Plan will do that. I have already had some success in persuading these companies to charge Americans the same prices they charge in their 'most favored nation' agreements with foreigners."
In related health news, Dr. Nisha Verma, senior advisor to Physicians for Reproductive Health and an "expert witness" that Democrats brought to a Senate hearing to testify in favor of federal subsidies for abortion was unable (or unwilling) to agree that only women can get pregnant. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo) asked "you said that issues of health should be based on science, not politics. Can you tell us from a scientific perspective: can men get pregnant?" Dr. Verma replied "it's not a simple yes or no answer. The issue is complex. Even Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Onyika Brown Jackson was forced to admit she could not tell what a woman is. Without knowing what you would do with my answer I must decline to give a yes or no response."
Federal Jobs Shrink Under Trump
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, at the completion of the first year of Trump's second term as president, the number of federal employees has declined by 271,000. "We campaigned on cutting back the bloated bureaucracy and we have made considerable progress," Trump boasted.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies (D-NY) disagreed, saying "this isn't something I would be bragging about. More than 200,000 folks have lost the financial security that only government employment can offer. Just think about it. These folks have been cast out of the warmth of the collective and into the frigid private sector where competition forces them to perform tasks of value to consumers or lose their jobs. I fear it will be a shock therapy that many accustomed to the more laid back standards of their previous federal jobs may not survive. The only upside is that voters appalled by this harsh move will elect more Democrats in November."
In related news, the federal budget deficit has declined by $109 billion in the October-December quarter. Trump cited this development as "a positive for our country. Productivity has surged by 4.9%. We are getting more done, more efficiently than anyone thought was possible. We are reducing the drag of government waste on the economy. Now that the fraud committed in Minnesota and other places has been exposed I expect we will make further progress toward making America great again."
Judge Dismisses Effort to Verify Voter IDs
Twenty-three states run by Democrats have refused to share their voter registration data with the federal government. US Attorney General Pam Bondi has argued that "clean voter rolls are the foundation of free and fair elections, Every state has a responsibility to ensure that voter registration records are accurate, accessible, and secure. Otherwise, ineligible voters will be able to cancel out the votes of eligible voters. This is why we are suing."
US District Judge David Carter dismissed the suit saying, "right there in her statement is the clear intent to limit the opportunity to vote. Democracy is only safe if the people have a completely unfettered opportunity to choose those who govern them. That's why we have a secret ballot. This protects those who vote from being harassed or intimidated by the government from freely exercising the franchise."
Judge Carter rejected "the premise that only those legally registered to vote should be allowed to cast ballots. Everyone living within the boundaries of the United States has an interest in the outcome of the elections whether they are citizens or not and regardless of whether they are illegally in the country. Republicans have a declared intention of restricting or eliminating government benefits being given to persons illegally inside our borders. Such persons have much to lose if Republicans can keep them from voting for Democrats who fully support their human right to receive these benefits."
Bondi observed that "this Judge is saying that criminals can illegally enter our country and take benefits that our laws explicitly deny them. He is unilaterally granting them the right to vote for the political Party that will abet them in this theft. I say ineligible votes are fraudulent votes that undermine the integrity of our elections."
The American Civil Liberties Union praised Judge Carter's decision, saying "the right to vote for who will wield power in government is clearly a fundamental human right and as such takes precedence over any legislated rights that Congress or the Constitution may prescribe."
In related news, the US Supreme Court ruled that candidates have legal standing to contest ballot counting procedures. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote "the previous practice of ruling that candidates 'lack standing' to challenge these procedures is clearly wrong. Candidates do have a legitimate interest in the counting process. Circumstances in which states or localities continue the counting of ballots far beyond election day are inherently suspect as they multiply the opportunities for committing ballot fraud." House Minority Leader Hakeem (D-NY) complained that "limiting the counts to election day prevents our Party from knowing the number of votes needed to change the outcome and having the time needed to collect and count them."
Some Highlights from the Minnesota Chaos
Desperate to generate events that will help push the fraud scandal out of the current news, Gov. Tim (D) and Mayor Jacob Frey (D) have been goading folks to continue their efforts to impede ICE's enforcement activities. Some of these efforts include:
At an ICE traffic stop, agents attempted to arrest Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, an illegal alien from Venezuela with previous arrests and convictions. Sosa-Celis resisted arrest, fled in his car and was pursued by one of the ICE agents. After Sosa-Celis crashed into another car he attempted to flee on foot, and was tackled by the ICE agent. During the scuffle two men from a nearby apartment joined in the struggle battering the ICE agent with a snow shovel and a broom handle. The ICE agent used his pistol to defend himself and shot Sosa-Celis in the leg. The three men fled into the apartment where they were later apprehended. Mayor Frey condemned ICE's "attempt to arrest this peaceful immigrant," but praised his restraint, saying "shooting the man in the leg is what the ICE agent who shot Renee Good in the face should've done instead."
Gov. Walz's efforts to encourage high school students to assemble and join the protest against ICE went awry when a brawl broke out among them outside the school. Things seemed to be going well as one student leader urged the students "to confront the ICE invaders who are terrorizing our neighborhoods and putting our safety on the line." Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison praised the students for their "courage in the face of Renee's martyrdom." Once they got to the state capitol the students began fighting among themselves.
Part of the "resistance" against ICE entailed the looting of an FBI vehicle. Weapons and documents containing FBI names were taken. Later, Raul Gutierrez, a member of the Latin Kings criminal gang, was arrested for stealing a rifle. Videos taken by independent journalists assisted the ATF officers who made the arrest. Walz lamented "this undesirable meddling from amateurs. The professional and accredited journalists are backing our efforts to resist the ICE invasion and defend our foreign-born guests from their harassment."
Anti-ICE protesters hassled a man driving a Chevrolet Suburban because the vehicle looks like the kind of vehicles ICE agents are driving. A female protester noticed "he has a lot of camera equipment in the trunk." At another location anti-ICE protesters vandalized a car they thought was being used by ICE agents by spray painting "the only good agent is a dead one" and breaking one of the vehicle's windows. Frey observed that "while the sentiment in paint expresses a violent thought, I am pleased to see that no one was shot and no fires were set. That's an improvement over what the George Floyd protesters did a few years back. I have to commend their restraint under the severe provocation ICE has inflicted on our city."
An indication that the protests may not represent genuine local opinions stems from the presence of so many paid professional protesters roaming Minneapolis' streets. Social media commentator Eric Daughtery recognized one that he's found in 100 different protests in many different cities for things like gun control, abortion funding, Palestinian statehood, and donating to ActBlue--the fundraising platform for the Democrat Party. "Well ICE employs paid law-enforcement officers, why shouldn't our local protests be augmented by the assistance of paid professional protesters?" Walz wanted to know.
Federal Probe of Fraud Creating Confusion & Chaos
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn) disparaged the surge of federal agents into her state, saying "it's creating confusion and chaos. Prior to this invasion amicable arrangements between the Somali community and Gov. Walz's administration enabled a win-win outcome for both parties. Federal moneys the state might not otherwise have obtained were secured for the benefit of all involved."
"First, Somali entrepreneurs received the funding needed to sustain their daycare businesses," she pointed out. "Second, impoverished Somali refugees recived a share of this money by registering their children at these daycare centers. Third, Gov. Walz and other government representatives received a 'finder's fee' share for expediting the paperwork needed to obtain the federal funds."
"Everything was working fine for years until a rogue independant journalist barged in and started asking questions and recording videos," the Congresswoman complained. "Now the Trump Administration has halted the federal funding. The Somali entrepreneurs are facing bankruptcy and possible imprisonment. Even Gov. Walz and I have been mentioned as possible felons. So much unnecessary damage has been done and for what?"
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem answered Omar's question. "Money that was intended to fund genuine needs was siphoned off into the pockets of swindlers," she said. "This criminal abuse of the system unfairly burdens taxpayers. It is one thing to compel taxpayers to help the needy. It is quite another to force them to enrich fraudsters. The fraud must stop and the perpetrators must be punished."
"Well, the so-called fraudsters also have needs," Omar asserted. "Two-thirds of Somali refugees are currently on welfare. The few who tried to escape poverty through investing in daycare will now be thrown back into poverty. On top of this President Trump has revoked the temporary protective status of Somali refugees. This means they will be sent back to the hellhole of Somalia they originally migrated from. It's a widespread tragedy that is totally unnecessary. The US is the richest country in the world. The money lost to fraud won't change that. People are being punished for no good reason."
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer confirmed Rep. Omar's worst fears, saying that "she is right at the top of our suspect list in this fraud scandal. I wouldn't be surprised to see that her citizenship is revoked as a consequence of the role she has played in this massive scam."
In related news, hundreds of Minnesota government employees have testified "we've been yelling from every rooftop possible about fraud. Few understood or listened to the scale of the problem. Systemic issues mean that someone in leadership is advising or forcing staff to commit wrongdoing. And these leaders will be NAMED."
