Harris Under Fire: A Feast For Skeptics
Harris Under Fire: A Feast For Skeptics
Harris Policy Critique: Steve Bakke discusses immigration, the economy, energy, gender, and election integrity, urging common sense.
By Steve Bakke
One of the privileges of our governance process is the act of expressing our choices at election time. Sadly, rather than a time of reverence toward this important process, campaigns have become times of division with candidates and voters alike often on their worst behavior.
Before I add to that division by expressing my opposition to a candidate and party, let me “reach across the aisle” and recall a comment by a Supreme Court member, with whom I will probably never agree, as she expressed her feelings about our country.
Ketanji Brown Jackson, upon her approval as a Supreme Court Justice, proclaimed: “We have come a long way toward perfecting our union. In my family it took just one generation to go from segregation to the Supreme Court of the United States.” I applaud her words.
Common sense and skepticism should be ever-present while evaluating democrats and candidate Harris. Consider my list of sensitive items.
“Immigration/border control” is a huge concern. We’re all familiar with the illegal crossing statistics. The prior administration had it correct with a barrier wall along with points of entry and technology to facilitate a “stop-and-sort” process. The current administration favors legislation with a probable continuation of high levels of illegal border crossings without creating the essential border wall/barrier.
Good “economic policy” demands that first we return to a disciplined budgetary process. Our current process doesn’t allow careful analysis of spending, taxing, and borrowing decisions. Our legislators delay the difficult debate process until emergency action is necessary. No time is left for close scrutiny of all 12 budget categories. Democrats demonstrate little urgency in focusing on these details.
The current administration vision for “Mideast peace” depends on finding a “two-state Israel/Palestinian solution.” We’ve learned over many years of trying that the Palestinian leaders will accept nothing less than eliminating the nation of Israel. The real solution points directly to “The Abraham Accords,” an agreement between Muslim nations and Israel that gained momentum before Biden’s administration scuttled continuing those efforts.
“Election integrity” is a cornerstone of our republic. Controls were loosened during COVID and many still need to be reestablished. I’m talking about basic things such as voter ID requirements and ballot security. Without soul-searching and securing our voting process, sometime in the future we will suffer result-changing frauds. Democrats and their presidential ticket are too comfortable with the loosened voting processes and controls.
Most of my “energy policy” ideas conflict with the Harris/Walz/democrat policies. The democrats’ habit of “cramming down” their attempts to “eliminate fossil fuels ASAP,” are potentially disastrous economically. Contrary to common sense, they are willing to eliminate a power source before there’s a dependable “green” replacement. Their habit of ignoring “clean nuclear energy” expansion proves my point. And often, “green technologies/batteries” manufacturing is environmentally “dirty,” and depends on enemy supply sources like China.
I’m concerned with the “gender-bending foolishness” inherent in the Biden/Harris administration’s support for changes in Title IX protections. I’m referring to including male athletes competing against female athletes. If something this transformative could happen to the hard-fought protections of Title IX, it could happen anywhere. America must stop treating the concept of being female as an abstraction.
“Abortion” policies stand forever as a leading divisive force in America. A “cease-fire” on this issue demands two things. Keep the issue and it’s legislation at the state level for the foreseeable future; and diminish the influence of the two extremes, i.e. “total ban” vs. “no limits” on abortion. That middle ground is our only hope for peace on this issue.
“Education rebates,” aka student debt forgiveness, is near and dear to democrats and the Biden/Harris administration. The problem is, the majority of these funds go to those who need it least. Check out a study by the Wharton School.
We should also be sensitive to these issues: America’s role in this complex and dangerous world; law enforcement and support for police; gender affirming care for minors; Modern Monetary Theory with its preference for deficit spending; instituting damaging price controls; Supreme Court packing; subtle free speech issues……and, you finish the list.
A ”perfect storm” is gathering. It results from combining serious problems with foolish “fixes.” It’s time to step off that path.
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