On Monday, January 20, President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill (or Dr. Jill, as she is referred to), will vacate the White House and a new President and Vice-Presient and their administration will be ushered in after being sworn in at the Capitol. There are life events and circumstances in our culture that bring on official life changes, such as marriages, births, divorces, business partnership, the beginning of a new year, death and treaties or agreements after wars. And then…There are elections.
What changes will be seen and what is to be expected on Monday and beyond with a new sheriff in town? Watching the activity on Capitol Hill this week as Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi and Marco Rubio were questioned for their potential roles as cabinet positions for Secretary of Defense, Attorney General and Secretary of State was a preview of coming attractions and here’s what I’m talking about. Hegseth knew he was entering into a war zone with media making news of his past personal life. To be fair, we all are responsible for our own behavior, good or bad and if you are going to accept the behavior, you accept the consequences. Since those days, Pete has made peace with his past, accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior, change his ways and none of the past stories and anonymous accusations take away from his dedicate to his country. He is extremely qualified for the job and has written about issues plaguing the military that have caused a decrease morale. Hegseth was attacked with such vim and vigor from democratic senators, it was almost comical. To see how the candidate handled the grilling was a good test to see how he’ll handle his potential role as Secretary of Defense, should he receive approval. He had a sense of calm and collected as he answered the questions from individuals hoping to rattle his cage. Hegseth’s agenda for the department of Defense is a streamline organization based on merit. “Equality without equity,” referring to everyone gets the same opportunity for positions with the same expectations regardless of gender or background.
Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi and Marco Rubio, potential Trump cabinet members pending enough votes for approval.
The same temperament was visible in Pam Bondi, who is President-Elect Trump’s pick for Attorney General. Coming to the role incredibly qualified having been the Attorney General in the State of Florida, Pam has a proven record as a tough and judicious prosecutor going after crime. She too was attacked verbally at times interrupted so much that she was at times unable to answer her questions. Pam’s response to such rudeness was to make sure that her point was made and she had no problem calling out the senator for their poor etiquette in questioning her. The interaction with California Senator, Adam Schiff was a good example as Pam Bondi brought up that Schiff had been censured for such behavior when he was a member of The House of Representatives. What was visible in these two experiences, and with Marco Rubio, although he wasn’t attacked nearly as much, was that these three candidates for top positions in the new administration, is that the candidates I have observed or read about, is that Trump has selected quality people who are no nonsensical. Most if not all of these cabinet picks (pending approval) have had success in their own field of expertise. Many do not need a government job and basically are ‘giving back,’ in their time and knowledge. Back to those Founding Fathers, they were similar in their experience and position in life when they took the helm to help steer this country in it’s early inception. In looking at the current cabinet picks, there is not the wealth of experience behind each pick. Look at the former mayor of South Bend, Pete Buttigieg, who is the current Secretary of Transportation. His performance in his current position, shows his lack of experience. This country is full of entrepreneurs and intelligent people who have had spectacular results in their field. Why shouldn’t these people use their wealth of knowledge to make American great? Bondi made an interesting comment that she strives to get the country back to “a one tier system of justice for all,” and that seems to be the message of the new administration across the board…
It will be interesting to see how this new administration will be accepted by the American people. As the fires were beginning in California last week, the state was ready to usher in lawsuits against the incoming President. What is somewhat ironic about their attitude and actions is that the same man who they are taking these actions against spoke of the risks to their environment and actions they should be taking in previous visits, to minimize the risks of wild fires, like managing the areas, conserving rain water and taking other measures to prevent or decrease risks of fires. Will the citizens of California, who mostly are known to vote “D”, continue in the future, or will they begin to consider voting “B” for a business mind in leadership positions who have experience balancing ledger sheets and making common sense decisions? Rabbi Chaim Mentz, of Chabad Bel-Air mentioned this last week when discussing how the fires have been managed by those in leadership positions.
How will Americans see Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy cutting waste in government? Most people try to keep costs down in their home budget and my prediction is that Americans will welcome the consideration of cutting wasteful spending and getting our national budget under control. Necessities like Social Security will not be cut. However, each governmental agency and department will be examined for wasteful spending.
“Drill Baby Drill!” Will bring down the prices of many goods and hopefully put more money in the pockets of hardworking Americans and an effort will be made to make America oil sufficient, without having to be dependent on other countries for oil. The Trump Administration has plans to increase oil production. If the plan is as successful as intended, this could bring Americans more control of their finances…
A closed border that monitors who comes into our country paired with a tough on crime policy could mean more security for American citizens. What’s wrong with that? Deporting criminal illegals and those who did not wait their turn, breaking the law, will be sent back to their country of origin. A wall and clear border policy can contribute to making American great again…
Red dye number three and the banning by the FDA for use in foods this week, when it had been banned in cosmetics for over thirty years. Huh. Maybe Robert F. Kennedy Jr., knows a thing or two and is being taken seriously…
Bringing back more pride to America, schools that teach reading, writing and arithmetic rather than social issues best left to parents. Getting men out of women’s sports and locker rooms and getting back to the science of two genders-yes, follow the science. Putting America and Americans first, taking care of our own before taking on the problems of other countries makes for a stronger America and a stronger America means that we are better equipped to lead the free world. As a friend in Australia told me back before the election of 2020, we are watching here in Australia for as the U.S. goes, so goes the rest of the free world…
Yes, most definitely there is a changing of the guard coming. Just this week, it was announced that it looks as if there is movement in returning hostages from the October 7 attacks in Israel back in 2023. Some in the Biden administration say that this is the result of their efforts all along and others in the administration admit that the anticipation of the new President and efforts by Trumps team showing up in person to negotiations in the Middle East have made the difference. Wall Street too is optimistic that their is a changing of the guard…
Change is an interesting thing. For some, change is hard. Those changes in life that cause the most disruption CAN be difficult and hard to accept. Understandable. Change can also be a good thing. Change can give us new perspective, a fresh new start and a feeling of optimism. At the time of the election of 2024, just a couple short months ago, the world saw itself with much disruption and hot spots around the world. Those problems are still there, but it seems as if the tone is different. When the biggest titans in tech and business are on board with the incoming Trump administration, it can be a good thing. The current President is calling the incoming administration a tech oligarchy. Really? And what do you call it when speech is silenced during a pandemic and information running up to an election is not just silenced but mis-information peddled to the American people masked as truth. Sorry Mr. President, the American people are on to your schtick. From the looks of the new administration, it looks like, to borrow a phrase from my Alma matter the University of Michigan, “The Leaders and The Best.” And why shouldn’t this country be run by the Best of the Best? Isn’t that who brought this country to fruition in the beginning?
This changing of the guard that takes place January 20 has the makings of, what looks like, a promising future. American citizens pay a great deal of taxes and should well get their money’s worth. If you were hiring a babysitter, landscaper, painter or contractor, would you accept poor quality work or a job not done? If you went in to have surgery, would you want the hire a competent doctor to cut you open? Well, why should you not expect to get your money’s worth from your government in terms of security, schools and services? YOU pay their salaries. It’s time to start expecting more and getting what we are paying from from the people who work for US. For those who are skeptical or considering leaving the country, give Trump a chance. The current President is the ultimate career politician and look at the condition the country is in and our reputation around the world at this time. Maybe change is good. It’s going to be a whole lot of fun to watch history unfold right before our eyes and the Biggest Political Comeback in History to Date and the beginning of a whole lot of Great Days 🇺🇸
