Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Latest Commentary:
Attorney-General Sessions Fired -- The day after suffering the biggest electoral defeat for Republicans in Congress since 1974, President Trump fired Attorney-General Jeff Sessions. Mr. Trump has never accepted Mr. Sessions decision to recuse himself from all things related to Russia and the Trump campaign, despite clear legal and ethical requirements that he do so. Mr. Trump has put in his place as acting A-G a lackey named Matthew Whitaker, the chief of staff for Mr. Sessions. This is probably illegal, but that is the least of Mr. Trump's legal concerns. Robert Mueller's investigation continued, and the panic on the left about the administration curtailing it now that Mr. Sessions is out of office is ridiculous. With Democratic control of the House or with the First Amendment, it is too late to stop the inquiry. [November 8]
Democrats Take House, GOP Holds Senate -- The 2018 mid-term elections in the US came out just about as expected. The blue wave that many Democrats hoped for and some Republicans feared never quite materialized. While the overall vote put the Democrats well ahead of the tsunami that was the Tea Party wave of 2010, the map was so hostile to the party that the potential many saw was just a mirage. Instead, this was a fairly typical election given the constituencies in play and the unpopularity of the president despite a tolerable economy. Now, the table for the 2020 presidential campaign is set. [November 7]
China Building Concentration Camps for Muslims -- The Beijing government is building concentration camps for Muslim citizens who live in Xinjiang. The Jamestown Foundation report that 2017 spending on security in the far-western region of the People's Republic rose 213% compared to 2016 levels. At the same time, vocational training in the region fell 7%. Clearly, when it comes to non-Han Chinese, Beijing would rather incarcerate than educate and tolerate. [November 6]
Predictions for Mid-Term Elections 2018 -- The American people will go to the polls tomorrow to vote in the mid-term elections. Usually, these are humdrum affairs with only the politically committed turning up. However, there is a sense here that the stakes are exceedingly high. The Democrats believe that this may be America's last chance to avoid a fascist future, while the Republicans believe this is the last chance to save America from becoming Venezuela. Neither are right, but it does get the base motivated. So, with that in mind, here are the expected outcomes. [November 5]
Bank of England Holds Pre-Brexit Rates Steady -- The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee voted 9-0 today to keep interest rates in the UK steady. The official bank rate remains at 0.75%, the level to which it was raised in August. This decision suggests that there will be no increase in rates until after Britain leaves the European Union at the end of March next year. When that happens, all bets are off because the direction of the economy will largely follow the terms of the departure rather than the usual drivers of an economy. Under the best circumstances, one doesn't expect an increase in the first few months outside the EU. [November 1]
© Copyright 2018 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
Volume XVI, Number 195
|
|
|
|
|
