Smart Talk #21
Since the beginning of time, biological identity has always been simple (male/female). Ah, but today, it’s now expressed as a seemingly unending number of gender variations (LGBTQ+), and its current highly publicized, progressive-pride-off-spring, and the media-forced center-of-attention: Transgender. The media have made it their national duty to inform us, continually, on all things ‘trans,’ and how we should all get on board with the movement before the high-powered, political-elite-driven trans-train leaves the station. So much so that you’d think the trans numbers in America must be pretty darned substantial. Well, they aren’t. Looking at 2022 figures from Pew Research polling, just 1.6% of U.S. adults identify as being either transgender or non-binary. The highest percentage within those two aligned categories, perhaps not surprising, belongs to Americans ages 18-29 (5.1%). Also, not surprising, the percentage among older Americans (50+) is only 0.3%, with America’s seniors preferring to stick with their factory-original gender parts.
Now, why in the world have I brought this up? Well, in addition to clarifying the anticipated small percentage of U.S. gender switchers (vs. the blanket media coverage making us believe the numbers must be higher), it’s a chance to re-amplify the fact that in most U.S. homes, the firm belief remains that we, as humans, are either male or female. Period!
According to Rasmussen Reports, 71% of us agree with the statement “there are two genders, male and female.” And, certainly connected, is the polling fact that 62% of Americans support state legislation making it illegal “to perform sex-change surgery on minors,” including 46% who ‘strongly’ approve of that ban. In sum, it’s the progressive politicians (Democrats) and their media hug-mates who urge the rest of us into believing that the ‘trans’ numbers must be much higher. Far from it. If you didn’t already know, and now you do.
Related: Two states have recently passed laws protecting children from transgender surgeries and hormone procedures. Tennessee had to go to court and fight to secure its youth protective law. In Louisiana, the legislature there had to override the Democrat governor’s veto, which it did successfully! While other states work (struggle) to legislate against medical transitioning for minors, congratulations to the good folks in these two states with the most recent actions to protect their youth.
Now finally moving on! And speaking of moving on, that’s exactly what Los Angeles Police Protection League VP Jerretta Sandoz has suggested to the city’s police officers, when she told them to “go somewhere that respects the work you do, and you don’t have to beg for a great contract.” She continued: “Go somewhere that has a city council or city manager that openly acknowledges the great work you do, go somewhere that doesn’t have two or more City Council members who hate you (no exaggeration).”
Pretty strong stuff, voiced by a 20-year veteran of the LAPD, written as new contract negotiations for the officers seemed to be at a standstill. Cuts in the PD budget were made a couple of years ago when the anti-police movement rocked a number of progressive-run large cities. The department is said to have lost 1,000 officers since 2019 (some of that would likely be from both resignations and retirements). Hopefully the anti-police Council members can soon be made to realize how critical a robust police force is to the safety and growth of a city. Law enforcers stand between citizen safety and anarchy.
A fast growing organization, and one poised to impact citizen thinking, the “Moms for Liberty,” group harkens back to the impact that many of the wives of our Founding Fathers, most likely had as those brave patriots crafted our Declaration and our Constitution, back when both were needed so badly, by a nation under duress from the British, and fervently wishing to become a free nation. As new “Moms” chapters are founded and inevitably grow due to the obvious fact that our traditional individual liberties are under challenge from leftist factions who strive for less freedom in America, not more. The “Moms” are effectively “opening the eyes of tens of millions of Americans to the fact that their rights and liberties are being continually stripped from them by activists and anarchists from the left.” This is a growing organization, empowering and alerting women to the need for freedom vigilance, in the face of an administration, and their embedded surrogates, who seem to prefer more central government control at the (to them) acceptable cost of losing individual citizen liberties.
Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, has been successfully building a coalition of Republican voters under the common agenda-theme, aimed at getting the federal government to back off, in his words: “Just leave us alone!” That is his singular election issue for voters: We wish to be left alone. Leading critic Norquist strongly believes that “the desire of the American Left is to control, and subsequently redistribute, government resources (i.e., OUR tax money!). The improper role for government, says Norquist, is taking tax money from us and redistributing it to “trial lawyers, government labor unions, government employees, the big city political machines, the various coercive utopians, the radical environmentalists,” etc. His ultimate concern, which should also be ours, (other than the wanton redistribution of other peoples’ money into that unending number of outstretched hands), is the Left’s open desire “to restrict private property rights and control Americans’ lifestyles.”
If there’s any good news here, other than Norquist openly publicizing the real motives of the Left, it’s his hoped-for belief that “the Progressives on the Left will eventually turn on one another, because they’re made up of ‘competing parasites.’ If we don’t feed them taxpayers (money), they will grab what’s in the other guy’s hand and take it for themselves.” Illuminating Smart Talk from a leader in the continuing fight to maintain individual citizen rights, earnings, and limiting the taxing power of the ever hungry and expanding federal government. In essence, keeping at home more of what we earn, coming from someone engaged in ‘combat’ with a ravenous government ever seeking more of what is rightfully ours… our individual duly-earned revenue.
And finally for this edition, one of the long-standing benefits for young men and women enlisting in our military was that, upon leaving service, veterans could use the GI Bill for the funding needed to go to college and seek a degree. Earning a degree, government paid, has been an important perk for decades, in return for one’s military service. Today, due to many social factors, recruitment is tougher than perhaps it’s ever been, since the time our government shifted from draft -to-volunteer service. Given this extremely challenging current enlistment environment, a smart change in GI benefits has been suggested. Since going to college, we’re finding, is no longer as automatic for young men and women leaving the military as it once was, the proposal would be to expand that post-service benefit to allow those support funds, if desired, to be used to start a business, rather than the long-assumed singular-use pathway to college. The point made, that such an expanded allowance could be a powerful incentive for our young people to join the military with the promise that the GI Bill funds could be used for either college attendance or used to start a business, within our great capitalist nation long known for attracting, encouraging, and fostering innovation.
It sounds like a solid, Smart incentive for helping young people decide on serving within our military, knowing that they would have an attractive financial option when their service obligation was completed. Said one teen when asked about the expanded option: “I know a ton of other entrepreneurs and like-minded kids who would flock to the military if that (option) were to pass.” Hopefully, there really would be a “flock” of enlistees going forward. Now, there would, of course, need to be firm policy, guidance, and restrictions on those expanded-use government (taxpayer!) funds. Hoping that Congress will take note, and take action, to broaden GI Bill post-service options. And, right now, in so doing, increase the level of our young citizens desire to serve, in turn helping us over the current decreased level of enlistment, which is leaving all of our branches short of their badly needed service member recruitment goals. It would seem to be a Smart and forward-thinking thing to do.
(Fact Sources: Americans firm belief in just two genders via powerlineblog.com, John Hinderaker, 6-1-23; Tennessee legislates to protect the state’s children via dailywire.com, Leif Le Mahieu, 7-8-23; Louisiana overrides a governor’s veto to provide youth protection via breitbart.com, Paul Bois, 7-18-23; LAPD morale hampered by a couple of anti-police Council members and perhaps others in the city administration via dailymail.com, Neirin Gray Desai, 7-17-23; Moms For Liberty organization grows to answer the need via foxnews.com, Douglas MacKinnon, 7-15-23; Norquist efforts to control the Left’s efforts to take more of what we earn via foxnews.com, David Unsworth, 7-19-23; Expanding GI Bill funding-use post-service via foxnews.com, Hannah Ray Lambert, 7-19-23).