You have a house cleaner. She comes to your place once a month. She’s 60+. She’s single. She owns her home, a late model vehicle and loves two dogs. She works seven days a week, on average cleaning a dozen places. She manages health issues and does what most people who live alone do — everything. She pays taxes to three governments. Her life is not subsidized by a partner, or a family member or some branch of government. In other words, the lady is independent, self reliant, responsible, accountable. Unlike millions of Americans, she budgets and avoids debt. Her work schedule is maxed out, meaning her income is essentially fixed, threatened by inflation. Her retirement is on her, no room to slack off. As you examine the reality of this American life, this lone house cleaner, you see a true Superstar. But she’s not alone. Tens of millions like her, in different walks of life, are applauded, recognized and appreciated, but only by those individuals who benefit from their work. Millions like her never hear the cheers reserved for the rich and famous, or for the entertainers, athletes, politicians and media celebrities who, god-like, bask in notoriety. What must occur to you on this cusp of a New Year is this: if every able bodied person adopted the independence, self reliance and work ethic of your house cleaner, America would fly higher than any MAGA slogan. Yes, Matilda, you know that speculation is pure fantasy. Consider that at least 100 million Americans, 30% of the population, are enrolled in at least one federal government assistance program. Or better yet, process this: Your Federal Government spends more than $1 trillion annually on 80+ welfare programs. https://epicforamerica.org/social-programs/epic-explainers-the-1-trillion-welfare-bureaucracy/ Maybe you didn’t get that. One TRILLION a YEAR. This money is your tax money. You didn’t ask Congress to approve this expenditure even though your congressman or congresswoman is YOUR EMPLOYEE. Although your congressman or congresswoman doesn’t say it to your face, he or she is telling you, “How we spend your tax money is none of your &%$#^%&* business.” And to make matters much, much worse, your taxes don’t even cover the bill. Which means your Government must borrow the money. And to make matters much, much, much, much worse, The Constitution of the United States does not give the Federal Government jurisdiction to spend one dime of your tax money as charity for anyone, including the Poor. The Constitution does not give the Federal Government the authority to provide food, housing, health care, energy, childcare or even temporary subsidies. No doubt, the tone of that assertion might signify a harsh, heartless, merciless attitude. But not in this case. God knows how many people of all ages are afflicted with physical and mental disabilities that render them helpless. The question is — who should do the helping? Basically, the private sector. The first tier of support are family and friends. The second is community. The third is the city. And the fourth is the state. Essentially, those closest to the vulnerable. You see, in 2024, the largest source of charitable giving came from individuals, who gave $392.45 billion, representing 67% of total giving. https://www.nptrust.org/philanthropic-resources/charitable-giving-statistics/ In addition, below you can find a list of national 501-c-3 organizations that answer the call for food, housing, health, and other domestic needs. Still, the Federal Government grows the welfare system for the able bodied. For instance, data shows that a single mother with two children at the (so-called)poverty threshold is eligible for more than $42,000 in welfare benefits. https://emar-data-tools.shinyapps.io/prd_dashboard And “the average poor family with children already receives $65,200 in cash, food, housing, medical care, and educational support . . . . .” https://www.heritage.org/welfare/report/largest-welfare-increase-us-history-will-boost-government-support-76400-poor-family. Statistics are obscure, not counting for redundancy, fraud and the dwindling American work ethic. If you need a laugh to interrupt this litany of facts, in 1996, Joe Biden said this: “The culture of welfare must be replaced with the culture of work. The culture of dependence must be replaced with the culture of . . . personal responsibility.” Yet another Joe deception, now turned comic, this lecture is over. Except to give a shout out to all the Americans out there who do all the working, all the inventing, all the building, all the protecting, all the teaching, all the care giving, all the providing, all the saving, all the sacrificing, all the growing, and yes, all the cleaning — and BTW, the two skilled studs who just the other day installed your new water heater — Superstars all.

Note: A Partial List of Well-known Charities (excl. Gates, Musk & other billionaires). Ed.

Feeding America
St. Jude’s
United Way
Direct Relief Int’l
Salvation Army
Habitat for Humanity
Americares
Samaritan’s Purse
Goodwill
Compassion Int’l
YMCA
Boys & Girls Clubs
HealthWell Foundation
Red Cross
Mount Sinai Health
The Arc of the United States
Lutheran Services in America
Doctors Without Borders USA
American Cancer Society Health
American Heart Association
Mayo Clinic Health System
Convoy of Hope
Shriners Hospitals 75
UNICEF
Dana-Farber Institute
Midwest Food Bank
CARE USA
Memorial Sloan Kettering
Michael J. Fox for Parkinson’s
Easter Seals
Tunnel to Towers
Save the Children
Wounded Warriors
Make-A-Wish Foundation
Cross Catholic Outreach
Alzheimer’s Association

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Don McLean wrote and sang American Pie 55 years ago. To most people, they know the song as “the day the music died.” You feel a little like that today, but for an entirely different reason, forced to face an undeniable reality. Try as he might, after suffering a decade of intense bludgeoning by the Beltway mob, Donald Trump has become — a politician. In 2015, while almost everyone you know snickered at his candidacy, you almost worshipped his style and guts. You ceaselessly championed the man for one reason and one reason only. He was not a politician. He was not a member of a ruling family. He was not an attorney. He represented the American Everyman — out in the street busting ass, a swaggering outsider, a gunslinger, daring to single-handedly face The Establishment. That was yesterday. Today, you received yet another snail mail broadside from politician Phil Berger, President Pro Tempore of the North Carolina Senate, a job he’s spending a fortune to keep. The question is: Do you think it’s his money? (Laugh here.). On one side of the mailer, you see photos of a grinning Berger and a thumbs up of Trump, with four Trump quotes. One quote states “He will Never Let You Down.” Urp. On the reverse side, a HUGE Trump photo with HUGE text: “TRUMP BACKS BERGER.” If you happen to be in Berger’s voting district, you’ve likely received at least 30 of these flyers, more than half of them attacking his political rival Sam Page, Sheriff of Rockingham County for the past 27 years. In the other mailers, Berger basically pounds his chest. Bragging is a colossal understatement. He takes credit for anything and everything good about North Carolina, displaying 3-4 photos of himself as The President’s bosom buddy. Simultaneously, his campaign against underdog Page is pure, unadulterated sleaze. You have to ask, “Why would a top, accomplished lawmaker armed with Trump’s enthusiastic backing stoop to throw mud?” According to Matilda, his animosity is indicative of someone in panic mode, with good reason.** Allegedly, Berger helped redistrict a NC county to benefit Republican election results. His reward is Trump’s “endorsement,” AKA, political payback. This was the (alleged) explanation Page heard when he spoke to the Man himself. Well, it smells; and for me, the stink sticks to his ubiquitous blue suit. If the Berger payback was that important, Trump’s people should at the very least be assured that he would not be tainted by being associated with political muck. To put this mess to bed, Berger so far has spent over $2M campaigning against an opponent who’s financially confined to social media and personal appearances. As the NC soap opera plays out, Trump closes the book on his second term’s first year. By any measure, it has been a study in what’s best about leadership. No way you’ll rag on him, despite the Berger gaffe. And you won’t talk perfection. Look at the record. Beginning day one, the man took hold of his punch list; and with extraordinary energy, set about getting the rejuvenation train rolling — energy, taxes, tariffs, inflation, border, bureaucracy, foreign wars, DEI, etc. etc. Yes, you would rather see Musk still at the DOGE wheel. Yes, you want to see a handful of federal agencies bite the dust. Meanwhile, Media is always poised to support whatever disruption the Dems can dredge up to derail the Donald Express. You and others are impatient. The debt is moving toward $40 trillion. Consumer prices are stubbornly high. And America’s socialists are stubbornly stupid, free to complain and attempt to change a young country that’s the envy of the old world. You may sing the blues today but admit it’s fleeting emotion. Frankly, you need to put aside gloom and doom and sincerely acknowledge politicians like Berger and Page who qualify for Theodore Roosevelt’s famous passage: Man in the Arena. It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena . . . who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short . . . again and again …….

Kudos, gentlemen.

** https://www.ncspin.com/poll-sam-page-up-by-ten-over-phil-berger

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Biblical scholars make it a business of dissecting and interpreting text written by human beings, allegedly beginning sometime around 4000 B.C. Well, you’re no scholar. Also, you hate to invest in scholarly research. It might interfere with your uninformed opinion. On the face of it, Genesis explains Creation which took a mere week to pull off; and in that brief span, God not only created the Earth but also all living things, including your first ancestors Adam and Eve.** With all due respect to those OT authors who labored over excruciating details of family trees, it took less than two chapters to summarize all of Creation — the entire universe. This fact has confused the human race since the beginning of recorded history. But one fact is not confusing. No one on Earth existed to witness and document the Creation. Which leaves the question: Who composed Genesis? The general consensus suggests that around 1500 BC, Moses “wrote” the story of Creation by virtue of God’s “divine inspiration.” Thousands of years later, in 1667, John Milton gave us Paradise Lost, a brilliantly conceived and written epic poem which he based on biblical narrative. Unlike the simple, declarative rendition of the Bible, Milton used stimulating language and artistic structure to paint a vivid picture of Good and Evil and Sin and Death. Also unlike Genesis, Milton’s epic begins in Hell, where he introduces Chaos, Satan’s rebellion, fallen angels, etc. By the way, it’s worth noting that Milton was “a firm believer in the Holy Bible’s truth and would in no way contradict its content . . .” Before you continue with what will be labeled sacrilege, you must witness that you believe in God and in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now then, for the sacrilege. While you believe God created Heaven and Earth, you can’t buy that He hatched a ruse to tempt Adam and Eve. You can’t rationalize that he created forbidden fruit and placed a serpent in Eden to test their will power. It sounds like the plot of a B movie. About this skepticism, some will say, “Either you believe in the Bible or you don’t. You can’t just pick and choose what’s valid and reject what you don’t understand.” Sorry. The garden, the tree, the serpent and God’s punishment forever affecting all mankind, seems like a pagan curse. It reminds you of ancient Greek mythology. It reminds you of modern day movie producers that take a true story and are compelled to spice things up with dramatized, often salacious, content. Which does make sense. Writers do want readership; producers do want home run box office results. With all due respect to religious scholars everywhere, the creation of Heaven and Earth was, after all, the Beginning of Time. It deserved to be an exquisitely detailed volume unto itself, in scope and content. Instead, Creation quickly gives way to typical human transgression that jump starts the flawed human condition, leading to banishment and the curse of Original Sin. It all sounds very, very human. Moses (or whoever) has given you the essential answer to the eternal question “Why?” He has given you necessary justification for why all humanity is doomed to keep repeating the sin of a place called Eden. You can doubt Eden if you choose, but what thesis can you offer as a substitute? It’s easy enough to pass judgment, less easy to offer a view that challenges Moses’ divine inspiration. In this case, you feel inclined to suggest reverently that within all living things, excluding humans, God created genetic, preconditioned behavior. Within all human beings, He created cognition, the power to choose and the innate sense of right and wrong. Armed with God’s commands, Adam and Eve advanced into the World to do His bidding and glorify His Name. Although well-intentioned, if this outlook is defective, you can only hope He will cut you some slack.

** Genesis suggests that all mankind is descended from Adam & Eve. If Eden is hard for you to absorb, the idea that all people revert to a single union is incomprehensible. You point to scripture. Very early, without explanation of their origins, Genesis introduces Egyptians, Hittites, Babylonians and inhabitants of many other nations. You don’t suggest for a second that this assertion renders Creation null and void. But what it does suggest is that much of OT history may be fragmented and perhaps allegorical.

Note:
You readily admit that this commentary is a type of blasphemy that ignores the New Testament. In Luke’s reporting, Jesus Himself cites Creation, the “marriage” of Adam and Eve, the great flood and many other OT events. But you can appreciate this corroboration, given that Jesus and His Jewish disciples were readers of the Torah, just as you grew up reading the King James version of the New Testament. Ed.

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