Trump has signed 15 resolutions reversing Obama-era regulations. Kate’s Law—very important—has passed in Congress. Alas, the so-called Muslim ban is insignificant, unless followed up with something much more meaty.

The media are looking for “major pieces of legislation” from Donald Trump to properly asses him. To take the measure of the man as a president, I was looking for him to nullify lots of laws via Executive Orders. As said in “The Trump Revolution: The Donald’s Creative Destruction Deconstructed” (June 29, 2016):

“Should Mr. Trump deliver on his promises, consider nullification his political power tool, used by a benevolent Executive to pry the people free. Nullification should be properly considered as Justice’s Jaws of Life. As I said in the Opening, in this post-constitutional era, correctives to the corrosive actions of the State will reduce to action and reaction, force and counterforce.” (The Trump Revolution, p. 233, By ilana Mercer.)

In any case, when you read the convoluted and impenetrable legalese in which legislation is written, you wonder whether implementing change The People want is at all possible in post-constitutional American (a question asked and answered in the book aforementioned). You realize, too, that dismantling any aspect of the Administrative State is pie-in-the-sky (a thing for which the book mentioned had hoped).

Here’s a list of Trump laws, so far, courtesy of NPR. The words “Disapproving the rule” seem very musical, but who knows?

H.J.Res. 67: “Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to savings arrangements established by qualified State political subdivisions for non-governmental employees”
H.J.Res. 43: “Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the final rule submitted by Secretary of Health and Human Services relating to compliance with title X requirements by project recipients in selecting subrecipients”
H.J.Res. 69: “Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the final rule of the Department of the Interior relating to ‘Non-Subsistence Take of Wildlife, and Public Participation and Closure Procedures, on National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska’ “
H.J.Res. 83: “Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to ‘Clarification of Employer’s Continuing Obligation to Make and Maintain an Accurate Record of Each Recordable Injury and Illness'”
S.J.Res. 34: “A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission relating to ‘Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and Other Telecommunications Services’ “
H.J.Res. 42: “Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to drug testing of unemployment compensation applicants”
H.J.Res. 57: “Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to accountability and State plans under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965”
H.J.Res. 58: “Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to teacher preparation issues”
H.J.Res. 37: “Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Defense, the General Services Administration, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration relating to the Federal Acquisition Regulation”
H.J.Res. 44: “Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of the Interior relating to Bureau of Land Management regulations that establish the procedures used to prepare, revise, or amend land use plans pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976”
H.J.Res. 40: “Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Social Security Administration relating to Implementation of the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007”
H.J.Res. 38: “Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of the Interior known as the Stream Protection Rule”
H.J.Res. 41: “Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of a rule submitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to ‘Disclosure of Payments by Resource Extraction Issuers’ “
S. 496: “A bill to repeal the rule issued by the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration entitled ‘Metropolitan Planning Organization Coordination and Planning Area Reform.’ “
H.J.Res. 66: “Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to savings arrangements established by States for non-governmental employees.”

Modifying Existing Programs (6)

H.R. 353: “Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017”
S. 442: “National Aeronautics and Space Administration Transition Authorization Act of 2017”
H.R. 72: “GAO Access and Oversight Act of 2017”
S. 419: “Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2017”
S. 583: “American Law Enforcement Heroes Act of 2017”
H.R. 657 “Follow the Rules Act”

Encouraging An Agency To Try Something New (5)

H.R. 321: “Inspiring the Next Space Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers, and Explorers (INSPIRE) Women Act”
H.R. 255: “Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act”
H.R. 534: “U.S. Wants to Compete for a World Expo Act”
H.R. 274: “Modernizing Government Travel Act”
H.R. 366: “DHS SAVE Act”

Naming Something/Siting A Memorial/Encouraging Flag Flying (5)

S.J. Res. 1: “A joint resolution approving the location of a memorial to commemorate and honor the members of the Armed Forces who served on active duty in support of Operation Desert Storm or Operation Desert Shield”
H.R. 1362: “To name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Pago Pago, American Samoa, the Faleomavaega Eni Fa’aua’a Hunkin VA Clinic”
H.R. 609: “To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs health care center in Center Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, as the ‘Abie Abraham VA Clinic'”
S. 305: “Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017”
H.R. 375: “To designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 719 Church Street in Nashville, Tennessee, as the ‘Fred D. Thompson Federal Building and United States Courthouse.'”

Personnel-Related (5)

S.J.Res. 30: “A joint resolution providing for the reappointment of Steve Case as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution”
S.J.Res. 36: “A joint resolution providing for the appointment of Roger W. Ferguson as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution”
S.J.Res. 35: “A joint resolution providing for the appointment of Michael Govan as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution”
H.R. 1228: “To provide for the appointment of members of the Board of Directors of the Office of Compliance to replace members whose terms expire during 2017, and for other purposes”
S. 84: “A bill to provide for an exception to a limitation against appointment of persons as Secretary of Defense within seven years of relief from active duty as a regular commissioned officer of the Armed Forces”

Extending Obama-Era Policy (2)

S. 544: “A bill to amend the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to modify the termination date for the Veterans Choice Program, and for other purposes.”
H.J.Res. 99: “Making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2017, and for other purposes.”

Omnibus Appropriations Bill (1)

H.R. 244: “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017”

New Policy (1)

S. 1094: “Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017”

****

SOURCE.

Trump’s Saudi Best Friends Are A Major Threat To Regional Stability

Donald Trump, Foreign Policy, Iran, Islam, Middle East

Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates have enlisted the West in “a proxy Sunni-Shia religious war,” Riyadh’s ultimate aim. The scary part: Donald Trump seems perfectly willing to partake.

Via Doug Bandow at Forbes.com:

Wealthy and pampered Saudi Arabia and the UAE, along with their satellites, particularly Bahrain and Egypt, whose loyalty has been purchased with abundant cash and military support, have declared diplomatic war on Qatar. They blame the latter for supporting terrorism, but almost certainly more important to them, dictatorships all, is the desire to silence criticism of their own crimes.

Doha supports opposition groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, the chief target of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s brutal rule in Egypt, and TV channel Al Jazeera, which speaks ill of most of the oppressive Gulf regimes. Qatar also maintains civil relations with Iran …

… Indeed, under Saudi Arabia’s ruthless new Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman—who apparently has put his cousin and ousted predecessor under palace arrest—Riyadh has become the major threat to regional stability. Although U.S. officials blame Tehran for destabilizing the Gulf, it is the Saudi royals who supported radical insurgents in Syria, launched an aggressive war against Yemen, and sent troops to support Bahrain’s Sunni monarchy against the oppressed Shia majority. If the House of Saud ever loses its hold on power, the crash will be heard around the world.

At one level there isn’t much to choose between the assorted Gulf kingdoms. They are monarchies in a world which mostly abandoned that ancient form of government a century ago. They are largely dictatorships. Kuwait is the freest, with an elected assembly and robust media; otherwise the picture is bleak. Most sit atop sizeable energy reserves and hire foreigners to do their dirty work. Including Americans to defend them.

Saudi Arabia is the Gulf colossus and usually takes the lead. But Qatar, with the largest natural gas reserves in the world—and consequently the world’s wealthiest nation—long has followed a very different foreign policy. This rankled Riyadh’s royals, who were used to being obeyed. Worse was Doha’s creation of Al Jazeera, which promoted the Arab Spring and has attained wide viewership in a region where the media is highly controlled. (Confession: I’ve appeared on the channel.) Egypt’s al-Sisi, who in 2013 ousted a democratically elected president from the Muslim Brotherhood and imposed a reign of terror to crush all opposition, most objects to Qatar’s support for the MB. …

…
A stupid title for what is a good analysis. READ: “Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates Should Put Own Houses In Order Before Accusing Qatar.”

The Left Loves Ivanka For A Reason. Lots Of Them.

Donald Trump, Ethics, Family, Left-Liberalism And Progressivisim, Republicans

There’s a worshipful piece in the Washington Post about Ivanka Trump, who is a well-groomed intellectual lightweight, with enormous sway in the Trump White House. (Where oh where are the two thoughtful Steves (Bannon and Miller)? Hidden.) Her significant others confirmed that Ivanka nagged daddy to drop those dumb bombs in Syria. Had Hillary Clinton made it to the White House, and Chelsea and her house husband set up office there, as Ivanka and Jared have; Republicans would be FUMING. Both parties have no principles. Nepotism and conflict of interest are OK, so long as their side is practicing- and benefiting from it.

… This is her portfolio now: Workforce development. Childcare tax credits and paid parental leave — issues that no American Congress has ever passed, and which have become Ivanka’s signature topics, and bellwethers for her success. Human trafficking. Last Tuesday, she stood by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at a crowded State Department ceremony, honoring award recipients who have contributed to the study and eradication of trafficking. …
… Ivanka sends out support for refugees on World Refugee Day, against a father interminably stumping for a travel ban. Ivanka wishes her LGBT followers a happy Pride month, while her father eschewed Barack Obama’s tradition of issuing a proclamation. At times, she comes across as earnest, if slightly oblivious; at times it seems like she knows exactly what she is doing, which is goading her dad.

More liberal illogic from my “What Ivanka Wants, Ivanka Gets”:

In Ivanka, you have a point person in an ostensibly populist, rightist administration who has no idea that men, not women, are lagging in the labor force and in institutions of higher and lower learning. Democrats appreciate that.
In Ivanka, you have a businesswoman, in an ostensibly business-friendly administration, who has vowed to “close the [mythical] gender pay gap” on our dime. A business magnate should have grasped the following logic: “If women with the same skills as men were getting only 78 cents for every dollar a man earns, men as a group would have long since priced themselves out of the market. That entrepreneurs like Ivanka haven’t ditched men en masse to employ women suggests that different abilities and experience are at work, rather than a conspiracy to suppress women” (“The Week of the Whining Womin”).
Democrat-dominated news networks are mum about the Susan Rice spying and unmasking scandal. GOP TV is deaf and dumb about the clash between the America First faction of the administration (Steve Bannon) and the Kushner couple (Ivanka and Jared). The gentle reader should know by now that there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between the standard operating procedures of the two parties and their media.