It is always good to look at the bottom line. Take the cost of President Trump’s southern border wall — billed as an outrage by the hostile press — versus the cost of socialism, often portrayed as a the feel-good, forward-thinking ideal.

“Socialism is expensive. Security isn’t,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy notes in a straightforward price comparison of the two issues.

“The president and Republicans want to make sure that our Customs and Border Protection agents have the resources they need to do their job effectively: more personnel, better technology, and yes, a barrier in some areas. The cost is $5.7 billion. We’re talking about one-tenth of one percent of the federal budget. That’s not too high a price to pay for national security, which is why the obstruction from Democrats is a bit confusing. In fact, if Democrats were being honest, they would recognize $5.7 billion is a pretty small number compared to the price tag on some of their latest proposals,” Mr. McCarthy explains.

In particular, he cites government-run health care, which weighs in at $32 trillion; long-term care entitlements ($3.1 trillion); a “Green New Deal” ($2.5 trillion at minimum); free college ($807 billion); government job guarantees ($400 billion); and Social Security expansion ($188 billion).

There once was a popular bumper sticker that said “Don’t tell Obama what comes after a trillion.” Perhaps it should be updated to say “Don’t tell Democrats what comes after a trillion.” For those who wonder, a quadrillion is next, and it has 15 zeroes after it.

“Democrats are demanding to spend trillions on socialized medicine and ‘Green New Deal’ boondoggles. Yet somehow they can’t spare more than a dollar for a security package that will help secure our border, end the humanitarian crisis, and reopen the government,” Mr. McCarthy reasons.

A TALE OF TWO MARCHES

The weather could be a blessing for the annual March for Life in the nation’s capital on Friday — around 47 degrees and “milder with clearing,” according to AccuWeather. Things could be a challenge for the Women’s March on Saturday, when a wintry mix of sleet and snow could descend upon participants, predicted to “flood the streets of Washington,” according to organizers.

The two events are polar opposites.

While the March for Life has been a prayerful showcase for the pro-life cause since 1974, the third annual Women’s March counts Planned Parenthood as a major sponsor. Pro-lifers tend to get shortchanged on news coverage, while their feminist counterparts have drawn considerable attention from major news organizations. Speakers at the March for Life this year include a bipartisan group of lawmakers, clergy and Ben Shapiro, editor in chief of the Daily Wire; the Women’s March has a vast speakers roster that include actors Scarlett Johansson and Ashley Judd, filmmaker Michael Moore, CNN analyst Van Jones and feminist leader Gloria Steinem.

All that aside, a new poll conducted by Marist College for the Knight of Columbus finds that 75 percent of Americans agree that abortions “should be limited to — at most — the first three months of pregnancy.” Also 54 percent oppose taxpayer funding of abortions, while 42 percent say life begins at conception.

“It is notable that, after four decades of being told that the Roe decision is ‘settled law,’ some three-quarters of the American people are not content with the status quo,” says Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, who has attended nearly every March for Life since 1977.

AND ABOUT THAT SHUTDOWN

A new Politico/Morning Consult poll finds that three-fourths of U.S. voters understand the causes of the government shutdown while 79 percent describe it as either a crisis or a problem. Two-thirds say the shutdown itself has had little or no impact on them or their families. Most voters, however, have empathy — 75 percent are concerned about federal workers going without pay for the duration of the shutdown. Amazingly enough, President Trump’s approval rating only took a small hit, dropping from 43 percent to 41 percent.

The poll of 1,984 registered voters was conducted Jan. 11-14.

STILL YEARNING FOR BERNIE

The two founders of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream created a new flavor just for Sen. Bernard Sanders at the height of 2016 election, which consisted of mint ice cream, topped by a solid disc of milk chocolate. Now Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield have created a new public petition to persuade him to jump in the 2020 race, as several Democrats already have done.

“We’re supporting him because the next president of the United States will decide the fate of this country and our planet, and we believe Bernie is the best person for the job,” proclaim Messrs. Cohen and Greenfield.

FOXIFIED

As it has for almost 17 years, Fox News Channel remains the most-watched cable news network, drawing 2.5 million prime-time viewers, compared to 1.2 million for MSNBC and 1.3 million for CNN, according to Nielsen Media Research. Fox News was the highest-rated network across the entire cable realm throughout the day, followed by MSNBC in second place, and ESPN in third. Things are also positive at Fox Business Network, which continues to best rival CNBC throughout the day, according to Nielsen.

WEEKEND REAL ESTATE

For sale: Classic Colonial-style homestead, built in 1912 on 28 acres near Jaffrey, New Hampshire. Five bedrooms, four baths, original floors, woodworking and built-ins, six fire places plus wood stove, high ceilings; 3,750 square feet. Great room, dining room, screened porches, Dutch barn gambrel roof, detached garage with guest apartment. Property abuts national forest with views of meadows, mountains and wetlands. Priced at $489,000 through Petersonsrealestate.com; find the home here.

POLL DU JOUR

• 63 percent of Americans like elected officials who compromise; 58 percent of Republicans 66 percent of independents and 70 percent of Democrats agree.

• 57 percent say the Trump administration is “doing too little” to work with Democrats in Congress; 25 percent of Republicans 62 percent of independents and 86 percent of Democrats agree.

• 55 percent say Democrats in Congress are “doing too little” to work with the Trump administration; 84 percent of Republicans 61 percent of independents and 35 percent of Democrats agree.

• 31 percent like elected officials who “stick to their positions”; 39 percent of Republicans 28 percent of independents and 26 percent of Democrats agree.

Source: An NPR/PBS/Marist poll of 1,023 U.S. adults conducted Jan. 10-13.

• Kindly follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin

© Copyright (c) 2019 News World Communications, Inc.

—-

This content is published through a licensing agreement with Acquire Media using its NewsEdge technology.

No votes yet.
Please wait...