What do you imagine?

Do not try this at home.

Beyoncé released a new album recently and unless you've been asleep for the past few weeks‚ you've likely heard about it. While everyone knew she was going to make a more significant splash into the country music genre‚ the details of the album were scarce until it's release. To many people's surprise it wasn't simply a country album‚ it was a genre bender that somehow seamlessly transitioned country‚ pop‚ R&;B and rap all in one album‚ Cowboy Carter. Country music legends like Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton made an appearance‚ with Parton introducing Beyoncé's cover of her infamous song "Jolene." While the spin on that country classic has the internet abuzz over the lyric changes that take the singer from begging to assertively telling Jolene to stay away‚ it's "Blackbird" that many can't get enough of. "Blackbird" was originally written by Paul McCartney and sung by a little band he was in named The Beatles. Maybe you've heard of them. The song topped the charts in the 60s and will likely make its way to the charts again with Queen Bey's cover of it. But it's the meaning behind the song that has people talking. The song was written at the height of the civil rights movement‚ and that 60s boy band from Britain never shied away from tackling social movements in their music. Fans of Bey's version of "Blackbird" are just becoming aware of McCartney's reason for writing the song in resurfaced interviews. The retired Beatle explains he wrote the song about seeing Black girls desegregate schools in the south‚ and more specifically‚ The Little Rock 9‚ a group of Black students that desegregated Little Rock Central High School.The children brave enough to desegregate all white schools were met with verbal and physical violence. Ruby Bridges speaks about parents pulling their children from the classroom‚ leaving just her and the only teacher that would teach her. McCartney reveals in the book‚ Many Years From Now‚ by Barry Miles‚ "I had in mind a Black woman‚ rather than a bird. Those were the days of the civil rights movement‚ which all of us cared passionately about‚ so this was really a song from me to a Black woman‚ experiencing these problems in the States: ‘Let me encourage you to keep trying‚ to keep your faith‚ there is hope."The revelation of the reason behind the song is evoking emotion and think pieces from Beyoncé fans. One woman shared a clip of the song along with the caption‚ "Beyonce does everything with such intention. Finding out that Paul McCartney wrote Blackbird to show support to Black women during the Civil Rights movement and Beyoncé decided to add Black country women to feature on the song.""I already loved Blackbird‚ and this cover‚ but knowing this history makes it so much more meaningful‚ another user captioned her video.One person wrote in the comments praises‚ "The Beatles get a lot of hate but they always stood on business! They refused to play segregated shows."Another commenter marvels‚ "Then to have 4 black female country singers trying to integrate into country music and also waiting for their moment to arise as to sing with her‚ layers on layers."Garrison Hayes gives a succinct breakdown of the song‚ the imagery and the civil rights movement all in one video‚ which you can watch below. If you were unaware of the original meaning of the song‚ now you know. One bonus that people continue to note is that it sounds like Beyoncé is singing over the original Beatles track. @garrisonhayes Oh‚ an excuse to talk about Beyoncé AND Black history?? Count me in. Paul McCartney’s inspiration for the song Blackbird was actually the images of “black girls” integrating schools across the American south during the civil rights era. More specifically‚ he was inspired by the images of the Little Rock 9 in Arkansas‚ being assaulted and jeered by an angry mob. Beyoncé’s rendition takes this idea of Black girls being free and pushes it to the next level.

We already knew that the Joe Biden administration was anti-Christian. After this past weekend‚ there can be no doubt. READ MORE: Easter Rabbit Trick Biden falsely calls himself a Catholic. He might have come up in the Church‚ but he doesn’t believe the things Catholics believe. He was denied Communion in 2019 by a brave priest who recognized that no politician claiming to be Catholic can said to be sincere if that politician supports unlimited abortion — as Joe Biden does. Biden’s response — or one of them‚ following his inauguration as president — was to sic the FBI on Catholics who attend Latin Mass. The Biden administration is a Xerox copy‚ if not a full-on reproduction‚ of the Obama administration to which Biden was attached as vice president. And the Obama administration was the most anti-Christian presidential administration America had ever seen. If you don’t believe me‚ I suggest you pick up a copy of Racism‚ Revenge and Ruin: It’s All Obama‚ my latest political book‚ and read the entire chapter that catalogs the litany of attacks on Christianity and Christian Americans that Team Obama executed over the course of those eight years. But in all of those blows Obama landed on the Christian faith‚ never was there such an open insult leveled against American Christians than what Joe Biden did on Friday. I’m speaking of this: A Proclamation on Transgender Day of Visibility‚ 2024… I am proud that my Administration has stood for justice from the start‚ working to ensure that the LGBTQI+ community can live openly‚ in safety‚ with dignity and respect. I am proud to have appointed transgender leaders to my Administration and to have ended the ban on transgender Americans serving openly in our military…. Transgender Americans are part of the fabric of our Nation. Whether serving their communities or in the military‚ raising families or running businesses‚ they help America thrive. They deserve‚ and are entitled to‚ the same rights and freedoms as every other American‚ including the most fundamental freedom to be their true selves. But extremists are proposing hundreds of hateful laws that target and terrify transgender kids and their families — silencing teachers; banning books; and even threatening parents‚ doctors‚ and nurses with prison for helping parents get care for their children. These bills attack our most basic American values: the freedom to be yourself‚ the freedom to make your own health care decisions‚ and even the right to raise your own child…. At the same time‚ my Administration is working to stop the bullying and harassment of transgender children and their families…. Today‚ we send a message to all transgender Americans: You are loved. You are heard. You are understood. You belong. You are America‚ and my entire Administration and I have your back. NOW‚ THEREFORE‚ I‚ JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.‚ President of the United States of America‚ by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States‚ do hereby proclaim March 31‚ 2024 [formerly known as Easter Sunday]‚ as Transgender Day of Visibility. I call upon all Americans to join us in lifting up the lives and voices of transgender people throughout our Nation and to work toward eliminating violence and discrimination based on gender identity. IN WITNESS WHEREOF‚ I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of March‚ in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four‚ and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth. JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR. He actually did that. He appropriated Easter Sunday‚ the holiest of holy days in the Christian calendar‚ to glorify transgenderism. Which is about as close to the opposite of worship as anyone can get. Transgenderism is the belief that one can literally change from male to female‚ or vice versa‚ through the force of will‚ drugs‚ and surgery. It is a denial of the most basic truth in existence — that we are as God has made us. Transgender people believe that God was wrong (for the sake of argument‚ as most of them don’t believe in God at all) and that they can perfect God’s mistakes. This is categorically un-Christian. Anti-Christian. And it’s Team Biden’s choice to glorify such wicked‚ horrid‚ blasphemous beliefs on Easter Sunday. This shouldn’t just be one more irritation borne by the American people at the hands of the cultural Marxist activists populating Biden’s inner circle. It has to be recognized for what it is. A declaration of war against Christians. You do not celebrate transgenderism on Easter Sunday by accident. This administration is staffed by incompetents‚ but no one is that incompetent. This is the same administration‚ after all‚ that appointed Richard “Rachel” Levine‚ a man in a dress who looks nothing like a woman‚ to the second-highest position in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Levine caused the death of several thousand people as the head of the Health Department in Pennsylvania’s state government by inserting COVID patients into nursing homes; by any basic analysis‚ he would have been found wholly unqualified for the position to which Biden appointed him even without the obvious disqualification — his open transvestitism. But Levine’s open transvestitism was the reason he was appointed. Just as another open transvestite‚ the hilariously nefarious Sam Brinton‚ was put in charge of America’s stockpile of nuclear material. Brinton was clearly unfit for his position‚ a fact that became clear when he was repeatedly caught stealing women’s luggage from airport carousels in a pot-luck effort at shopping. This should have been a major embarrassment for the Biden administration‚ but it didn’t even move the needle. Why? Because the outrage is a feature‚ not a bug. It’s a signal that Team Biden rejects your Christian morality and societal values and now openly seeks to replace them with … something else. They won’t tell you quite what that is‚ but it’s pretty obvious what’s in store. For Christians‚ it starts with your surrender. You are to surrender all of the most important elements of living by your faith. You must embrace the LGBTQ+ agenda in all of its dysfunction and histrionic nonsense — at your job‚ at your children’s public school‚ on your television set‚ in the news you consume‚ even in the advertising you’re subjected to. You’re not to criticize it on social media‚ on pain of cancellation and ostracism. Even at your church you’re to forget that bizarre sexual lifestyles are a sin as the Bible clearly teaches‚ and you are to apologize for the bigotry the Bible has taught you about those lifestyles. And when you’ve done these things you’ll wake up one morning and realize that you aren’t a Christian‚ because you’ve been turned away from the truth. You won’t find God; you’ll find government — and the people running that government are not‚ and have never been‚ interested in truth. They’re interested in power. They’re interested in the power to make you do‚ believe‚ say‚ and act however it pleases them for you to do‚ believe‚ say‚ and act. There’s a very interesting show on Netflix right now. It’s called 3 Body Problem‚ and it’s a sci-fi epic about a race of highly evolved aliens whose planet is destroyed and who have chosen to come to occupy our world thanks to an invitation by a Chinese scientist horrified by the barbarity of our society. The scientist is the daughter in this‚ the opening scene from the series: That was Mao’s Cultural Revolution‚ summed up in three minutes. And it is exactly what the people who make up Team Biden want to do to you if you’re an American Christian. It’s coming. They’ve already started‚ in little bits and pieces you aren’t supposed to notice. They showed you this in technicolor over the weekend when they took the holiest day of the year and gave it to the most profound rejecters of your beliefs. Less than a year after the Nashville shooter made that crystal clear to anyone willing to see it. And to top it off‚ Team Biden forbade any religious expression by any of the kids invited to its annual Easter Egg Roll‚ a secularization of the holiday with nothing to do with Christ’s rising from the dead. And just to top that all off‚ here was Biden’s “Easter” message to America: Jill and I send our warmest wishes to Christians around the world celebrating the power of hope and the promise of Christ’s Resurrection this Easter Sunday. pic.twitter.com/xzgjtcTwQy — President Biden (@POTUS) March 31‚ 2024 This was their attempt at damage control. Jesus’ “sacrifice”? The sacrifice was made on Good Friday. On the third day‚ Easter Sunday‚ Jesus rose again. On Easter Sunday we celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection and eternal life. They couldn’t even get the walk back right. Because they don’t know and don’t care. What they do know‚ and what they do care about‚ is the power to subdue Christians and replace our values with theirs. After this weekend‚ there is no getting around the fact that if our society and culture are to survive in Christianity‚ this pagan‚ satanic cabal must be turned out of power as completely as possible in the fall. The post Team Biden Declares War on Christians appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Even with U.S. healthcare having the “most unfilled jobs of any industry‚” the Biden administration is touting the highest “healthcare job growth in 32 years.” Job growth is always a good thing‚ or is it? Much of this profligate spending went to healthcare‚ as evidenced by $4.5 trillion just on healthcare in 2023. Consider who benefits when the commercial workforce grows. Three groups gain from such expansion: workers‚ consumers (also called customers‚ end-users‚ or patients)‚ and the nation. Hot-stock NVIDIA provides a useful demonstration. The company was founded in 1993 to bring 3D graphics to video games and the multimedia market. In the late 2000s‚ NVIDIA decided to leverage their coding expertise to become first-to-market leader in artificial intelligence (AI) technology. NVIDIA expanded its workforce creating a number of new jobs. (READ MORE from Deane Waldman: Medicaid Enrollees: The State Can Take Your House) First‚ the new NVIDIA workers gain pride-of-employment as well as money. As a result of workers doing their jobs‚ consumers or in NVIDIA’s case end-users‚ gain value: they now have the advantages of AI in activities from purchasing and communication to decision-making in general as well as in military functions. All this commercial activity and consumerism increases Gross Domestic Product. National productivity goes up. Does the same happen when healthcare jobs are created? It depends on the type of jobs created: clinical (doctors‚ nurses‚ physician assistants‚ nurse practitioners‚ aides etc.) or non-clinical (bureaucrats‚ administrators‚ rules‚ regulations‚ compliance‚ oversight‚ mandates‚ and enforcement‚ also known as BARRCOME). A study of healthcare job growth from 1970 through 2009 shows the types of jobs that grew. The supply of physicians doubled‚ a 100 percent increase. Over the same time period‚ the number of healthcare administrators (non-clinical jobs) increased by more than 3‚200 percent. In a sense‚ for every one new doctor‚ there were 32 new bureaucrats. Over the four decades‚ U.S. spending on its healthcare system increased by more than 2‚400 percent. The study cited above ended in 2010. It did not include effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed in 2010 but not implemented until 2014. The ACA greatly expanded healthcare non-clinical jobs at a cost of $1.76 trillion added to the national debt. In 2023‚ the U.S. expended $4.5 trillion on its healthcare system‚ an amount greater than the entire GDP of Germany. Approximately half (!) of all U.S. healthcare spending went to pay for non-clinical jobs‚ which are paid first. What is left after bureaucrats are paid goes to pay providers. In other words‚ the healthcare system diverted two trillion “healthcare” dollars away from patient care. As the government expands the non-clinical workforce‚ more healthcare dollars are diverted from care providers to pay for government bureaucrats and insurance profits. Less money for care means less access to care. So as the healthcare workforce expands‚ the end-users in healthcare — patients — experience reduced ability to get the care they need when they need it. For the last four decades‚ Washington has been spending money at a faster rate than growth of GDP (Table 1). Much of this profligate spending went to healthcare‚ as evidenced by $4.5 trillion just on healthcare in 2023. This $4.5 trillion represented more than five times what was spent on national defense ($858 billion) in 2023. In 1982‚ the U.S. for the first time had a national debt slightly more than $1 trillion‚ which was less than a third of GDP. It took 26 years for debt to exceed $10 trillion (2008) when debt was two thirds of GDP. Only nine years later‚ debt was slightly more than$20 trillion and debt was now greater — 102.6 percent — than GDP. Over the past six years‚ debt growth continued to outpace productivity‚ one definition of over-spending‚ with debt currently exceeding GDP (120 percent). The U.S. is spending itself into the poorhouse. A large portion of this over-spending can be attributed to the expansion of the healthcare bureaucracy. This has badly damaged our ability to respond to national security needs such as China’s surging arms buildup and the collapse of our borders. In addition‚ this over-spending is dollar inefficient — it does not pay for what medical care is intended to do: provide care. (READ MORE: Insuring Illegals Takes Care from ‘Legals’) Job creation in the expanding non-clinical healthcare bureaucracy is damaging to patients and to the country. Deane Waldman‚ M.D.‚ MBA is Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics‚ Pathology‚ and Decision Science; former Director of the Center for Healthcare Policy at Texas Public Policy Foundation; former Director‚ New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange; and author of the multi-award winning book Curing the Cancer in U.S. Healthcare:StatesCare and Market-Based Medicine.     The post In Health Care‚ Job Growth Is Not Always Good appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Critics of House Speaker Mike Johnson’s recent $1.2 trillion funding package have compared Congress to a drunken sailor‚ which is an insult to intoxicated swabbies everywhere. After all‚ they stop spending once they burn through their earnings.  The U.S. government however has easy access to credit and therefore spends wildly in excess of its income. The numbers should be sobering for anyone not working on Capitol Hill.  According to the Congressional Budget Office‚ we are likely to add $1.6 trillion to our national debt this year. Our debt-to-GDP ratio exceeds 120 percent‚ a level not seen since the end of the Second World War. Bear in mind‚ as recently as 1990‚ our debt was about 50 percent of GDP. This is roughly where it was in 1940‚ when we had the fiscal space urgently needed to defeat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan simultaneously. Our adversaries await‚ and anticipate what may well be an unavoidable contraction of American power. That space is now gone‚ blown away by bi-partisan tsunami of deficit spending‚ just as the possibility of expanded conflict in both Europe and the Pacific looms larger with each passing month.  Wars are hideously expensive; it is always more prudent to spend on effective deterrence to prevent them. Yet the U.S. may not have the fiscal space to maintain our existing military commitments around the world‚ much less bolster them. To match the Chinese fleet will require us to add over 100 ships; to support Ukraine and our NATO allies will require untold billions as well as more manpower and hardware devoted to a potential land war in Europe. (READ MORE from Karl Pfefferkorn: The US and Gaza Mission Creep) Can we deter major wars given our parlous finances? Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen writes in the Wall Street Journal that “the West needs a war footing” but such a massive industrial transformation also requires massive levels of government spending. The customary answer in Congress is to borrow the funds needed‚ but we are approaching the end of our ability to borrow at preferential rates. Demand for U.S. bonds is already softening amid the recent flood of new debt.  Buyers will soon demand higher interest rates‚ which makes additional spending more expensive and eventually unsustainable.  Any attempt to inflate away our debts will only exacerbate this trend as well as wreck the domestic business climate. Productive investment ceases if returns cannot be calculated because of rampant price inflation. See Argentina or Venezuela for the end point of this particular policy. Creating the long term fiscal space for a “war footing” will require a combination of spending cuts and higher taxes.  Raising income taxes is anathema to the average Congressman staring down an election never more than two years away. Cutting benefits is equally fraught. Washington has never in this century asked Americans to pay taxes equal to the government spending we enjoy; we get our government at a discount to its actual cost. The difference is cheerfully shifted by Congress into the future‚ onto the shoulders of the young and the not yet born. Reversing this convenient practice and compelling Americans to pay more for reduced benefits so that we may devote their tax dollars to the deterrence of a notional attack on our allies is far beyond the political powers of our current leaders.  Absent a highly persuasive leader intent on altering this trajectory‚ we will continue to live beyond our means until the bond market tells us we cannot.  At which point America’s reign as the dominant superpower will end. You may reasonably imagine that our adversaries have already sized up this quandary facing American policy-makers. Military strength derives from the fiscal capacity of the state‚ and ours is approaching its limits. Unlike President Xi and Putin‚ we do not  enjoy an authoritarian’s power to extract funding for military adventures without democratic opposition. Would Americans sacrifice their Social Security‚ their Medicare‚ or their Obamacare subsidies in order to defend Taiwan or the Baltic states? The current difficulty getting Ukrainian aid through the House of Representatives suggests they wouldn’t. We may already be at the budgetary limits of our global military presence even before we impose the demands of a “war footing.”  Reducing our commitments to align them with our fiscal prospects may be done intelligently through greater burden sharing with our allies in Europe and the Pacific. Or it may be done catastrophically‚ with allies abandoned. A populist moment coupled with a budgetary crisis could enshrine American isolationism as our prevailing foreign policy.  Defending granny’s Social Security from budget cuts is much easier than defending Filipino fishermen from the Chinese Navy. (RELATED: The Heartbreak of the Brideshead Republicans) It will be easy to decry the coming of populist isolationism as the work of small-minded opportunists. But any success this movement has in reshaping America’s global commitments will derive from the consistent failure of our elected representatives to guard our fiscal strength. Over the past 25 years‚ we have accumulated debts comparable in GDP terms to those needed to fight the Second World War. But unlike our 1945 predecessors‚ we have no victory in sight. Our adversaries await‚ and anticipate what may well be an unavoidable contraction of American power. The post Surging Debt Threatens US Status as Dominant World Power appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.