No, Trump Did NOT Cut Funding for the Centers for Disease Control
March 1, 2020 7:22am
This Chicago Tribune story is FALSE. It is one of many fake news stories that are circulating.
As is so typical, Democrats are lying about President Trump, and the propagandists in the so-called "news" media are amplifying those lies.
Many Democrats - and all Democrat candidates for President - have claimed that Donald Trump slashed the budget for the Centers for Disease Control, and that those irresponsible cuts are to blame for the COVID-19 Coronavirus spreading to the United States. But that is complete nonsense.
The Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health BOTH have had budget INCREASES during Trump's presidency. But Trump cannot be credited with those increases, however. He wanted Congress to cut CDC and NIH funding, but Congress increased funding instead. Trump did sign the budget into law, but that can't really be considered support for it.
From the debate stage, lying Mike Bloomberg said the U.S. is unprepared for the COVID-19 Coronavirus because Trump "defunded Centers for Disease Control, CDC, so we don’t have the organization we need." NOT TRUE!
And lying Joe Biden said the Obama-Biden Administration increased the budget of the CDC and NIH, but Trump "wiped all that out" and "cut the funding for the entire effort.” ALSO FALSE!
Whether or not President Trump's response to the COVID-19 Coronavirus has been good or not is a matter of opinion. But to quote the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY), "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts." The Democrats are entitled to their opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts. That the so-called "news" media allows such provably false statements to go unquestioned is disgraceful.
Bloomberg is also lying in his advertising by making the charge that the U.S. is unprepared for the virus because Trump made “reckless cuts” to the CDC. That statement is false and therefore inappropriate. But at least that dishonesty is done in Bloomberg's paid advertising - a platform where candidates play fast and loose with the facts all the time.
If I know the Democrats are lying, why don't the "journalists" know? They do know. They just aren't going to let facts get in the way of a political attack on President Trump.
The dishonesty is disgraceful.
Fake news like this is everywhere. This particular fake news story is at https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/clarence-page/ct-column-trump-coronavirus-cdc-page-20200228-25n2oswzanbzdbvj27mhl5w77a-story.html?fbclid=IwAR0PZ27Q-UZLszdMzBlsB4MHLE8DcW-RHHvPmlYvosksN1p7ZrBnVgZxrNs
The Worldwide Panic Over the COVID-19 Coronavirus is Unjustified.
February 27, 2020 11:32pm
I'm no epidemiologist, but I do want to weigh in on the worldwide reaction to the COVID-19 Coronavirus. Let me change a word in that sentence. I want to weigh in on the worldwide OVERREACTION to the COVID-19 Coronavirus. It is an unjustified panic.
In the last four days, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 3226 points. Is that drop of 11.1% justified? Not in my opinion. But markets can be motivated by both irrational exuberance and by irrational fear.
People are acting as if COVID-19 is a painful, super-contagious, extremely deadly, incurable disease. It is not. The official fatality rate is less than 3%. But it's probably lower than that because there are certainly more infections than are officially tabulated. For comparison, the flu's fatality rate is about 0.2%
But who is dying? The elderly and people with preexisting health problems such as heart disease or diabetes. Fully 99.8% of the young and healthy who contract the coronavirus survive.
People aged 80+ have an official fatality rate of 14.8%. But the official fatality rate for people under 50 is less than 0.5% (with 10-39 year-olds dying at a rate of 0.2%). I'm 54, which means I have a 98.7% statistical probability of surviving a COVID-19 infection. And even an 80 year-old has a 85.2% chance of NOT dying. So what the hell are we so afraid of?
This is a situation where the fear is worse than the disease. I would travel to Wuhan, China tomorrow without any concern that I would get sick and die. The symptoms, while not pleasant, are no more severe than many other illnesses that infect our bodies.
Worldwide, the coronavirus will cause far more economic damage than biological damage. With businesses in China closed, the pipeline for parts and manufactured goods around the world is in the process of being seriously disrupted. Chinese companies face bankruptcy and may never reopen. The ripple effects are being felt across the entire globe.
Airlines have reduced services. Cruise lines have canceled cruises. Entire towns in Asia and Europe are quarantined. Many sports leagues in Asia are playing games in deliberately empty stadiums. Schools have closed. Festivals were canceled. Religious facilities have been shuttered. Saudi Arabia has prohibited Haj pilgrimages. There is even talk of Tokyo not hosting the 2020 Olympics.
With people afraid to travel and congregate, the flow of money will dramatically slow. And it is the speed of money changing hands that fuels the economy. Fast cash flow is good; slow cash flow is bad. And credit defaults have a cascading negative effect even on businesses with strong balance sheets. Fear resulting from the media's hype will do more damage than the virus.
Symptoms of COVID-19 range from mild to severe fever, cough, and shortness of breath. In other words, it's just like most respiratory infections. I acknowledge that COVID-19 is worse than the common cold. But it's not the Black Plague either. Be reasonable. Wash your hands. Cover your coughs and sneezes. SARS, MERS, Ebola, H1N1, and the West Nile Virus didn't kill anywhere near as many people as the alarmists predicted. And neither will COVID-19.
And now to get political (because in 2020 EVERYTHING is political). If the American economy tanks as a result of this media-induced panic, and people become concerned about their access to health care, who benefits from that? The candidate promising the most free health care. And that ain't Trump.
As the curse claimed to be of Chinese origin says, "May you live in interesting times." These times are certainly interesting.
TripAdvisor Ranks Pensacola Beach as the 4th Best Beach in the United States!
February 27, 2020 9:02am
TripAdvisor ranks Pensacola Beach as the 4th best beach in the United States! With our sugar white sands, undeveloped stretches of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, warm waters, and plenty of public access, Pensacola Beach is certainly one of the finest beaches in the world.
Full rankings are at https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Beaches-cTop-g191
Go, Bernie, Go!
February 25, 2020 10:25am
It is best for our country if Bernie gets the Democratic nomination. Every other candidate would publicly but deceptively move toward middle ground on policies immediately after securing the nomination. But Bernie would continue to state his real socialist policy intentions.
Fortunately, a majority of Americans don't want his economy-damaging and constitution-shredding policies that would destroy this country, so he'd be the easiest candidate to defeat.
However, I acknowledge there is significant risk in a Sanders nomination. Due to the constant negative propaganda about Trump in the so-called "news" media by activists posing as journalists, hatred of Trump based mostly on lies, and the possibility of a black swan event damaging our economy before Election Day, there is always a path to the Democrat nominee winning in November (which would be a huge loss for the country and the world).
But as things stand today, Go, Bernie, Go!
The Call of the Wild
February 22, 2020 9:31pm
I saw "The Call of the Wild" tonight.
As is so typical, the movie version was not as good as the book.
Probably because it was a Disney film, the violence that Buck (the lead character dog) experienced after his kidnapping was much milder than what Jack London wrote. The harsh reality of life in the Yukon was minimized, the horrors of the Klondike Gold Rush were romanticized, and many critical scenes from the book never made it to the screen. Remember that Jack London got the idea for the book during his time searching for gold in the Klondike - a journey that took him through Skagway in 1897.
The film's fabricated character of the rich villain was added to the storyline so viewers could be spoon-fed conflict without exerting the energy of a single neuron to contemplate the philosophical battles of man and beast.
In the book, Buck adopts an attitude of kill-or-be-killed as he evolved from the pampered life of a ranch dog to the Alpha Male of a wolfpack. Buck's metamorphosis in the film failed to capture the intensity of that experience. Wile E. Coyote & Road Runner cartoons portrayed better conflict.
Others in the theater laughed at the unnecessary and simple comedic moments, but I found them to be distracting and pointless.
I'm glad I saw it. It wasn't a terrible movie. The bond between man and dog can certainly be appreciated. So if you want the Disneyfied "Call of the Wild," then see the film. But if you want the original - and better - Jack London version, read the book.
Appeals Court Improperly Restores Voting Rights to Convicted Felons in Florida
February 19, 2020 3:12pm
This is a terrible decision by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. If this decision is not overturned, the ONLY proper remedy is to throw out the results of the Amendment 4 vote and remove it from the Florida Constitution.
Florida voters approved 2018's Amendment 4 which very clearly restored voting rights to felons "after they complete all terms of their sentence including parole or probation." That quote is directly from the ballot. "All terms" means ALL TERMS. And those terms include payment of fines, fees, restitution, etc.
If the courts subsequently decide that "all terms" doesn't (or can't) include payment of fines, fees, and restitution, then a re-vote with new ballot language that properly describes the amendment's criteria is necessary.
I'll address this in greater detail this Saturday on The Mike Bates Show.*
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2020/02/19/court-florida-cant-bar-felons-vote-over-fines-fees/4806809002/?fbclid=IwAR13QuCYomPgQT5pYHxm8NOBJ_jrKBDeHg8cz0-qodQt510JQO259nBwYKI
* Updated at 7:07am on 2/22/2020: I didn't get to this topic on this morning's program, so I'll be sure to address it next week.
Did You Know RU486 Abortions Can Be Reversed?
February 15, 2020 7:24am
Did you know RU486 abortions can be reversed if the woman chooses within 72 hours to let her baby live?
Neither did I until I interviewed Dr. William Lile on my radio show. You can link to that interview from https://www.facebook.com/Talk103fm/photos/a.552602778090615/4174642669219923/?type=3&theater
Forty percent of abortions in America are done using the RU486 abortion pill. 70% of those could be reversed.
Please share that Facebook post or this blog post, so others will know they can potentially save a baby's life.
Thank you,
Mike Bates
The Democratic Party's Hypocrisy is on Parade in Iowa
February 12, 2020 11:11pm
There is tremendous irony in the fact that Democrats continue to complain about how Hillary Clinton received more votes in 2016 than Donald Trump, but Trump got more Electoral College votes - and thus won the presidency.
In the Iowa Caucuses, Bernie Sanders received 2568 more votes than Pete Buttigieg (45,842 - 43,274). But Buttigieg got 14 delegates, and Bernie got 12.
Now let's have some fun with history and math:
Buttigieg got 5.6% fewer votes, but he was allocated 16.6% more delegates.
In 2016, Trump got 4.3% fewer votes than Hillary (65,853,516 - 62,984,825), but he was allocated 29.9% more Electoral College votes (304 - 234*).
And yet Democrats think the Constitution of the United States is unjust, but their party's caucus rules are fair?
Oh, the hypocrisy!
* This is the total earned on Election Day. Since seven Clinton electors didn't cast their electoral ballots for Clinton or Trump, the actual Electoral College victory for Trump was 304 - 227.
RAW DATA SOURCE: Federal Election Commission Official 2016 Presidential General Election Results
My Second Amendment Speech at Escambia County Chapter of Trump Team 2020
February 12, 2020 6:06am
The Fetke Report streamed my Second Amendment speech at last night's meeting of the Escambia County Chapter of Trump Team 2020. It is now archived at https://www.facebook.com/TrumpTeam2020Pensacola/videos/189034405525450/
B-17 Flying Fortress "Ye Olde Pub" at Pensacola Airport
February 11, 2020 5:31pm
I interviewed Ray Fowler, a pilot with the Liberty Foundation this afternoon.
The foundation's B-17 Flying Fortress "Ye Olde Pub" is at Pensacola Aviation Center on the east side of the airport (on Jerry Maygarden Road). You can take to the skies in a ride aboard this vintage warbird this Saturday and Sunday. For information about times and pricing, visit www.LibertyFoundation.org
You can also tour the plane on the ground this weekend at no cost. The public is invited.
The interview will air this Saturday morning at 6:00 on The Mike Bates Show on WPNN 103.7 FM & 790 AM.
I'll Be the Speaker at the Trump Team 2020 Meeting Tomorrow
February 10, 2020 6:56am
I'll be the featured speaker tomorrow evening at the monthly meeting of the Escambia County, Florida Chapter of Trump Team 2020. I was asked to cover Second Amendment issues, so that will be my primary focus.
The event is Tuesday, February 11th at 6:30pm in the banquet room of Calvert's in the Heights restaurant located at 3102 E. Cervantes Street (just west of Scenic Highway) in Pensacola. The event is free and open to the public. I hope to see you there.
Details at https://www.facebook.com/events/521916228677453/
Commemorating the 100th Birthday of General "Chappie" James, Jr.
February 9, 2020 6:06pm
My wife and I attended tonight’s dinner commemorating the 100th birthday of Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr. (born February 11, 1920).
Chappie James was one of Pensacola's most esteemed men. His father worked for the gas company, and his mother was a school teacher. As a child, he would look up and see Navy pilots from NAS Pensacola flying overhead.
He aspired to become a pilot, but he was told that black men can't be pilots. So what did he become? A pilot! And not just any pilot. He trained the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II, flew combat missions over Korea & Vietnam, was promoted to General, and became the Commanding Officer at NORAD where he oversaw all strategic aerospace defense forces of North America. He was the first African-American to achieve the rank of 4-star General in any of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Last year, I visited his grave at the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2550816588269070&set=p.2550816588269070&type=3&theater
Cris Dosev is leading the effort to get the new bridge named for General James. Cris has succeeded at all the necessary local levels and is now working with the Florida Legislature in Tallahassee to make it a done deal. I interviewed Cris Dosev about Chappie James on The Mike Bates Show yesterday. That interview can be heard at https://www.themikebatesshow.com/podcasts/200208 (segment 4).
This dinner is a fundraiser for the Chappie James Museum and the General Daniel "Chappie" James Flight Academy.
Hanging Out with Nancy Pelosi in Havana, Cuba
February 7, 2020 at 8:23am
Hanging out with Nancy Pelosi in Havana, Cuba (March 2016).
I haven't spoken to her since she disgracefully and childishly tore her copy of President Trump's constitutionally-mandated State of the Union address. But if we speak again, I will tell her what a disgusting person she is.
A few people have asked me if Pelosi's destruction of Trump's written address was illegal.
As I read it, 18 USC § 2071 would be applicable only if the copy President Trump handed her was the official copy the Constitution requires the President to deliver to the House. If it was, she's guilty of a crime. But if the official copy was delivered to the House by some other means (and I have no idea how the official document is transmitted), then she is innocent.
Regardless of whether she violated any criminal statutes, it was definitely a violation of the first two clauses of House Rule XXIII, which dictates the House’s official code of conduct. But the penalty for violating those rules is imposed by the House itself, which is controlled by Democrats, so she will suffer no consequences.
That she did it is disrespectful to the Constitution. That so many Democrats have applauded it is disgraceful but not surprising.
Today's Democrats are dangerous enemies of our Republic.
PRESIDENT TRUMP FULLY ACQUITTED
February 5, 2020 3:32pm
PRESIDENT TRUMP FULLY ACQUITTED BY ON ARTICLE 1 BY MAJORITY 52-48 VOTE (19 votes short of the 2/3 required for conviction) and FULLY ACQUITTED BY ON ARTICLE 2 BY MAJORITY 53-47 VOTE (20 votes short of the 2/3 required for conviction). Only Mitt Romney split his vote between the two articles (voting "guilty on Article 1 and "not guilty" on Article 2).
The national disgrace of House Democrats abusing their power of impeachment in a flagrantly dishonest attempt to remove the duly-elected President of the United States from office is finally over.
Or is it?
If, God forbid, the Democrats retain a majority in the House of Representatives after the 2020 election, they will certainly fabricate additional phony reasons to impeach Donald Trump a second time before he is term-limited out at noon on January 20, 2025.
Nancy Pelosi's Disgraceful Behavior at the State of the Union Address
February 4, 2020 9:54pm
This picture is not Photoshopped. Nancy Pelosi wished she could have hidden during tonight's entire State of the Union Address.
I know she and her fellow Democrats hate President Trump, but it is disgraceful that they wouldn't even applaud at his non-partisan, positive statements about this country.
That they refused to applaud low unemployment, reduced welfare rolls, improved trade agreements, strengthened military, increased median incomes, domestic manufacturing gains, support for law enforcement officers, or that a young girl received a scholarship, is disgusting. But it's not surprising.
They wouldn't even applaud standard rah rah rhetoric about freedom, optimism, and love of country.
Democrats hate Trump more than they love America. They are truly enemies of our Republic.
That Pelosi then tore up the House of Representatives' copy of the CONSTITUTIONALLY-MANDATED State of the Union address shows she has absolutely no class or decency. Shame on her. And shame on anyone who supports that treacherous bitch. Shame. Shame. Shame.
Netanyahu at The White House???
January 28, 2020 1:37pm
How did Benjamin Netanyahu get invited to The White House?
I don't recall him announcing an investigation into the Bidens.
Bolton's "Bombshell" is Not a Bombshell
January 28, 2020 1:33pm
Bolton's claim is nothing new. And it is certainly no "bombshell."
It is not illegal for the President to ask a foreign government for assistance in an investigation of suspected wrongdoing. That is done all the time.
That the suspect is a candidate for office is irrelevant. If all it takes to be immune from investigation is declaring one's candidacy, then I hereby declare my candidacy for President of the United States.
Vintage Aircraft Should Not Remain Grounded
January 26, 2020 4:40pm
I have flown on the Collings Foundation's B-17 Flying Fortress “Nine-O-Nine,” B-24J Liberator "Witchcraft," B-25J Mitchell "Tondelayo," P-51C Mustang "Betty Jane," and P-51D Mustang "Toulouse Nuts."
I have also flown on the Commemorative Air Force's B-29 Superfortress "Fifi," and both Liberty Foundation's B-17 Flying Fortresses "Liberty Belle," and "Memphis Belle."
Tours such as the Collings Foundation's Wings of Freedom Tour bring history alive. While static displays in museums have their value, there is no comparison to walking though the aircraft, hearing the engines, seeing them fly, or actually taking a flight as a passenger.
These flying museums pay tribute to the heroic airmen who risked or gave their lives while flying these magnificent warbirds in pursuit of American victory over its enemies.
The crash of the "Nine-O-Nine" should not be used as an excuse to ground similar aircraft. The B-17 went down on October 2nd; I would have gladly flown in another vintage aircraft the next day.
The value of flying these historic planes far outweighs their risks.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/01/26/historical-plane-flights-grounded-while-investigation-continues-deadly-b-17-bomber-crash.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR2HbotWzEHvOQIP3eao9yvPNP_cdZz5czevKxnfc-JEjpJDQqzkLGXMY8Q#Echobox=1580048779
The Bias in "Fact-Checking" Trump's Defense
January 25, 2020 10:26pm
My news feed had this so-called "fact check" story from CNN on Trump's impeachment defense arguments.
In a subsequent Google search, I could find nothing even remotely similar on any news site that was fact checking the statements made by Democrats who favor impeachment.
As if the absence of balance isn't bad enough, many of CNN's "corrections" of statements made by Trump's defense lawyers were actually conjecture and a rehash of opinions.
But wait! There's more! A Google search for "cnn fact checking democrat impeachment managers" resulted in ZERO stories fact-checking Democrat claims. But the top result was this same CNN story supposedly fact checking Trump.
The bias of the media and Big Tech is disgraceful. And dangerous.
Why Democrat Voters Don't Understand Trump's Impeachment Defense
January 25, 2020 11:24am
It is not surprising that Democrats do not understand the arguments made by Trump's attorneys during the Senate impeachment trial.
The ability to understand Trump's defense arguments require a preexisting understanding of constitutional law, due process, separation of powers, and rules of evidence. But most people who support Democrats have little to no such knowledge. All they can do is regurgitate what their leftist overlords have spoon-fed them in their daily dose of propaganda masquerading as news.
Without prior understanding of civics, history, and our Constitution, Democrats live only in the present and are devoid of enough knowledge to put the present into proper context. Such ignorance makes them very susceptible to believing the lies they are told, and that causes them to form opinions based upon feelings and emotion instead of reason and logic. Vladimir Lenin referred to their ilk as "useful fools."
But the only thing that exceeds the ignorance of those who support Democrats is their arrogance. And that arrogance manifests itself with an undeserved sense of superiority to the point of ignoring any information that challenges their "truths."
Democrats are so heavily invested in their erroneous beliefs that no amount of factual evidence will convince them of the truth. There is a term in psychiatry for that type of psychosis; "delusional disorder." It is a type of serious mental illness in which a person cannot tell what is real from what is imagined.
Ronald Reagan described it nicely when he said, "The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant. It's just that they know so much that isn't so."