political points

a new feature.

The 2025 presidential inauguration got us thinking. How do we make the complicated easier to understand?

As of January 20th, without explicitly mentioning names if we can help it, here are some key thoughts to consider prompted by the day’s news. Sometimes, you just have to make your point. Do you agree?

America isn’t lost. America is waiting. It’s waiting for us to stop arguing about what went wrong and start working together to make it right.

- Ben Everidge to Thomas, April 10, 2025

One has to ask if someone in high places of our government is using the intentional - they claim negotiable - market turmoil designed to game the stock market and generate more ill-gotten wealth for the already wealthy.

- Thomas, April 9, 2025

It makes little sense that the American government would admittedly wrongly deport a legal immigrant but then argue to block that wrongly deported legal immigrant from returning to a democracy-anchored nation.

- Thomas, April 8, 2025

Four years ago, one could have argued the Administration’s indecisiveness was a rookie mistake. But given this is the second term, one can only conclude that all the on-again, off-again, on-again, off-again tariffs are intentionally destructive.

- Thomas, April 7, 2025

The physician shortage in America could not come at a worse time for rural healthcare and urban medical centers alike. According to reports, the number of adults over age 85 is expected to triple by 2050. Time to fix the problem!

- Thomas, April 6, 2025

The “Hands Off” protests are a harbinger of wide spread voter unhappiness across America. The White House should heed the warning signs for their 2026 electoral fortunes.

- Thomas, April 5, 2025

Today's Brazil-China bilateral trade agreement will sideline the U.S. dollar and open the door to expanded Chinese investment in South American ports, renewable energy grids, agriculture, and digital infrastructure. And the White House and MAGA supporters find that acceptable?

- Thomas, April 4, 2025

Color us skeptical when the guy who gave us “Mexico will pay for the wall” is now promising us his tariffs will “revive domestic manufacturing and amount to a national ‘Declaration of Economic Independence.’” The greatest tariff margins in modern history compete with the track record of other high U.S. tariff rates that wrecked the American economy. False promises have burned us many times before.

- Thomas, April 3, 2025

The MAGA Wisconsin Supreme Court seat loss and the tighter-than-expected winning margins for two GOP special elections in Florida congressional districts should unnerve Republican incumbents running for re-election in 2026 in competitive districts. Trump and Musk’s approach to implementing their controversial agenda is proving unpopular with voters.

- Thomas, April 2, 2025

Our favorite April Fool’s joke was that Berkshire Hathaway was purchasing Tesla for a record $1 trillion. The giveaway that this was a joke was that Tesla’s CEO would be named Chief Meme Officer.

- Thomas, April 1, 2025

Giving out $1 million checks in the United States before any election is not ethical campaigning.

- Thomas, March 31, 2025

The U.S. Constitution prohibits a third-term president and likely will not change by the end of your second term in the Oval Office. That’s no joke either, Mr. President.

- Thomas, March 30, 2025

Greenland is not the United States’ enemy. POTUS and the VP threatening military action to take that peaceful nation over is an unnecessary provocation and highly destabilizing the world order without justification.

- Thomas, March 29, 2025

Deporting student protesters in the United States as guests of our nation should be permissible if there is violence associated with their “free speech.” Timely due process should factor into the deportation decision.

- Thomas, March 28, 2025

De-funding public media is working against the public’s right to know.

- Thomas, March 27, 2025

National political media is missing the independent perspective of more than 100 million American voters by not balancing out their commentary with representation from Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.

- Thomas, March 26, 2025

Signal is not the proper way to transmit sensitive intelligence subject to national security and defense concerns. But the Houthi mistake is just that - a mistake. No one needs to be fired, but the White House should embrace the lesson learned rather than deny the mistake.

- Thomas, March 25, 2025

Florida would be better served in the 2026 election to elect a post-partisan, solutions-driven leader who will prioritize Florida’s future over political games and presidential ambition positioning.

- Thomas, March 24, 2025

What does “American mean? Is it economic opportunity, civil discourse, freedom, leadership, community spirit, fairness, or something else?

- Thomas, March 23, 2025

Independents seek a return to American first principles - limited government, individual liberties, and a people-powered republic free from entrenched political elites.

- Thomas, March 22, 2025

A political leader who misled or lied more than 30,000 times can be counted upon to lie 30,001 times.

- Thomas, March 21, 2025

Political independents - “Indies” - want our elected leaders to listen to all Americans, not just one side or the other where the two major parties sit in Washington.

- Thomas, March 20, 2025

Violence against anyone in government, whether they are “special employees” or otherwise, is not acceptable even if you vehemently agree with their politics.

- Thomas, March 19, 2025

Space is a challenging and dangerous business. However, America must pursue this goal if we are to remain a world leader in innovation and pioneering. Welcome home, astronauts. We thank you for your unexpectedly lengthy stay aboard the International Space Station.

- Thomas, March 18, 2025

The courts are a designed safety rail against branches of government that get out of control where the dictates of our constitution should prevail. Impeachment of judges is not the way we settle judicial disagreements in America.

- Thomas, March 17, 2025

Okay, we admit it. The Oval Office is looking surprisingly gaudy with this occupant. Digging up the Rose Garden to create a stone patio tells you all you need to know about one’s perspective on history and class.

- Thomas, March 16, 2025

A president of the United States does not have the time, nor should they want to spend the time, chairing an iconic non-profit instead of leading a massive federal government apparatus. Promises made should be kept, but this was not one.

- Thomas, March 15, 2025

For a reason, the South Lawn of the White House is not a car dealership sales lot.

- Thomas, March 14, 2025

Let’s build a national conversation beyond partisan speeches, executive orders, and “no” voting.

- Thomas, March 13, 2025

America is a republic for all, not just the powerful.

- Thomas, March 12, 2025

You paid into Social Security and Medicare - Washington wants to cut you out.

- Thomas, March 11, 2025

Political indies want elected leadership that protects, not abandons, you.

- Thomas, March 10, 2025

Effective leadership isn’t just about policy - it’s about people.

- Thomas, March 9, 2025

Common sense over corruption.

- Thomas, March 8, 2025

Government by kings will not preserve liberty. It will not promote freedom. Democracy will die under a king or a dictator, and that is not the America we choose.

- Thomas, March 7, 2025

Tariffs are on. Tariffs are off. Tariffs are back on. Tariffs are back off. For now. Maybe. Schizophrenic policy pronouncements like these from the White House do not instill confidence in anybody.

- Thomas, March 6, 2025

Social Security is not a Ponzi scheme, but DOGE? Well, it’s not clear at this moment.

- Thomas, March 5, 2025

Tariffs on allies rather than adversaries are not sound economic policies, nor is it a good foreign policy or a common sense way to interact with friends worldwide.

- Thomas, March 4, 2025

Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and Venezuela are not friends of the United States. They are adversaries armed to the teeth against us who have promised the U.S. ill.

- Thomas, March 3, 2025

Ordering the United States military cyber command to stand down from planning against Russia is a security surrender. Why would such an order have been given?

- Thomas, March 2, 2025

Two hundred fifty years ago, Thomas Paine advocated that we rely on common sense to determine whether or not the young United States would reject a king or any authoritarian leader. Where is our common sense today?

- Thomas, March 1, 2025

In the past 24 hours, the leader of the free world sided with accused human traffickers and a brutal Russian dictator who invaded a sovereign ally of the United States. Why is that? Why are his political party leaders silent?

- Thomas, February 28, 2025

Watching Washington daily makes the unmistakable case for why the two-party system in America is broken.

- Thomas, February 27, 2025

Where have all the Walter Cronkites in media gone?

- Thomas, February 26, 2025

A WTF moment in American history: Breaking with our European allies, the United States voted with Russia against a United Nations resolution condemning Russia for invading Ukraine.

- Thomas, February 25, 2025

DOGE was sold to the American public as an advisory body to suggest where waste, fraud, and abuse can be found and addressed to the White House and Congress. DOGE has been too operational without consent from Congress. Congress should not cede its constitutional fiscal authority to the White House.

- Thomas, February 24, 2025

A politicized United States military is not in American democracy’s best interest.

- Thomas, February 23, 2025

A fair flat tax is far more preferable for ensuring a balanced budget and vibrant American economy than the current “progressive” tax code that grants billionaires tax advantages at the expense of Medicaid recipients.

- Thomas, February 22, 2025

Hate is not an American virtue. Respect and integrity are cherished values.

- Thomas, February 21, 2025

As Americans, for nearly two-and-a-half centuries, we have made it clear that we do not do kings, nor do we condone dictators, authoritarians, or leaders who do not embrace the American Constitution.

- Thomas, February 20, 2025

Ukraine did not cause Russia to attack its sovereign territory. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not the dictator in this case. Ukraine is a democratic ally that the United States should support unless we, as a nation, would prefer to see Russian aggression and expansion rewarded yet again.

- Thomas, February 19, 2025

The U.S.-NATO alliance must be unassailable in the halls of the American government. It has kept the peace in Europe for decades, and we hope and trust for decades to come.

- Thomas, February 18, 2025

Leaving NATO, abandoning Ukraine for Russia, imposing tariffs on tested and true allies like Canada and Europe, expanding our federal debt with more tax cuts for the rich, ignoring the Rule of Law in America, and stripping Congress’s constitutional appropriations power away from that branch of government are not trivial concerns.

- Thomas, February 17, 2025

Promised tariffs have once again stoked the fires of inflation in the United States. The prices of eggs and gasoline are no lower, if not higher. Adding hundreds of thousands of Americans to the unemployment line through DOGE dismissals of federal workers is not the sound economy we were promised in the 2024 elections.

- Thomas, February 16, 2025

Independent government agencies should be accountable to our nation's executive and legislative branches. However, their consolidation under the purview of the White House should be done with the formal concurrence of Congress to be effective and constitutionally compliant.

- Thomas, February 15, 2025

National memorials receiving measurable charitable donations as authorized tax-exempt organizations must avoid partisan behavior and resulting actions at all costs. Otherwise, they are not operating in the public’s interest.

- Thomas, February 14, 2025

A lasting peace for Ukraine will only come with Russia if the United States includes NATO and the European Union in the negotiations. This is not a Pax Americana situation to be fiddled with by any administration.

- Thomas, February 13, 2025

A reminder during all this talk about cutting Social Security and Medicare benefits: these benefits are not handouts but hard-earned supplemental income that Americans paid into and for their entire working careers. Often, these same Americans paid more than they got back decades later.

- Thomas, February 12, 2025

Unilaterally installing someone as board chair of a cherished cultural institution like the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, who was judicially stripped of managing their charitable foundation, is not what we call preeminent philanthropy benefiting the nation and our patrons of the arts.

- Thomas, February 11, 2025

Suppose we are going to make America Great Again. Why is our government defanging the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by not having the U.S. Justice Department go after business people who bribe foreign officials?

- Thomas, February 10, 2025

If America is going to “drain the swamp,” why is our government pardoning corrupt politicians who were found guilty of corruption by a jury of their peers?

- Thomas, February 9, 2025

Dismantling the U.S. Department of Justice’s division that fights foreign interference in our elections will make our future elections all the more suspect. Why do that?

- Thomas, February 8, 2025

If you want to know how to tell if a legislative act or executive order is bad for America, look at Vladimir Putin for a clue. If he is smiling, why? If he is happy, who did it? If that person did it, what would they gain from it?

- Thomas, February 7, 2025

America does not need to buy Greenland. The Dutch have been doing a great job protecting and nurturing that land mass so far.

- Thomas, February 6, 2025

Congressional action is preferred over executive orders when seeking long-term, stable policy changes that cannot be easily reversed by the next party who will someday hold office and have a political grudge to settle.

- Thomas, February 5, 2025

These Executive Orders will ensure one thing first, and we might as well call it what it will be - The Lawyers’ Full Employment Act of 2025. The courts are going to be full of lawsuits seeking to overturn EOs.

- Thomas, February 4, 2025

Suppose we are going to have a trade war with China. In that case, we need to declare a national emergency for manufacturing just as America has national emergencies declared for our borders and energy.

- Thomas, February 3, 2025

Shuttering federal agencies to save money and get control of the political agenda is not necessarily a bad idea. Instead, We would consolidate those agencies with existing departments, but saving money is reasonable given our current deficits.

- Thomas, February 2, 2025

Tariffs are detrimental to sound macro and micro economic policy and only serve to stoke the fires of inflation when applied indiscriminately and emotionally.

- Thomas, February 1, 2025

Chaos, drama, lack of accountability, and a scarcity of ethics hinder progress in achieving legislative agendas and should not be embraced by national, state, or local leaders who genuinely want what is good for the nation.

- Thomas, January 31, 2025

DEI was not responsible for the tragic and accidental collision at Reagan National. 40 would argue that one with us.

- Thomas, January 30, 2025

America needs her experienced federal workers. Their talent strengthens, not weakens us.

- Thomas, January 29, 2025

Immigration will work better in America if we start with, rather than end with, comprehensive legislative reform. At least then, we can get on the same page when deciding who can enjoy freedom, too.

- Thomas, January 28, 2025

Pay attention and listen to our Millennial and Generation Z citizens. They have perspectives worth hearing and heeding.

- Thomas, January 27, 2025

Women should have equal rights, too. There is no debate to the contrary from us.

- Thomas, January 26, 2025

Ignore the conspiracy theories and the rampant misinformation. Stick to the facts; you will not be confirmed as a fool.

- Thomas, January 25, 2025

American communities should not be suffering from natural disasters when those natural disasters happened long before. Cleaning the mess, rebuilding lives, and restoring neighborhoods should be job #1.

- Thomas, January 24, 2025

Tackling the immigration crisis on our southern border was precisely what was promised in the 2024 presidential election. Why is anyone surprised?

- Thomas, January 23, 2025

Pardoning convicted felons who brutally beat Capitol police officers right in front of our eyes, live on national television, is not what we call “backing the Blue.”

- Thomas, January 22, 2025

Ending birthright citizenship is a political discussion that needs to happen. Trying to change it by Executive Order rather than congressionally makes the task all the more challenging.

- Thomas, January 21, 2025

Political negotiations were not successful when three Israeli hostages were released in the ceasefire with Hamas, but 90 Palestinians were returned to the other side. And why did this deal not include releasing on the same day any Americans held hostage?

- Thomas, January 20, 2025