Month: February 2024

Iran and Russia may be preparing for a formal alliance after their latest cozying up session.

As Moscow pivots toward Asia, Tehran simultaneously is tilting toward Eurasia. The Christmas Day 2023 bilateral meeting resulted in “unprecedented” military sales of surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and “unparalleled” cooperation between the two countries. It concerns American military analysts in Washington who say that a new interstate treaty, directed at their shared opposition to the collective
West, will shape the two states bilateral relationship for several years.

“The expanding military cooperation is part of a broader geopolitical alignment between Iran and Russia,” says Emil Avdaliani of
the Eurasia Daily Monitor. At the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council’s Christmas Day meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, its members signed a Free Trade Agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)and its Member states, on one part, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, on the other. It will lead to further cooperation in a
wide range of sectors, according to the EAEU. It also is an indication that it is unlikely for a rapprochement between Tehran and the West in the near future.

Last week, according to the publication Ukrainska Pravda, reports starting surfacing saying that Iran has supplied Russia with almost 400 surface-to-surface ballistic missile (Fateh-100 family design) that can travel several hundred kilometers. That means Putin’s forces can attack all parts of Ukraine’s infrastructure from inside Russian territory.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine 24 months ago, Iran and Russia have expanded their ties. Last month’s announcement concerning the sale of Fateh-100 surface-to-surface missiles is an indication that the two countries are establishing a “new type of bilateral military relationship,” says Avdaliani.

Previously, Tehran was more cautious fearing a backlash from the United States and the European Union that could result in a re-imposition of UN sanctions. Last October the UN arms embargo on Iran
expired. It can now legally export missiles to Russia or import military technology int Iran. Second, the Islamic Republic may be supplying the missiles in reaction to Ira’s deteriorating position with the collective West.

The third consideration for Tehran is the war in Gaza. It is treading carefully as it knows Washington is supporting Israel and wants to avoid the Biden Administration’s criticism of Iran’s involvement.

“Two primary considerations likely played a role in Iran deciding to send missile exports to Russia. First, Iran stands to receive significant profits from the transfer,” says Avdaliani. The money could be used to
offset the impact of previous Western sanctions. Second, he suggests, is that Iran may recognize Russia’s increased need for ballistic missiles and, in exchange, no longer refuse to provide Iran with the type of
military it has long needed.

Iran and Russia have a number of active military transfer agreements. Tehran supplies Moscow with drones built in Central Asia and last summer agree to establish a join drone production in Russia,
Ekonomichna Pravda reports. Although denied by Iran, at the end of November, it received operational ready Yak-130 combat trainer aircraft and acquired a number of Su-35 Russian fighter jets along with
Mi-28 attack helicopters. Western intelligence sources believe the deals occurred as part of exchange for Iran’s support of Putin’s war in Ukraine. The Cradle, a journalist-driven publication covering West Asia, reports that rumor has it the recently signed interstate agreement will culminate in a 20-year deal to expand military, economic and political ties between Russian and Iran and, in effect, realign geopolitics in the region. The move to a more formal alliance, which is expected in the coming months,
will be a clear indication to democratic nations that Iran has no intention of rapprochement on the nuclear issue or continuing any effort at concerted cooperation with the collective West. “Iran’s
strategic vision is entirely in line with its pivot to Asia,” concludes Avadliani.

Dari Novak served in the U.S. State Dept.

Illustration: Pixabay

The federal budget is rapidly spiraling out of control.

The House Budget Committee is deeply worried about the Biden Administration’s massive overspending on items not directly related to the key needs of the nation.  

They note that: Last year, President Biden’s FY 2024 budget request had the highest sustained levels of taxes, spending, and deficits in American history. $82 trillion in spending over ten years; annual spending is equivalent to $100,000 per family of four, or $1 million over the ten-year budget. $18.9 trillion increase in projected spending compared to the baseline President Biden inherited. $17 trillion in deficits over ten years – the highest sustained level in American history. $1.3 trillion in interest payments on the debt by the end of the budgetary window, which is almost triple 2022 spending. $65 trillion in taxes over ten years – the highest sustained level in American history. $4.7 trillion proposed tax increase over ten years – the largest nominal tax increase in American history. $19 trillion in higher debt, which would increase the gross federal debt to $51 trillion by 2033.

Senator Grassley (R-Iowa) specifies that “President Biden has pushed reckless spending that’s fueled the fires of inflation and driven our nation further into debt. This is not the mark of a serious leader.”

Senator John Thune concurs.  “Federal spending has grown increasingly out of control under the Biden administration. The federal government will spend 40 percent more this year than it did just four years ago, yet the president and Democrats continue to propose more reckless spending and balk at Republicans’ responsible attempts to rein it in. Democrats have added trillions to the debt in the last two years and fueled an inflation crisis with their overspending. And their reluctance to engage in serious negotiations to reduce excess government spending risks precipitating a debt crisis. At $31.4 trillion, our national debt already exceeds the size of the entire U.S. economy, and it’s projected to rise to over $50 trillion in the next decade. This level of debt is not only unsustainable, it’s unacceptable. Government debt drives up interest rates, crowds out private investment, and weakens America’s economic and national security.  Just paying the interest alone on this much debt is an increasingly serious challenge. Unless common-sense fiscal policy is prioritized, 50 cents out of every dollar the government borrows over the next decade will go toward making interest payments. In a few years, interest payments will exceed what we spend on national defense, with Medicare and Social Security not far behind. “

The Budget Committee isn’t only worried about the total spending.  It is also concerned about non-essential spending.  Examples include:

$11.9 billion at the Department of Energy for “climate and clean energy research, development, demonstration, and deployment.” $3.9 billion to fund the Department of Homeland Security’s “climate resilience programs.” $8.2 billion at the State Department “to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility” and funding “to recruit, retain, and develop a diverse…..workforce.” $2.6 billion for the Department of Transportation to address “environmental justice concerns and climate change by providing a funding source for transportation projects and programs.” $1.8 billion across the Environmental Protection Agency to “clean up pollution, advance racial equity, and secure environmental justice for communities… [facing] impacts of climate change.” $705 million for the Department of Health and Human Services to support “administration priorities such as racial equity, environmental justice, and climate change.” $100 million at the Department of Education in grant funding for communities to “promote racial and socioeconomic diversity in their schools.”

Adam Andrzeiejwwski writing for the Open the Books Substack emphasizes that about $20 billion was spent on refugee care in 2023.  

 A Wall Street Journal analysis notes that “CBO forecasts that under current law the national debt will grow to $48.3 trillion in 2034 from $26.2 trillion this last fiscal year—a whopping 84% increase. Debt as a share of GDP will rise to 116% in 2034 from 97.3%. As helpful historical context, the U.S. added $22.3 trillion in debt in its entire history through 2021, about as much as its projected to pile on over the next 10 years. Don’t blame Americans for not paying enough taxes. Revenues are expected to average 17.8% of GDP through 2034, which is more than the 17.3% average over the last 50 years. The problem is that spending over the next decade will average 23.5% of GDP—significantly more than the 50-year average (21%). Even these debt projections may be optimistic. They assume no recession and that the 2017 individual tax cuts and Inflation Reduction Act’s sweetened ObamaCare subsidies expire in 2025. Oh, and that Congress doesn’t lather on more spending, and more student debt isn’t canceled by executive decree.

Politics plays a vast role in the Biden Administration’s spending choices. His continual attempt to forgive student loans, despite the Supreme Court’s rebuke and the obvious violation of Constitutional provisions on how spending is authorized, is a major attempt to secure youthful votes.

Illustration: Pixabay

President Xi’s bellicose language towards its neighbors and the United States is demonstrably backed up by sheer and undeniable military strength.  

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the PLA (China’s People’s Liberation Army) has sought to modernize its capabilities and improve its proficiencies across all warfare domains so that, as a joint force, it can conduct the full range of land, air, and maritime as well as nuclear, space, counterspace, electronic warfare (EW), and cyberspace operations. The PLA’s evolving capabilities and concepts continue to strengthen the PRC’s ability to “fight and win wars” against a “strong enemy” (a likely euphemism for the United States), counter an intervention by a third party in a conflict along the PRC’s periphery, and project power globally.

China continues to modernize equipment and focus on combined arms and joint training in effort to meet the goal of becoming a world class military. Beijing demonstrated a new long-range fire capability in the PLA military response to the August 2022 U.S. Congressional Delegation visit to Taiwan. It continues to incorporate a twice a year conscript intake.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has numerically the largest navy in the world with an overall battle force of over 370 ships and submarines, including more than 140 major surface combatants. The PLAN is largely composed of modern multi-mission ships and submarines. In 2022, the PLAN launched its third aircraft carrier, CV-18 Fujian. ‒ It also commissioned its third YUSHEN class Amphibious Assault Ships) and has likely begun construction on a fourth as of early 2023. In the near-term, the PLAN will have the ability to conduct long-range precision strikes against land targets from its submarine and surface combatants using land-attack cruise missiles, notably enhancing the PRC’s power projection capability. ‒ The PRC continues to challenge foreign military activities in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in a manner that is inconsistent with the rules of customary international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. At the same time, the PLAN conducts activities in the EEZs of other countries, including the United States, Australia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

 The PLAAF and PLAN aviation together constitute the largest aviation force in the Indo-Pacific region. The PLAAF is rapidly catching up to western air forces. The PLAAF continues to modernize with the delivery of domestically built aircraft and a wide range of UASs. In October 2019, the PLAAF signaled the return of the airborne leg of its nuclear triad after the PLAAF publicly revealed the H-6N as its first nuclear-capable air-to-air refuelable bomber.

People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) is advancing its long-term modernization plans to enhance its ‘strategic deterrence’ capabilities. The PRC is developing new ICBMs that will significantly improve its nuclear-capable missile forces and will require increased nuclear warhead production, partially due to the introduction of multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) capabilities. The PRC may be exploring development of conventionally-armed intercontinental range missile systems. If developed and fielded, such capabilities would allow the PRC to threaten conventional strikes against targets in the continental United States, Hawaii, and Alaska.

Indeed, the Stockholm Peace Research Institute notes that “China possesses an estimated 410 nuclear warheads as of January 2023, which marks an increase of around 60 warheads from the previous year…it makes clear that China’s historical reliance on a “minimum deterrent” has markedly shifted. Moreover, additional Chinese warheads are expected in the future. Along with its warhead expansion, China is advancing its “nuclear triad,” consisting of land-based, sea-based, and air-based nuclear delivery systems.”

China’s scientists continue to pioneer innovative weapons systems. One example, as reported by SCMP Chinese military scientists have developed a science-fiction like energy shield.”

President Xi has admonished his nation to “focus all its energy on fighting.” 

China’s growing preference for force and threats can be seen in its Taiwan and Hong Kong policies.  In gaining control of Hong Kong through the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, it agreed to conditions allowing Hong Kong to maintain existing structures of government and economy under a principle of “one country, two systems” for half a century.  Had it adhered to that provision, it would have been a signal to Taiwan that Beijing’s goal of unification was peaceful and that it would respect local rights.  In ignoring its Hong Kong obligations, it signaled that it would seek to takeover Taiwan by force.

The same can be said for Beijing’s attitude towards the rest of the world.  It’s diplomats scold and threaten representatives of the nations it deals with, in a strategy known as “wolf diplomacy.”  

Photo: Chinese force live-fire artillery training (China Defence Ministry)

Stunningly, the U.S. national debt has reached the previously unimaginable level of 34 TRILLION dollars.  Just paying the interest on that absurd sum has become the fourth largest federal budget item, behind only Social Security, Medicare, and defense.

Despite all that deficit spending, little to nothing has been added or improved.  Social Security remains on the path to insolvency. Our infrastructure continues to crumble. Our military is underfunded and undermanned. Our navy is second to China in size. Urgent needs, such as protecting our electrical grid remain unaddressed.

It is not from a lack of income. The Treasury Department notes that “If you lived or worked in the United States in 2023, your tax contributions are likely part of the $4.44 trillion collected in revenue. The federal government also collects revenue from services like admission to national parks and customs duties on foreign imports and exports.” The increase in revenue taken by Washington in 2022 was just about a trillion dollars more than 2020, and the national debt continues to grow.

Clearly, giving more money to Washington by raising taxes cannot address or resolve the issue.  Indeed, providing more funds to the federal government is the same as giving more booze to an alcoholic in the hopes that it will eventually satisfy the craving.

The crisis affects more than just the government.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith recently warned that “Rising interest rates, and the associated cost of servicing federal debt, are a direct result of President Biden and Democrats’ inflationary spending spree. Families are already struggling with the highest interest rates in 23 years, raising the average mortgage payment by an extra $1,093 per month since President Biden took office. Everyone from families buying a home, small businesses getting a loan, banks lending money, and hardworking Americans buying a new truck are affected…Washington’s failure to rein in out-of-control spending and debt could prompt bond rating agencies to further downgrade the federal government’s credit rating, leading to declining demand for U.S. bonds. Oversight Subcommittee Chairman David Schweikert (AZ-01) highlighted how the issue of federal interest payments is critical, because it affects every American and most people around the world.”

In its 2023 Annual Report, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that there are 37 areas designated as high-risk due to vulnerabilities to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement or because they face economy, efficiency, or effectiveness challenges.

Waste and inefficiency are problems, but the greater issue remains Washington’s involvement in and spending on areas in which the Constitution never intended. A Peter G. Peterson Foundation analysis released in July 2023 found that “Over the last four decades, federal grants to state and local governments have made up about 17 percent of their total revenues.”  That’s a thorough abrogation of the concept of how America was supposed to be governed, with Washington taking care of foreign policy, defense, and broad national issues while leaving the particulars of everyday life to the states.  

Chris Edwards, in a “Downsizing the Federal Government” study back in 2019, reported that “The federal government has a large presence in state and local policy activities such as education, housing, and transportation. That presence is facilitated by ‘grants-in-aid’ programs, which are subsidies to state and local governments accompanied by top-down regulations…Rather than being a positive feature of American federalism, the aid system produces irresponsible policymaking. It encourages excessive and misallocated spending. It reduces accountability for failures while generating costly bureaucracy and regulations. And it stifles policy diversity and undermines democratic control.”

Federal spending on what should be exclusively local issues adds an additional layer of bureaucracy.  Combined with a lack of specific knowledge of the particular details involved, it is a recipe for waste. 

It is a key reason for that $34 Trillion debt, and as Washington approaches what would be considered bankruptcy for a private entity, it is long past the time when it should be stopped.

Illustration: Pixabay

Taiwan’s Ministry of Finance recently announced that its trade dependence on mainland China has reached its lowest level in 21 years, while also seeing historic growth in trade with the United States and Europe. As we approach the tenth anniversary of Taiwan’s Sunflower Movement, the world needs to understand  that Taiwan’s continued economic resilience has measurably changed the island, more so than any other political policy since 1945. It started with a simple protest that still impacts the island today.

Student protesters in 2014 chose the Sunflower for its perfect symbolism, after receiving 1,000 blossoms from a local Taipei florist. The taì yáng hua (太陽花)is heliotropic, a flower that follows the direction of the sun. On March 18 of that year, hundreds of students, academicians, and civic organizations, among others, climbed fences in an attempt to halt the Kuomindang (KMT) party’s secretive enforcement of the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement. The demonstrators occupied the Legislative Yuan in a three-week-long sit in, in what became known as the first mass occupation of the legislative chamber in Taiwan’s history. The movement catalyzed economic policies calling for increased diversification of trade with the US and Europe and a reduced dependence and integration with mainland China.

It led to a shift toward the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and influenced Taiwan’s ongoing democratic resilience and international cooperation efforts in trade with the United States and United Kingdom, according to Lin Fei-fan, of the Jamestown Foundation. US Senator Sherrod Brown, a founding member of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus at the time, urged Taiwan’s KMT President Ma Ying-jeou, to ensure a non-violent solution and accused him of trying to jam a trade agreement through the legislature against the wishes of the people of Taiwan. 

The Sunflower Movement succeeded, setting the stage for Taiwan’s economic independence, safeguarding its democratic system from external interference, and aiding in its democratic achievements over the last decade. The Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong followed that September as people demanded Beijing fulfill its promises to allow the people to govern Hong Kong. The two movements, however, had very different endings. The Sunflower Movement not only blocked passage of the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement, it also disrupted Ma’s push to integrate Taiwan further politically and economically with the mainland, along with his goal of eventual reunification. 

In the following months following the start of the Sunflower Movement, public opinion changed in Taiwan and hope grew that there was a viable path to avoid Beijing’s coercive attempts to undermine Taiwan’s government. In the 2014 fall election, the KMT ruling party lost its midyear referendum in eight municipalities and counties. Then in 2016, the people elected DPP candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) as president in a move seen as completing Taiwan’s third democratic transition. She proposed the New Southbound Policy (新南向政策) to reorient Taiwan toward emerging markets in Southeast Asia and India, according to Lin. As Taiwan shifted toward forward-leaning infrastructure projects and energy transition initiatives, businesses started returning to the island and investing in Taiwan’s future. By 2022 Taipei’s official economic investments in Southeast Asia surpassed those of Beijing. Over the last eight years Taiwan’s economic reliance on Beijing has declined from 45% of Taiwan’s exports during the Ma administration to 35% last year.   

In last month’s presidential election Taiwan chose the DPP candidate for a third consecutive term, setting a post-democratization record. President-elect Lai Ching-te, however, was unable to secure a majority in the legislature and pro-China leaning, KMT legislator Han Kuo-yu was elected speaker. His election brings a tone of some uncertainty to Taiwan about its continued ability to reform its defense policies and cross-strait relations. Taiwan needs to increase the pace and level of its defense autonomy to respond to the current China threat. Economically, Lin says, Taiwanese companies are shifting their investments towards the West and other countries across Asia. It is strengthening democratic forces in Asia.

A decade ago, Taiwan chose to listen to the Sunflower protesters and not to kow tow to its powerful authoritarian neighbor. Using civil society and large-scale social movements it prevented its ruling party from moving closer to rule under Beijing. The lessons learned from the Sunflower Movement still serve Taiwan as a beacon of hope. It led the island in a new direction and continues to support its democratic connections to the world. 

Daria Novak served in the U.S. State Department

Facing a long list of domestic challenges since his invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Valdimir Putin has now turned the Kremlin’s propaganda machine toward attacking the sovereignty of the five Central Asian states. It may be a distraction from trouble at home, or it could be a glimpse into Putin’s real intentions in the region. Discerning what is foreshadowing versus what is simple rhetoric is complex. The Kremlin has a long history of supporting hostile statements made by high-ranked Russian leaders and other public figures. Of growing concern lately is that recent vitriolic language appears to closely mimic the type of threats of invasion and annexation that came out of Moscow prior to the start of the war in Ukraine. Is this Putin’s next move? It is too soon to tell.

“The hostile rhetoric and actions from Russia have eroded trust and relations between Central Asian countries and Russia… The invasion of Ukraine has shattered the perception of Russia as a reliable ally among Central Asian elites,” says Nurbek Bekmurzaev of the Eurasian Daily Monitor. Last month a well-known Russian historian Mikhail Smolin reportedly claimed that Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan were not nations before the October 1917 Russian Revolution. 

The statements, reported in the Uzbekistan media after being delivered on Russia’s TNV channel show “Mestro Vstrechi,” are likely sanctioned by the government. Smolin’s remarks that the two countries were created by Soviet authorities “from several Central Asian peoples” appears to be an attempt to sow discontent and deny the regional states’ sovereign rights. Bekmurzaev calls the statement “scandalous” and points out that Smolin was, in essence, accusing the regional governments of enforcing policies discriminating against ethnic Russians.

Kazakhstan is the only Central Asian state that shares a border tangent to Russia’s. It is the most targeted country. Although all five gained independence with the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, they previously were under the Russian Empire’s control beginning in the 19^th century. Moscow views Central Asia as its backyard and continues to claim the exclusive right to have an outsized influence there. In effect, Russia’s position has limited the states’ abilities to manage their own security, politics, and global economic engagements. Russian officials increasingly visit Central Asian state to ensure Moscow’s preferences are considered in policy matters. The public Russian accusations are not new. Ten years ago, Putin claimed Kazakhstan’s first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, “created a state on territory where there had never been a state.” Three years ago, a Russian Duma Deputy, Vyacheslav Nikonov, declared on air that Kazakhstan simply didn’t exist. Tengri News in December 2020 attributes Nikonov with saying it was “a great gift from Russia and the Soviet Union.”

Bekmurzaev points out, however, that the most threatening Russian statements are not made in the media. The pressure is applied behind closed doors. In March 2022, less than a month after Putin invaded Ukraine, Sergei Savostyanov, another Duma deputy, told the Kazakhstan publication Katzag, that Moscow would offer Astana to expand its “ongoing denazification and demilitarization operation” in Ukraine to include Kazakhstan.” A month after this incident, Russian television host and husband of the central propaganda figure Margarita Simonyan, Tegran Keosyan, accused Kazakhstan of “ungratefulness” and threatened the country, calling for it “to look at Ukraine” in response to the country’s decision to cancel the annual parade commemorating the Soviet Union’s victory in the World War II,” says Bekmurzaev. The attacks on the country have continued and are intensifying with Russia’s former president calling the Central Asian country an “artificial state” on land gifted by Russia and accusing Astana of policies that “could be classified as genocide of Russians” living there. Last month the Kazakhstan publication Liter reported that when the name of a train station was changed from a Russian one to a Kazakh name. Moscow accused Astana of “pushing out the Russian language” from the public space. Other Russian politicians and writers claim many of the Central Asian states are committing “clearly unfriendly actions” toward Moscow and are calling for formal annexation.

Although the region is vulnerable to these media attacks due to its reliance on Russia for political, security, and economic prosperity, according to Bekmurzaev, Kazakhstan has cancelled several Russian television channels that translate state propaganda. What is certain today is that Central Asian leaders are acutely aware of the potential for Russia to take increasingly hostile action toward the region as it maintains a colonialist view toward it. The hostile rhetoric by Putin’s minions have eroded trust in Central Asia toward Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. What remains uncertain is how far Putin will push the concept of Russian domination over the region. If the pattern seen before the invasion in Ukraine is repeated, the war could spread farther east.

Daria Novak served in the U.S. State Department

We conclude our summary of key points of government waste from Senator Rand Paul.

The Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Department of  Homeland Security (DHS) agency that made itself the arbiter of  “misinformation” during the COVID pandemic, created a series of graphic  novels, called the “Resilience Series,” to help educate the public about  misinformation. There is nothing comical about wasting taxpayer money to  justify censorship of constitutionally protected speech. 

The first in the series was called “Real Fake” and featured a foreign operation created to spread misinformation about a U.S. Senator and impact U.S. elections. 

DC Comics won’t be adding these taxpayer-funded comic books from  America’s Cyber Defense Agency (CISA) to their repertoire anytime soon. Using the tired old trope that, “disinformation campaigns are a direct threat to our democracy,” CISA spent time and money telling people what to believe about COVID vaccines and helping to suppress debate and discussion about the  new vaccine technology and its potential side effects. 

CISA’s latest graphic novel even dips into the conspiracy theory that Russia created a “disinformation pandemic” around COVID. In fact, few did more to cause mistrust than the U.S. government and its cover-up experts like Dr.  Fauci, who, we now know, pushed disinformation on mask and vaccine  efficacy, while obfuscating our government’s involvement with dangerous  gain-of-function coronavirus research. 

The First Amendment is kryptonite for our government censors.

National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded researchers at the University of  Mississippi Medical Center gave lab monkeys meth in the morning and  tracked the monkeys’ sleep habits through implanted wire leads running  “subcutaneously from the head incision to the eye orbit, exiting the eye orbit  from underneath the upper eyelid.” 

The study was funded by portions of four NIH grants and brought to Senator Paul’s attention by the White Coat Waste Project. 

Over 100,000 Americans  die of meth overdoses each year as these  dangerous drugs pour  across our open borders. Our nation’s first  responders and families  across the country struggle every day to  fight this drug epidemic, and yet NIH approved a  portion of approximately  $12 million in NIH grants  to test the sleep habits of  monkeys given meth in  the morning?  

Every year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reroutes incoming tax  payments to a fund set aside for U.S. presidential campaigns. The account is funded by a $3 IRS tax return check box. Since 2008, no major political  party’s candidate for president has accepted the funds. As of November 1,  2023: $400.6 million sat unused in the Presidential Election Campaign Fund  Account. 

Why do we provide unused and unnecessary welfare for politicians and their presidential campaigns? It’s time to scrap the wasteful Presidential Election Campaign check off program. 

Two laboratory monkeys at the University of Minnesota faced high stakes as their access to drinking water hung in the balance, contingent upon their  willingness to embrace what researchers termed “gambling.”  

To study the region of the brain that impacts risk-taking choices, parts of  monkeys’ skulls were removed and their brains were injected with tracers  and monitored as they gambled between two different options presented to  them on two screens.  

Test subjects were given a low-risk, low reward choice and a high-risk, high reward option, with the monkeys choosing risk over reward more than 70% of the time. 

The study—funded under an NIH National  Institute of Mental Health $1.9 million grant  and an NIH National Institute of Drug Abuse  $1.8 million grant—gambled that this monkey study was a good use of taxpayer  funds.  

When local concert venues and family-owned theaters were forced to shut  down during the pandemic, distributing financial relief was left to the Small  Business Administration (SBA). The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant  program was supposed to provide a lifeline to small entertainment  businesses nationwide.  

Sadly, but not surprisingly, SBA failed to deliver. Business Insider identified dozens of famous music artists and  their touring companies that received  over $200 million through the program.  

So-called “small business owners,” such as Post Malone, Lil Wayne, Chris  Brown, and Smashing Pumpkins, received up to $10 million each. Even  Nickelback received $2 million. While  some may claim these funds were used to keep supporting staff, artists  were not required to do so, and we  have no way of determining how these  blank checks were used.  

These multi-millionaire musicians were cashing checks, instead of the  intended recipients: America’s small businesses. Throughout the pandemic  the National Institutes of   Health (NIH) — an agency  that suppressed its own  involvement in funding dangerous coronavirus  research — labeled any  COVID dissent as  misinformation.  

NIH is now specifically targeting the COVID opinions of black and rural communities. A $3.8 million  

University of Pennsylvania  study is investigating “COVID-19 misinformation exposure on social media  among Black and Rural  communities” to help  “identify and ombat  misinformation.” In this study, researchers examine  social media posts “with a specific lens on race” and location.  

When the study began in September 2022, much of what the government and social media called COVID “misinformation” (relating to masks, vaccine  efficacy, and the virus’ origins) is what is simply called “true” this year.  

Under Dr. Fauci, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) was back in the business of wasting your money and torturing  animals. This time, instead of tormenting puppies with ravenous sandflies, a  Florida lab is trying to feminize male monkeys. That’s right, the NIAID is  using $477,121 of your tax dollars to fund the forced feminization of male  rhesus macaques. 

Utilizing taxpayer funds from NIAID, a Florida lab set out to examine what  would happen if female hormones were given to male monkeys. After receiving the hormones, biopsies from the force-feminized, male monkeys were tested to see if they were more susceptible to HIV. 

The lab worked to make male lab monkeys “transgender” to address “social injustices” suffered by “transgender persons” such as “transgender women (TGW)-individuals who were assigned a male set at birth but express  their gender along a female spectrum.” 

Critics note that  monkeys  themselves are  not susceptible to  HIV, and argue  injecting the male  monkeys with  female hormones is unlikely to yield  relevant information or to  help humans. This year, the Biden  Administration sent  out a whopping $236  billion in inaccurate  checks, otherwise known as “improper  payments.”  Federal law defines the term as payments made by  the government to the  wrong person, in the  wrong amount, or for  the wrong reason. 

 FY2023’s whoopsies were down only slightly from FY2022’s $247 billion in improper payments, which came to $675 million a day.  

Illustration: Pixabay