News Weakly - 8/14/21

Paying the Debt
The White House's suspension of federal student loan payments has been extended through January, 2022. (Note it is "federal." Other student loans aren't covered under this.) The reason is that the economy is recovering "at a record rate" (Biden is reading different reports than I am, apparently), but not for students with loans. The call, of course, is to cancel student loans, because people who wanted to go to college bad enough to encumber themselves with outrageous debt should not be held responsible. Or, "Lesson #1: Don't expect consequences of your choices."

Now Diversity Makes Sense
I'm good with diversity; I just never understood what the mandate for diverse races and genders (whatever those two words mean today) contributed to businesses. Why should it be mandatory for businesses to hire based on race and gender rather than skill and ability? Why shouldn't a company, say, serving a black marketplace, not be allowed to hire only blacks because it would provide the best business model for the company? (I know; it never goes that way, but you get the point.) Now I get it. The SEC has approved Nasdaq's plan to require diversity in order to be listed. The threat of lost income -- that's a real reason to hire more intersectionals. (Not a good one, but a real one.)

Confused
I'm a bit confused. A legal challenge has been filed against Florida's executive order to ban mask mandates. Please, read that again carefully. Because the plaintiffs seek "an injunction on the order signed by DeSantis that allows parents to decide if their children should wear masks or not in school." The executive order forbids schools from requiring masks. It does not forbid students from wearing them. Or do the plaintiffs want the parents to decide that all parents will decide that all children will wear masks (a mask mandate)? I live in a state where the governor has signed a similar ban of mandates. The schools still "strongly encourage" masks. Apparently that's not good enough in Florida.

Leading the Charge
President Biden said, "I am proud that our military women and men will continue to help lead the charge in the fight against this pandemic, as they so often do, by setting the example of keeping their fellow Americans safe." How are those brave men and women doing that? The Secretary of Defense mandated vaccines for all military. They're "leading the charge" at gunpoint, so to speak. They're "leading the charge" by shutting up and doing what they're told. We're waiting to see how many of the rest of America's unvaccinated can "lead the charge" in the same way.

Protection Perspectives
The headline reads, "Charlotte passes LGBTQ protections." The North Carolina city passed an ordinance that "adds sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, familial status, veteran status, pregnancy and natural hairstyle to the list of classes protected against discrimination." ("Natural hairstyle" is a protected "class"??) Interestingly, the story says the new ordinance "does not address bathroom accommodations." So, "LGBTQ protection" in what sense? Not in bathrooms. Which, by the way, would be considered removing protections for women in bathrooms. Depending on your perspective.

Failed Economics 101
We already knew that the House of Representatives was eager to further encumber your tax dollars another $3.5 trillion, but we had hopes that some sort of economic sanity could reign in the Senate. No such luck. Just when you thought you had some money left in your wallet after the COVID drain, the Senate Democrats jumped on that spending plan. The plan would theoretically require everyone over the age of 18 to contribute $11,800 to the government (on top of what you're already paying). Don't worry, though. They plan to take it from the wealthiest Americans and their companies ... who pay your wages ... so I'm sure that can't impact you ... right? My question regarding the spending bill is "Is this really the job of the government?" followed by "Should it be?" with all the concerns of "Where does it end?"

Who Holds the Reins Reigns
YouTube suspended Senator Rand Paul for saying in a video, "Most of the masks you get over the counter don’t work." The CDC says that cloth masks work fine ... as long as they're multi-layered ... and fit snugly against the sides of your face ... and have a nose wire to prevent air from leaking out of the top ... and best worn with another mask. So, no, most of the ones you buy over the counter fit that description, but the difference is the CDC isn't saying it on a YouTube video, so ...

Safe and Sound?
Our only hope is the vaccine, they tell us. So it would seem odd that 27 people aboard a Carnival cruise ship, all of whom were vaccinated, came down with COVID. God warned against putting your trust in princes (Psa 146:3). I would hope you would see "vaccines" in the same light.

Makes Sense?
The Atlanta Black Star is reporting on a black principal of an public elementary school in Atlanta who thought it would be best to segregate students by race. The principal had the black students in separate classrooms from the white students because it would be best to keep them from mixing. Now if you accept the new definition of "racism" as "all whites and only whites," why would you not seek to protect black children from the scum of the earth? And it all vanishes in a puff of logic ... except, of course, it doesn't.

Not So Funny
Too close to today's culture, the Babylon Bee floated the story about how the prodigal son was kicked out of his house after old tweets surfaced. There was another story told how Oregon high schools would no longer teach reading so kids wouldn't be influenced by Thomas Sowell books (like Basic Economics). And perhaps the shortest story of all, a comprehensive list of all the socialist countries that haven't turned into a totalitarian hellscape where you have to eat your dog. (Hint: All you get is the headline.)

Must be true; I read it on the internet.