“Figures Never Lie, But Liars Do Figure” – Who is Telling The Truth? Trump Or The Bureau Of Labor Statistics?

On Friday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released their job report for the month of July. Employers added a total of only 73,000 jobs in July, about 50,000 fewer than was expected. It was a significant sign that the economy was slowing down. What was even more troubling was that the report revised downward by 258,000 the number of jobs created in May and June. Combined, this three-month period represents the slowest economic growth since 2009, except for the recession in 2020, during the height of the COVID pandemic. The unemployment rate inched upward from 4.1% to 4.2%. President Trump did not like the report. It indicated that his economic policies, especially tariffs, were not working very well. So, he immediately fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, accusing her of “rigging” the numbers to tarnish his administration. Of course, any president, including Trump, has the right to raise questions about data reports from the BLS or from any similar agency. But if you question the figures, you need to provide evidence…if you want to be believed. This drama is taking place in plain view before the public in the United States. The American people will be functioning as the “jury” to decide whether Trump or the Bureau of Labor Statistics is more credible.

The Reputation of the BLS and McEntarfer

Over many decades, the BLS has had a reputation for being the “gold standard” of information collection agencies. Its employees take their job seriously. They make economic data public, but they do not make policy recommendations to the President or to Congress. Ms. McEntarfer, a labor economist who has worked in the federal government for more than two decades, was confirmed as BLS Commissioner by the Senate in early 2024 in a bipartisan 86-8 vote. Both Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Republicans), who were Senators at the time voted to confirm her nomination.

The Economic Impact of the Tariffs

The “Liberation Day” tariffs announced by Trump on April 2, 2025, have had a significant impact on the U.S. economy. In the first weeks following Liberation Day, the economy continued strong, as consumers who were able to do so, made big purchases (cars, appliances, etc.) before the added tariffs went into effect. Then the negative consequences began to happen. Trump had promised 90 international trade deals in 90 days, but only a few deals have even been sketched out. Due to the uncertainty created by these “on again-off again” trade negotiations, CEOs were unwilling to expand their productions. In addition, given that these tariffs are essentially taxes that will add to the sticker price of their products, these CEOs had to cautiously predict what would happen to their sales. (Don’t just take my word for this problem. Here are some sad facts from Ford. The automotive giant posted its first quarterly loss in two years after seeing $800 million in tariff costs and predicted that the tariffs would cost the company about $2 billion in annual earnings. In May Ford raised prices on three of its models produced in Mexico due to the impact of the tariffs.)

The Role of Revisions

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has twin concerns: speed and accuracy. For the goal of usefulness, the report must be released as soon as possible after the preceding month’s economic activity has occurred. By necessity, this report is preliminary. As new data is incorporated over the next several weeks, the report is revised. Revisions to preceding job reports are routinely issued when a new one comes out. Trump claims that the revisions announced on Friday show tampering, but such allegations need to be proven with credible evidence. Trump has yet to provide such evidence. As the saying go, “It’s time to put up or shut up.”

The Opinion of an Expert Appointed by Trump

Bill Beach was Erika McEntarfer’s predecessor as Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He was nominated to head up the BLS by Trump himself in 2017! Yesterday, Beach denounced the firing. Beach affirmed that Trump did not understand the data collection process and the reporting standards at the bureau, especially the compilation of statistics on critical economic factors including inflation and employment. He sharply took issue with Trump’s accusation of McEntarfer’s tampering with the statistics, There’s no way for that to happen,” Beach told CNN’s Kasie Hunt on yesterday’s “State of the Union” program. “The commissioner doesn’t do anything to collect the numbers. The commissioner doesn’t see the numbers until the Wednesday before they’re published. By the time the commissioner sees the numbers, they’re all prepared.”

Chris Christie’s Evaluation of Trump’s Firing of McEntarfer

Former New Jersey Governor Christ Christie has frequently defended President Trump from criticisms by his adversaries, but not on this issue. The veteran Republican politician described the firing as “classic Trump”. On yesterday’s “This Week” television program, Christie told host George Stephanopoulos. “When Trump gets news he doesn’t like, he needs someone to blame because he won’t take the responsibility himself, and this is the action of a petulant child. Like, ‘You give me bad news, I fire the messenger.'”

The Verdict

In this public “hearing”, you, my readers, are the members of the jury. Who is telling the truth, Trump or the Bureau of Labor Statistics? Please render your verdict.

Trump and Democrats Drop To All Time Lows in Approval Ratings: What Should They Do?

According to the Gallop poll released last week, President Trump hit an all-time low in approval ratings. Only 37% of Americans approve of Trump’s performance in his second term. Even on his best issues (immigration, tariffs, national debt) his poll numbers are negative. As a political party, the Democrats find themselves in a similar situation. A Wall Street Journal poll shows that 63% of the American public view the Democrat party unfavorably (the Republicans polled slightly better). I don’t believe Trump and party leaders are suffering low ratings due to their moral righteousness or great policies. No, they are due to their ethical and political failures. Everyone needs a deep dose of repentance, a significant change in attitude and actions. I respectfully suggest the following areas that merit attention.

President Trump

Stop your lying – You have a troubled history with the truth. You dilute and distort it with multiple falsehoods. Some of your lies might play well with your base, but they are not true. For example, let’s look at your comments on tariffs. Tariffs are essentially taxes. You have frequently claimed that billions of dollars will flow into our country as foreign countries pay the cost of the tariffs/taxes. That is a lie. Foreign countries do not pay the tariffs that the U.S. government charges on imported goods. Foreign companies do not pay the tariffs. U.S. companies (think Walmart) pay the money. This is an additional cost added to the product. Walmart might absorb some of this cost, but to maintain their profits they need to pass on the major part of these costs to the consumer. (Even my beloved Hershey‘s Chocolate has recently announced a double digit increase in their prices.) Let me summarize. Mr. Trump, neither foreign countries nor foreign companies pay for your tariffs/taxes. American companies and we, the consumers, pay these taxes. Stop lying about your tariffs.

Some of your lies are just plain weird. Two weeks ago, you told a story about your uncle, John Trump. He was a beloved professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). That part is true, but then you fabricated a tall tale that linked your uncle with the late terrorist Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber. You claimed that your uncle taught Kaczynski at MIT and that he told you Kaczynski was a good, although arrogant student. The truth is that your uncle died in 1985 and Kaczynski was not publicly revealed as the Unabomber until 1996. In addition, there is no record of Kaczynski ever studying at MIT. Your fluid movement from reality into delusion seems to be a psychological/mental liability rather than an asset. I suggest you get help to stop these delusions.

Admit your mistakes – We all make mistakes because “to err is human”. Many people have difficulty in accepting responsibility for their actions, but you seem to have a lot of trouble in acknowledging your mistakes. Given the power of the presidency, your mistakes are amplified and can cause great harm to millions of people. For example, you promised to cut waste and fraud from the federal government, but Elon Musk/DOGE used a chainsaw instead of the necessary scalpel. The gutting of USAID, with the resulting stoppage of medicine shipments and the rotting of food at ports around the world, has caused the premature deaths of tens of thousands of women and children. Hundreds of essential federal workers (ex. meteorologists) have been fired which increased the loss of life in the recent floods in Texas. Mr. President, be mature enough to take ownership of your decisions and these tragic results.

Mr. Trump, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t take credit for the positive aspects of the economy and, at the same time, blame Biden or Powell for the negative results. Six months into your presidency, you “own” this economy. If inflation continues to rise, you are responsible.

Your initial evaluation of people (both friends and foes) has been quite flawed. That is why you fired a record number of cabinet members during your first term in office. Your current cabinet has people who are woefully unqualified (like Hegseth and Gabbard). You praised the Russian “president” Putin for being an honorable, strong leader. What a naïve, horrible opinion! You should have listened to Marco Rubio who denounced Putin as a tyrannical authoritarian with the blood of thousands of Ukrainians on his hands. Mr. President, acknowledge your naïve mistake, and use economic sanctions to bring about a just, lasting peace in Ukraine.

Democrats

Learn from your mistakes – It was not so much that Trump won the 2024 presidential election (with under 50% of the vote), but that the Democrats lost it. By and large, Democrats went too far in emphasizing gender issues at the expense of bread-and-butter economic topics. Take for example, the issue of trans women competing in girls/women sports. Many Democrats felt they had to defend the trans women even though they knew they had an unfair advantage in body size, strength and speed over “biological women”. Many voters were persuaded more by “what is fair” than by “what is politically correct”. Democrats need to relearn the wisdom of the old advice, “it’s the economy, stupid”. For the 2026 mid-term elections there are many economic issues that are of vital importance to voters due to the one Big Beautiful Bill: 10 million Americans will lose their health insurance, hundreds of rural medical clinics and hospitals will close, and food will be taken away from mothers and children. This will done in order to transfer funds from the poor and middle classes to the wealthy. Democrats, raise your voice for those who have no voice!
Make unlikely alliances to defend freedom and democracy – As the old adage affirms, politics makes “strange bedfellows”. Marjorie Taylor Greene is not my favorite kind of politician. She is an inconsistent, extremist firebrand who says weird stuff that I do not share. Nevertheless, she does have guts. Recently, she had the courage to denounce Israel’s actions in Gaza for what they truly are: genocide. She uncovered Netanyahu for who he really is: a politician with blood on his hands who has used war to in a failed attempt to bolster his sagging poll numbers among voters in Israel. Democrats, work with MTG to stop starvation in Gaza. Work across the aisle to apply economic sanctions on the murderous Putin. Work with Republican MAGA representatives in order to bring transparency to the Epstein case and to bring justice to those young women who were victimized in his sex trafficking atrocities (and by his friends, regardless of how important they might be).

We the People

We need to promote the truth, whatever the cost – more than pledging “loyalty” to a political party, or even to a president, we need to be people of the truth who seek the common good. May we rise to the challenge of this high civic calling.

In Honor of Samuel Escobar

I am happy to share this invitation to honor the legacy of Samuel Escobar.

Friday, October 10, 2025 | 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Billy Graham Hall, Wilson Suite, Room 432

You are warmly invited to a special afternoon event to celebrate the life, ministry, and enduring legacy of J. Samuel Escobar (1934–2025) — Peruvian theologian, pastor, and leading voice in Latin American evangelicalism. For more than five decades, Dr. Escobar shaped missiological understanding and evangelism trends through his work with the Fraternidad Teológica Latinoamericana, the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and other global evangelical networks and seminaries.

The program will feature tributes from family members, colleagues, and ministry partners, a presentation of a special double issue of the Journal of Latin American Theology: Christian Reflections from the Latino South, dedicated to Dr. Escobar, and a curated exhibit showcasing highlights from the newly acquired J. Samuel Escobar Papers. A generous gift from the Escobar family, the Escobar Papers include personal correspondence, photographs, and original manuscripts from the 1950s onward. The collection is now housed in the Wheaton Archives & Special Collections and is open for research.

A reception with light refreshments will follow the program.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact the Wheaton Archives & Special Collections at 630.752.5910 or archives@wheaton.edu.

I Applaud President Trump for (Finally) Waking Up and Seeing the Evil of Putin

During his first term, Donald Trump and Russian “President” Vladimir Putin had a relationship of mutual praise. Trump admired Putin for being a “strong leader”. Trump justified Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, by asserting that Biden’s weakness had, in effect, “invited” Putin to invade. Trump lamented the loss of life in the war in Ukraine and campaigned that he would end the war on “Day One” by bringing Putin to negotiations. Regarding Putin, Trump affirmed five months ago, “I believe he wants peace, I mean, I know him very well. Yeah, I think he wants peace.… I trust him on this subject.”

Even though Trump’s envoys favored Russia in the preliminary peace talks and Trump humiliated Ukraine’s President Zelensky in their White House meeting, Putin didn’t cooperate in good faith. Although Putin said he wanted peace, what he really wanted was to take over control of all of Ukraine. In an unguarded moment, Trump admitted he was getting “played” by Putin. Something significantly changed a few weeks ago. Trump started to wake up. He began to see Putin for who he really was: a murdering tyrant and an aggressor. In a press conference, Trump was asked a question by a female reporter. Noting her accent, he asked her where she was from. She replied, “Ukraine”. She added that her husband was still in their home country. Remarkably, Trump seemed to show sincere empathy for her situation. He began to perceive the tragic reality about Putin that many saw a decade ago. Did Marco Rubio whisper the truth into his ear? Maybe.

After days of expressing anger with his latest phone call with Putin, Trump erupted at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. He said, “We get a lot of bullsh*t thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth. He’s very nice all of the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.” There’s a bill going through the Senate that would apply economic sanctions on Russia that has the overwhelming support of Republicans and Democrats. The president seems to like the bill as long as it doesn’t tie his hands.

Where should we put the emphasis? That Trump woke up to the truth regarding the evil of Putin OR that it took him so long to wake up? I am just glad that he seems to be awake now. Perhaps we are a bit closer to peace in Ukraine. PS. On Monday, Trump will give a major address on Russia.

Why We Should Repent and Lament the Big Beautiful Bill, not Celebrate It!

On Friday, the 4^th of July, President Trump signed into law the BBB (Big Beautiful Bill). He celebrated it and exclaimed, “It has something for everyone” and “Everyone is happy about it”.

I suggest that a better response is repentance and lament. The BBB was quite big, but definitely not beautiful. And most definitely, not everyone one was happy about it.

We the People Opposed the BBB

Although the Senate was evenly divided on the bill (50/50), and the House approved it by a slim 218/214 vote, the U.S. people were (and are) clearly against it. I looked at more than a dozen national polls, and in each poll, the disapproval rate was significantly greater than the approval. For example, “by a 21-point margin, voters questioned in the most recent Fox News national poll opposed the federal budget legislation (38% favored vs. 59% opposed). The bill was also underwater in national surveys conducted this month by the Washington Post (minus 19 points), Pew Research (minus 20 points) and Quinnipiac University (minus 26 points).” So, why did so many of our representatives in DC vote against the wishes of their constituents? They were bribed or bullied. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) held the decisive vote in the Senate. She was against the bill, but then the GOP leadership carved out special provisions for Alaska if she would vote in favor. In the end, she voted for the bill although it would hurt the other 49 states. In the House, there were a dozen Republican fiscal hawks who opposed the BBB because it would cause a $3.35 trillion increase in the federal debt. They were bullied with the threat they would be “primaried” in the 2026 midterm election by well-funded PACs if they voted against the BBB. These fiscal hawks “caved” and somehow “forgot” their fiscal integrity.

The BBB will Cause More Harm than Good

There are a few items in the BBB that I would have voted for (such as removing taxes from tip income). But these items pale in significance to those who will suffer tremendously due to the bill. Almost 12 million citizens will lose their health insurance because of the cuts to Medicaid. As a result, it is estimated that 51,000 people will die prematurely each year due to these cuts. Hundreds of rural hospitals and clinics will close due to the Medicaid cuts.

Our federal debt will increase by about $3.35 trillion. The Medicare and Medicaid cuts could have been avoided if the tax breaks for the very wealthy had not been extended.

“Woe to Those Who Call Evil Good, and Good Evil”

These words were spoken by the prophet Isaiah over two thousand years ago… but are still quite important today. Politicians of all persuasions tend to exaggerate the goodness of their positions and hide the negative aspects. This should cause all of us to dig deeper, to read the ideas and arguments of those we don’t like, and to ask the tough questions. Let’s commit ourselves to examine all the important issues and follow the truth wherever it leads…even if it leads to repentance.

The Senate Version of the Big Beautiful Bill is Even More Immoral and Sinful

Yesterday, after a 27 hour “Vote A Rama”, the U.S. Senate approved Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” by the narrowest of margins. In fact, the vote was 50 senators in favor, and 50 against, with Vice-president Vance casting the tie-breaking vote in favor. The bill now goes back to the House of Representatives. It will probably be passed there, because enough House members will “cave” on their move cherished values.

I had hoped that some ethical Republican senators would make the “BBB”, the Big Beautiful Bill, a bit better. They dashed my hopes. They dashed the hopes of our citizens. They made the BBB even worse…they made it more “sinful”. Let me clarify. We are not a theocracy. We are a pluralistic democracy, albeit a very flawed democracy. Nevertheless, we as a nation have established legislation upon principles of social ethics borrowed from many places, including from religions (Judaism, Christianity, and others). When the proposals of the BBB fail to meet the most basic ethical requirements of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures, it is sinful. Let’s look at three of the most immoral components of the BBB.

The Senate Version Would Raise the Federal Debt by $3.3 Trillion

Whereas the House version of the BBB would raise the federal debt by $2.4 trillion, the Senate proposal would add at least $3.3 trillion to federal deficits over a decade, according to the most recent analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Let’s call this (spending more money than we bring in) for what it really is: Stealing! Our contemporary generation is stealing from future generations! We all have heard this most basic of the Ten Commandments: “Thou Shalt Not Steal”. Democrats in the White House and in Congress have been guilty of raising the debt as frequently as Republicans, but Trump increased the debt more in his first term than any president in our national history. In the BBB, the Republican senators are enabling Trump 2.0 to do a repeat performance of his thievery.

The Senate Version Would Cause 11.8 Million People to Lose Their Health Insurance

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Senate version of the legislation would mean 11.8 million Americans will lose their health insurance by 2034 as federal spending on Medicaid, Medicare and Obamacare is reduced by roughly $1.1 trillion over that period. Let me repeat that number: 11.8 million of our neighbors will lose their health insurance! That is just the opposite of the Golden Rule: “Do unto Others as You would have Them Do unto You”. President Trump promised us that there would be no cuts to Medicare or to Medicaid. Given that it was the same Trump who pressured the senators to make these cuts, “we can trust the president to break his promises”.

The Senate Version Would Cause the Poor to Become Poorer and the Rich to Become Richer

The Republican version of the BBB will widen the gap between the poor and the rich. According to the best estimates, the poorest citizens will experience a 2% decline in their economic levels while the richest will increase their wealth by 4%. The BBB is actually taking money away from the poor to give a tax break to the most affluent among us. The bill extends nearly $4 trillion in tax cuts first passed in 2017 and partially pays for them by slashing spending on safety net programs: Medicare, Medicaid, the SNAP food program. Thousands and thousands of our citizens will suffer from unnecessary illnesses and pre-mature death.

The God described in the Scriptures hates any legislation that causes such pain. The God who fed manna to the Israelites in the desert wanted all to have “enough”. That same God later established the law of “gleaning”, so that no one would go hungry. In the Christian Scriptures, Jesus told his followers that apathy toward the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned, was, in fact, directed towards himself. In taking up a collection for the starving, persecuted believers in Jerusalem, the Apostle Paul told Gentile Christians that God’s goal was “equality” in which no one had too much while others did not have enough (2 Corinthians 8-9).

The BBB breaks God’s heart. Representatives in the House: please vote it down, while you are still able to do so.

For Better or for Worse: This is Trump’s War. Will He Own It and Take Responsibility?

Over the weekend, President Trump authorized the US military to carry out air attacks by B2 bombers against Iranian nuclear sites. Fighter pilots executed his orders on Saturday. In a speech to the nation later that evening, Trump immediately claimed the attack was a “tremendous success” and that the stockpiles had been “obliterated”! Although the dust was supposed to settle these last three days, more uncertainty and inconsistencies have arisen. Vice-President Vance had to walk back Trump’s “obliteration” claim, by acknowledging that the degree of destruction has yet to be determined. Late on Monday, Trump brokered a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Nevertheless, Israel definitely (and Iran possibly) violated the ceasefire. This morning as he was leaving the White House for his NATO trip to Europe, he responded to questions from reporters. His anger was quite evident. “I am not happy with Israel”, he retorted as he criticized Israel for unloading bombs on Iran making a mockery of his ceasefire. As he walked away, Trump himself dropped the “F” bomb. “Israel and Iran have been fighting for so long and so hard, they don’t know what the F*** they’re doing”.

There is no doubt about it: This is Trump’s war. It was not a war of necessity. It was a war of choice. Trump owns it…for better or for worse. Trump (and those who support this war) must answer some essential questions. Was this attack legal? Why did Trump break his campaign promise to not take the US into another endless war in the Middle East? Did Netanyahu “play” Trump by appealing to his weak ego? Will this attack be similar to the decade-long war in Iraq? If Iran’s government is still in place and still has some uranium stockpiles, is it still a terrorist state? If this conflict escalates and oil prices skyrocket, will Trump take responsibility, or will he blame others?

Was it legal? Congress has the sole power to declare war under Article 1 of the US Constitution. Since the end of WWII, presidents (both Republicans and Democrats) have violated the Constitution, but they gave the appearance of obedience by alerting congressional leaders (usually the “gang of eight”) before attacks had been launched. Trump did not even alert Democrat leaders until after the attack had occurred. It sure seems clear, that the president violated the Constitution.

Although Trump and his supporters deny it, this air attack seems similar to the war in Iraq that began in 2003. In the lead up to both, it was claimed that hostilities would last only a few days. Presidents Bush and Trump mentioned “regime change” as a goal, which would take years…at least. Both presidents appealed to questionable intelligence. Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction. According to national intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard, Iran was not building a nuclear weapon. Trump silenced her. Why?

Predictably, most Republican leaders have supported Trump and his attack. There have been sharp criticisms from some who previously defended Trump on every issue (like Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon). Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican from Georgia and a staunch supporter of Trump, broke with the president on this military attack against Iran. She acknowledged that there’s a “very big divide” in the Republican party over the issue and that her position opposing foreign wars is becoming “more popular” among the MAGA base. On Monday she told CNN, “I got elected on the exact same campaign promises that President Trump got elected on. We promised no more foreign wars, no more regime change,”. Earlier in the day, in a lengthy post on X, she denounced Trump’s decision to authorize US bombings of Iranian nuclear sites. She claimed it “feels like a complete bait and switch” of his MAGA promises.

Taylor Greene was not the only Republican congressional representative to criticize the president’s decision. Thomas Massie is a conservative congressman from Kentucky. A week ago, prior to the attack, Massie had co-introduced a bipartisan War Powers Resolution in the House of Representatives in an attempt to restrict the president’s ability to escalate tensions with Iran. “The Constitution does not permit the executive branch to unilaterally commit an act of war against a sovereign nation that hasn’t attacked the United States,” Massie said in a press release announcing the resolution. “Congress has the sole power to declare war against Iran. The ongoing war between Israel and Iran is not our war. Even if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution.” After Trump announced that the attacks had happened, Massie responded, ”This is not Constitutional”. (Trump reacted not with evidence, but by creating a PAC in Kentucky to try and defeat Massie in the 2026 primary.)

I believe the War Powers Resolution should go forward and be voted on. We should make our cowardly representatives go on the record about this war. Polls taken after the strikes (Reuters, CNN) reveal that a majority of US citizens disapprove of Trump’s attack with only about 44% in favor. Stay tuned for more details.

Donald Trump Should Learn Important Immigration Lessons from Ronald Reagan

Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan have various experiences in common (both were Republicans, both served as president, etc.). Today I would like to concentrate on their similar challenges regarding undocumented immigrants. During the Reagan administration in the 1980s, there were civil wars going on in Central America, especially Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala. To save their lives and the lives of their children, many Central Americans migrated north and crossed into the United States without the appropriate documents. It is estimated there were about 5 million undocumented immigrants in the nation at that time. President Reagan knew some essential information that helped to shape his decisions.

The overwhelming majority of undocumented immigrants had found employment in agriculture, construction, restaurants, etc. and were making significant contributions to the US economy.
These immigrants were paying taxes: sales taxes, property taxes, and even taxes to the IRS without much hope of receiving the benefits (Social Security, Medicare) that citizens receive.
The crime rate among these immigrants was much lower than the average crime rate of US born citizens. (Entering the United States without documents is appropriately classified not as a violent crime or felony, but rather as a misdemeanor.)
Most of these immigrants were putting down roots in the culture, by participating in religious congregations, by their children actively involved in primary and secondary education, Little League, etc. Nevertheless, many lived in fear of being arrested.
Just like immigrants in previous times (the Irish, the Italians, Puerto Ricans, and many others) these Central Americans were scapegoated and incorrectly blamed for society’s ills.

Although Reagan had his share of human flaws, at times he demonstrated true leadership and a compassionate heart. Together with a Democrat controlled Congress, Reagan pushed legislation that became the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act. The immigrants had to meet certain requirements: they had to pay a penalty and back taxes, they had to have lived in the United States for at least five years, etc. Far from conducting “raids” on job sites where the undocumented worked, the Reagan administration encouraged them to continue working in their “illegal” jobs. Knowing that the immigrants would naturally be fearful of interacting with government authorities, Reagan urged congregations and groups like World Relief to become the intermediaries that would offer legal advice, English classes, and other services. (My church, the Evangelical Free Church of Des Plaines, Illinois, participated in this project). The program was compassionate. For example, if immigrants had not lived in the country for a full five years, they were advised to “lay low”, keep on working and improving their English until they met the five-year requirement.

President Reagan signed the bill in a ceremony at the Statue of Liberty where he affirmed, “The legalization provisions in this act will go far to improve the lives of a class of individuals who now must hide in the shadows, without access to many of the benefits of a free and open society. Very soon many of these men and women will be able to step into the sunlight and, ultimately, if they choose, they may become Americans.”

The Act was an overwhelming success! The majority of the immigrants came out of the shadows, regularized their legal status, continued in their jobs, and most importantly, kept their families intact. Immigrants becoming active participants in our society is truly “the American way”.

The immigration situation today is quite similar to the challenges that President Reagan faced. The bullet point information at the beginning of this post accurately describes the ten million undocumented immigrants in our midst. During the past week, Trump admitted that our economy desperately needs the labor provided by these immigrants on farms and factories, hotels and restaurants, and in construction. Nevertheless, President Trump has seemed bewildered. He said raids on immigrants are on again, then off again, then on again. Mr. President, on this issue, learn from the example of Ronald Reagan. Do the right thing and work with Congress to pass a bill similar to Reagan’s 1986 Immigration Act.

Is Trump’s Deployment of the National Guard Illegal? Read His Own Words

We are in the midst of a heated, although necessary, national debate regarding the freedom of speech and assembly in our country. Five days ago, thousands of Americans protested the ICE raids in Los Angeles, California and neighboring cities. Although largely peaceful, there were some acts of violence, and arrests were made. The LAPD, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and California Governor Gavin Newsom all affirmed that the situation was under control. Nevertheless, President Trump called up and deployed 2000 members of the National Guard to Los Angeles. On Sunday, Governor Newsom requested the president to withdraw this deployment because the presence of federal troops was counterproductive and increased the unrest. The president refused to do so. In fact, yesterday he deployed an additional 2000 National Guardsmen plus 700 Marines. Our national debate involves the legality of the right to assemble and to express dissent plus the calling up of the National Guard (and Marines).

The First Amendment to the Constitution is quite clear regarding the freedoms of speech and assembly. It affirms “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Of course, if a gathering of people turns violent, the police are responsible for restoring order.

During his first term in office, Trump faced similar circumstances in which people protested the killing of George Floyd. In an ABC News town hall on September 15, 2020, President Trump was asked how he would restore law and order to our nation. Trump’s answer was quite clear. “Look, we have laws. We have to go by the laws. We can’t move in the National Guard. I can call insurrection but there’s no reason to ever do that, even in the Portland (Oregon) case. We can’t call in the National Guard unless we’re requested by a governor.” (Trump’s political and military advisors had told him not to break the law, especially in light of the need to first obtain a governor’s request for deployment. In addition, the National Guard, by law, cannot make arrests.)

In the current debate, according to his own words, Trump is breaking the law.

—————

Update as of June 13 according to th New York Times:

A federal judge issued an order late Thursday blocking President Trump from deploying members of the California National Guard in Los Angeles, and ordered the administration to return control of the forces to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The administration quickly filed an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which temporarily stopped the ruling from taking effect while it considers the case.

The restraining order from District Judge Charles R. Breyer, which would have taken effect Friday at noon Pacific time, delivered a sharp rebuke to President Trump’s effort to deploy thousands of troops on the streets of an American city, a move that has contributed to nearly a week of political rancor and protests across the country.

“His actions were illegal — both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” Judge Breyer wrote of Mr. Trump’s orders.

The Amiable Divorce between Musk and Trump Became Messy and Ugly Last Week: Important Lessons from the “Bromance Breakup”

Full Disclosure: I am not a fan of Elon Musk. As I wrote in a previous post, Musk’s gutting of USAID was cruel and immoral. His action has caused the premature death of thousands of people. Nevertheless, the breakup of the Musk/Trump “bromance” teaches us some valuable, albeit sad, political lessons. The divorce began to go downhill last week and then got much worse.

On Tuesday, Musk did not hold back when he denounced Trump’s “big, beautiful” budget bill: “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination.” The president responded, “I’m very disappointed in Elon.” On Thursday, the breakup between Musk and Trump turned even nastier. During his meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, a reporter asked the president about Elon Musk’s sharp criticisms of Trump’s budget bill. Trump reacted, “He hasn’t said anything about me that’s bad. I’d rather have him criticize me than the bill.” Musk was quick to grant him his wish. By the end of the meeting, the two had quickly moved from what had been legislative differences of opinion into sharp personal attacks on their respective social platforms. Musk live-tweeted his responses to Trump’s comments on his social media platform X, getting progressively more personal. And Trump responded hard on his own platform, Truth Social. Late Thursday afternoon, Musk responded to an X user who called for the president’s impeachment by simply saying, “Yes.”

Trump tried to psychoanalyze the motivation for Musk’s outbursts. “Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!” Musk had highlighted Trump’s hypocrisy by mentioning various quotes in which Trump had campaigned with promises of a balanced budget. These balanced budget promises were directly contradicted by the official predictions that the “big, beautiful” bill would increase the debt several trillion dollars over the next decade. Trump tried to defend himself by attacking Musk, “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.”

Musk then hit Trump in his most vulnerable spot: his election “victories”. Musk spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the Trump campaign and claimed he was in fact the reason Trump won the presidency. Musk affirmed, “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House, and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” Musk later added: “Such ingratitude.”

Musk fired another bombshell. He accused the Trump administration of withholding records about convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein because it involved Trump himself. “Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,” Musk wrote on X. “Have a nice day, DJT!” Musk later added: “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”

Both Trump and Musk realize, in their saner moments, that their breakup is damaging them both. As master of the art of distraction, Trump changed his emphasis to immigration issues over the weekend (Abrego Garcia, Los Angeles, etc.). Nevertheless, the breakup is worth analyzing. Readers can find complete lists of the attacks and counterattacks online, but those mentioned above are sufficient to warrant some sad, but true, lessons.

Cronyism is rampant in our government. Trump admitted handing out “Governmental Subsidies and Contracts” to Musk based on quid pro quo rather than merit.
The weaponization of government agencies is on the rise. Trump campaigned against the Democrats’ weaponization of agencies that were supposedly non-partisan. His own weaponization of the Department of Justice and other agencies, plus his threats against Musk are just as bad or even worse.

Our democracy is being ruined by the influx of unlimited money in our elections. Money is buying our politicians and our elections. We must return to reasonable caps on political donations.