It’s the perfect backdrop for a Jeff Foxworthy or Larry the Cable Guy joke: a small, old “trailer park” on the outskirts of town in Cleveland Co. North Carolina. Driving away from town center in Kings Mountain heading toward the old Armory on West Gold Street you see it on the left side of the road. Unlike the punch lines and stereotypes about such places it is somewhere families call home, couples begin their lives together, retired people struggle to make ends meet, babies are brought home from the hospital, and unemployed people stress over not being able to reclaim a “paycheck to paycheck” lifestyle. It is, as a humorist & playwrite titled such places: “The Great American Trailer Park.” Dixie Mobile Home Park has endured and witnessed nearly 60 years of American cultural and political change. I’ve had people ask me if the residents fly Confederate flags. To be honest, I’m rather certain I’ve never seen one flying there.
Political season is upon us. We live in a time when it seems acceptable to destroy public property, to mail bombs to political opponents, to vandalize and remove Silent Sam from UNC-Chapel Hill, and to attempt to erase history. And although the existence of slavery holds it’s place in history and was a horrific, regrettable system of social oppression, it is only one of about a half dozen reasons the Civil war ever transpired. One of the most intelligent and accomplished people of our age, Condeleeza Rice, said: “You cannot erase history.”
I cannot help but revert to 3rd grade bantar: “it’s a free country.” At least it used to be. Most people I know honor other people’s right to freedom of choice. Even when I don’t either respect or understand people’s reasoning, I know we must live together in peace. I’m dedicating this blog to what used to be the American Political & Election process. There’s only one hitch in my plan; it’s tough to honor a process that has become characteristically filthy and divisive.
Immigrants coming toward Lady Liberty once flocked here because of the hope she instilled: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Today the reality they hear resonates “Give me your government subsidies, give me your free healthcare, give me a free college degree.” Nothing, absolutely nothing, is ever free. It is pure economics and although costs are not always necessarily denominated in currency, the cost to be something, to follow someone, to accomplish anything ALWAYS carry opportunity costs. Simply stated an opportunity cost is what you forego in order to gain something else. The theory applies to EVERYTHING! (For my fellow faith friends, even living the Christian life requires “Giving up your former self…” Ephesians 4. For parents, loving a child is predicated on the pieces of our hearts, souls and sacrifice we pour into and invest in our children.)
Conflicted Identity
Know as you read forward know that I am not proud of the person our president is. I am often embarrassed by what he says…or worse yet…tweets. Melania—please take that electronic device away from him. I am, however, intrigued by changes in American economic growth and resurgence of our nation since the 2016 election.
I always believed citizens on the left side of the spectrum represented a party of love, peace, and change for people’s rights. Now, however, no American generation has ever seen a more divisive, defiling, mud slinging, protesting and violence inciting social and political environment. The left’s guise of peace and progress has, like the Roman Empire, imploded.
Our political process is no longer an open forum to view candidates and for Americans to be able to fairly and justly compare and contrast individuals before casting votes. Alternatively, it has become a process through which character assassination, untruth, violent protests, and complete disregard for order have become the norm.
Our United States is presently the most populated it has ever been. Along with the explosive growth comes proliferation of special interest groups…and as we see…every group has an agenda. Each groups insists on broadcasting it’s voice.
Media is the AntiChrist
We have decayed into a cess pool of bias toward anyone who doesn’t agree with a vociferously, obnoxiously featured group of voters who have nothing to show except a resistance strategy. If you’ve ever read my blog(s), then you know I wholeheartedly blame news media for fueling this fire. Media would rather sensationalize anger than to channel its powerful resources toward doing the real work needed to undergird our country with things like: employment, national security, education policy and preserving the right to pursue “life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness.”
What Media Doesn’t Want You to Know Stated in one Run On Sentence.
They are committed to (1) the all out removal of a duly elected president through the process determine by the Electoral College; (2) the complete obliteration of our our personal liberties and the American capitalist economy.
On Employment
Unemployment among African Americans is at the lowest point it has ever been….ever….since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking this metric in 1972. With aggregate U.S. unemployment hovering around 3.7% we presently enjoy what economists call: Full Employment. On an elementary level this means essentially every person who wants to work can find employment. A comedian joked recently that things are so good that even Colin Kaepernick found a job (with Nike). How can anyone pretend to be about helping people while denying the importance of job growth & retention among any demographic? For emphasis: total American unemployment is the lowest is has been since 1949!
While wage gaps, poor working conditions, etc. exist, there must be a first step for any group of formerly highly unemployed people. Have you ever noticed the people who gripe the most about such issues are the ones who have been continually employed? If you’ve either been without a job or been close to people who have, then you know having a way to earn a living supersedes many other extraneous job (or lack thereof) issues.
On Manufacturing
Manufacturing activity is at a near all time high. Blue collar jobs have grown at 3.3% (that’s a positive growth rate). During prior administrations the growth number was….well…not a growth rate at all…the negative number it used to be was a DECLINE. It was a negative decline manifesting over two terms (8 years) of a prior administration.
On Denuclearization
Other than Dennis Rodman, Mr. President has been the one and only prolific American recognized to have a face-to-face summit with North Korea’s Kim Jung Un to work toward a peace deal. On a side note: I wonder what Rodman’s appeal is…I cannot help but visualize him in that stupid wedding dress photo from years ago. Maybe that’s a side effect of having dated Madonna, but I digress.

Why does nobody want to talk about the sell of enriched uranium to foreign and hostile governments under the watch of a prior administration? People, if you want something to protest: here it is and it should scare the living hell out of all of us! Former leadership either turned the other cheek on OR covertly helped ensure terrorist states could procure the raw materials to develop nuclear weapons.
On Trade
In addition to a sweeping win on trade with China, October 1st saw the announcement of a trilateral trade agreement among the U.S., Mexico & Canada. Global auto maker, Ford Motor Company, supported this agreement. At Ford’s admission, it will have to pay workers more money depending on where in North America vehicles originate. Higher wages for American workers…that’s a bad thing…right?
On Maxine Waters
Maxine Waters admitted (quite publically and on television) on September 8th at a young democrats gathering that she often threatens Trump supporters. She went so far as to encourage citizens to civil unrest to the point of confronting people in restaurants, gas stations and other places.
I live only about 90 minutes from Greensboro, NC where a highly noted lunch counter sit in took place on July 25, 1960. Ms Waters: rather than rouse the rebels and perpetuate racial tension, try preaching the message of a great American: “I have a dream that one day my four little children will be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.” (Martin Luther King, Jr.). MLK’s message is remembered and honored. I can only hope that your words, and you for that matter, will not be!

Truth: Ms Waters is calling on people to treat fellow citizens poorly. Her call is to be anti-Christ’s example. Is this not the same kind of discrimination civil rights activists fought in the 60’s & 70’s? Ms. Waters remains part of the problem; she offers ZERO solutions.
Nuclearization & Not Calling out Sexism
Our former Secretary of State, John Kerry, announced on Wednesday, 9/12/18, he’d met with Iranian leadership to try to save the nuclear deal. Kerry is actively undermining our global and U.S. security by continuing to engage with and enable Iran, the largest state sponsored Terrorist government in history, to continue nuclearization.
Mr. Kerry said Trump has the demeanor of a teenage girl. Where is Hilary, where is Elizabeth Warren, where is … you name somebody. Shouldn’t they be calling Secretary Kerry a sexist for equating our domineering male president with a female?
Kavanaugh Hearings
After all is said and done: Diane Feinstein is a failure. Rather than serve country and process honestly she waited until 5 days prior to the originally scheduled Kavanaugh confirmation to announce she had a singular report of the nominee’s unsubstantiated (and still unproved by anyone) behavior in high school….almost 36 years….repeat: almost 36 years ago.
Protocol, decency and compassion for Dr. Ford would have had Senator Feinstein, as the senior ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, raise this issue to His Honor when she had a face-to-face personal meeting with him. What does it say about the motives and character of the Senator that she waited for almost 2 months to turn this information over to the FBI? The truth is the accusations remain completely unsubstantiated. Otherwise the first 6 FBI investigations and the plethora of potential witnesses would have evidenced otherwise.

Feinstein opted to politicize the alleged sexual assault and victimization of Dr. Ford for the furtherance of the Democratic Party. Feinstein did not care about the fall out of sexual violence in this particular woman’s life except she thought it would help defeat this SCOTUS nominee. Conservatives are saying the Democrats should be ashamed. It’s truly worse than this: if Feinstein truly believed Dr. Ford, then Feinstein should be seen as a traitor to her gender. The bigger truth is she, like many entrenched in swamp Washington insiders, used what she could as a political ploy. This time the strategy did not work. It reeked and smelled like something straight from the bowels of Hell.
Nobody won…not the Judge, not the Doctor, not the American voting public. It was revealed to us, however, simply how low our elected officials can slither. The eve of the eventual and final vote found Feinstein on the Senate floor stating her worries about a “hostile Kavanaugh.” I imagine he might be hostile…and rightfully so. Our elected officials should conduct their public service business with integrity; Senator Feinstein failed (admittedly, Mr. President fails to conduct himself without poise and class often as well).
These might be the most important lines in this blog:
- Simply because someone makes an accusation DOES NOT make it true.
- Congressional Democrats want us to live under a de facto system of guilty until proven innocent.
- Accused and Accusers alike should be treated with dignity and respect throughout investigative processes.
- When the presumption of innocence is lost in favor of guilty until proven innocent, prepare for the decivilization of our country.
- People should be aware there are Slander & Liable laws. They should be enforced and false accusers should pay criminally and civilly.
On Poking that Pornstar – She’s a $130K Prostitute
Other than our lovely FLOTUS, who honestly gives a flying flip if Mr. President slept with a porn star prior to his term? How did it impact your life? Honestly, how did President Clinton’s affair with Miss Lewinsky and subsequent his impeachment affect your life? What about the fact that JFK allegedly had affairs with who knows whom? Nobody other than political pundits and news producers care. For centuries we’ve seen you cannot legislate morality on either side of the aisle. No politician is squeaky clean regarding at least one issue or another. Move on people!
On Socialism
I am deeply concerned that we’re moving toward a time when Americans will be under a more socialist form of government. Younger generations have become so entitled that they believe the money will endlessly keep flowing. It won’t. Just like the natural laws of physics determine end results , economic principles are always in play. Believe socialism works? Check with the Venezuelan population. Reuters reported this past July the South American country’s inflation rate would hit 1,000,000 %….that’s ONE MILLION PERCENT.
A move to more government imposed tax should scare employed, productive and thinking people. Prepare to give 70+% of your income to the government. It’s no joking matter. Over the course of my six visits to France I’ve engaged conversation with fine working people (tour guides, docents, hospitality workers, and even in a police captain at a station when my passport was stolen).

Just a month ago Kevin, Tim and I sat on a sidewalk late into the evening with a man who is a French economist and writer debating the merits of U.S. versus the French systems. To talk with the French about things including the socialized medicine, labor unions, state sponsored education…..and all the things the liberals want….sounds like a great plan until you realize these people pay a 70%+ effective rate of tax.
It was further and clearly explained to us by Francois, our driver for the day. When he earns $ 1000 euro, then his company must pay an additional $ 500 euro to the federal government on his behalf. Francois pays an additional 250 euro tax . Although Francois seemingly nets $ 750; it costs 75% of the original earnings for him to take home $ 750 (That’s 50% paid immediately by the employer + another 25% by the citizen). Additionally, there is a sales tax there: Value Added Tax (V.A.T.) as high as 13% on all goods. On vehicles it can run as high as 25%. Property taxes are significantly higher than U.S. rates…even a tax for the right to rent an apartment is charged.

EXAMPLE: Let’s assume, for fun, an effective 70% tax. In the USA a Wal-Mart cashier earning $10 per hour keeps $3 of the wage. TRANSLATION: try to buy lunch at McDonald’s with $3…you won’t even get a Big Mac combo….and heaven forbid you wanted to SuperSize it for $1 more.
(I played devil’s advocate with him briefly rebutting he receives government sponsored healthcare. Francois quickly pointed out it is not a quality program and most people who can afford it still attempt to purchase private insurance.)
Sick & tired of being sick and tired
I am sick and tired of people who have no regard for the truth, for justice and the American way. The only way they can divert attention from progress is by “protesting, by lying and by waiting until the 11th hour to assert pathetic, unsubstantiated points.
If our founding fathers and the leaders who fought and died to establish liberty saw the current state of the union, then I’m convinced they’d point out how far out of line we have stepped.
On November 6th….assuming you are alive, assuming you are citizen, assuming you only do it once: please exercise your right to vote. My hope for the future is that we’ll vote for:
- National security
- Job growth
- American continued economic expansion
- Personal accountability
- Increasing respect and recouping respect on the world stage.
To the Protestors
Sit down and shut up. Practice some decorum. Get a job. Quit looking to entertainment and sport millionaires to be role models. These people would not necessarily give you any of us the time of day.
The best way to effect change is to take positive action: adopt a stream, teach adult literacy & job retraining, work with a youth program: scouting or Big Brothers-Big Sisters, invest in your family, concentrate on friendships, give blood to the Red Cross, serve at a soup kitchen, walk for Cancer or Alzheimer’s or Juvenille Diabetes, and model restrained behavior for your children. Teach them that there is a loving God who is much larger than any of us….and definitely bigger than any of this.
Back to my little mobile home park in Kings Mountain
Most of the people within the demographic comprising the little King’s Mountain Gold Street community believe they don’t have a voice when it comes to the future. These are the people who couldn’t afford and didn’t purchase ACA healthcare (opting to pay the penalty tax). These are people who worry more about the price of gas, why energy prices continue to rise, and if social security will afford them a survivable retirement. The back and forth mudslinging and banter does not interest them.

We named our dog Dixie. The name fits her perfectly! And although in light of societal trends denying history because it is “offensive” to an entire generation who were neither there nor understand the full ramifications of the past, I’m not changing my dog’s name. I’m also not abandoning the sound principles of growth, security, and prosperity we have enjoyed for the past two years. I don’t know where we’re going as a country; none of us truly do. I do know it’s painful to see the “swamp drain.”
This is a long blog and I could continue. But I have to go to prepare for work to keep people employed, to make major business capital goods purchases, to insure my organization remains corporately responsible, and to make sure we can make payroll for my 17 employees’ families who depend on American small business. Therefore, I’ll close be quoting the title of a song by great American entertainer, Lee Greenwood:
“God bless the USA.” It looks like we’re going to need it.
Final note: I won’t engage in online debates concerning my beliefs…they are what they are. Life is too short to waste engaging in online arguments. Feel free to fact check me. Sources include online (Google algorithms and all) Reuters, CNN, Fox News & http://www.thebalance.com

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