CIVIC CENTER
Community Action
Civic Association
BY FRANK VERNUCCIO
This past year was fraught
with disappointment. There
was, prior to its commencement,
a reasonable expectation
of optimistic outcomes
for 2021.
The Trump administration
had, in record time, produced
a vaccine that attacked
COVID. It had achieved, for
the fi rst time in decades,
American energy independence.
The economy was, before
the pandemic hit, booming,
and the path to returning
to unparalleled prosperity
afterwards was evident. The
labor force participation rate
had reached levels not seen in
more than half a century. For
Black and Latino workers,
unemployment was at record
lows. Peace in the Middle East
was blossoming. North Korea,
which prior to 2017, had
been at the brink of war, had
calmed down.
There were challenges, of
course. Progressive-inspired
riots by BLM and Antifa
plagued the nation. Iran continued
with its nuclear program.
Leftist district attorneys,
supported by blue-state
legislation such as bail reform
and underfunded police
departments, allowed crime
to fl ourish within their jurisdictions.
The national descent that
occurred following the Biden
inauguration was, in its
breadth and depth, devastating
and indeed unnecessary.
The shutdown of the Keystone
XL pipeline, and other
assaults on energy production
was irrational, particularly
since all it did was increase
reliance to nations that
were in some cases either not
friendly or downright hostile
to the West.
During the 2020 presidential
campaign, Progressives
produced innuendos that the
COVID vaccine was somehow
unsafe, particularly for minority
voters. That left many
to refuse to take the preventative
shot, a problem still prevalent
in poor communities.
The threat of increased
regulation, higher taxes, and
a White House hostile to free
enterprise worked as a heavy
weight on an economy that
should have snapped back following
the conclusion of the
worst of the pandemic.
The new president’s apparent
weakness has led to Russian,
Chinese and terrorist
adventurism, much as it had
during the Obama-Biden era.
On the Southern border,
the White House’s words and
deeds encouraged massive illegal
immigration, including
individuals connected to
criminal drug and human
traffi cking cartels, as well
as people infected with COVID.
The dilemma was compounded
by unannounced,
nighttime fl ights spreading
these folks across the nation.
The utterly botched withdrawal
from Afghanistan
served as an example of the
Podium at the White House. Photo | Getty
Biden administration’s penchant
for unnecessary tragedy.
Both Democrats and
Republicans supported the
concept of ending America’s
participation in the confl ict,
but envisioned both an orderly
retreat as well as the
strategically vital necessity of
leaving a small residual force,
presumably at the Bagram
Air Force Base — a particularly
strong base.
Biden repeated the identical
mistake he made as vice
president, when, as the Obama
administration’s point man
on the Middle East, he hastily
and totally withdrew all U.S.
forces from Iraq without a residual
force. This disastrous
error directly led to the establishment
of the ISIS caliphate,
which the subsequent Trump
administration had to deal
with, fortunately, with great
success. In an inexplicable act
of immorality, Biden failed
to evacuate many Americans
and American supporters before
his unseemly exit. Adding
to the tragedy was the
absurd failure to withdraw
a fortune in military equipment,
providing a windfall of
arms to the very organization
that were responsible for the
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
There is a central theme
to these domestic, economic
and foreign policy missteps.
All administrations make errors
of judgment and strategy
when under pressure.
But the Biden White House
was under no such compulsion.
It enjoyed an exceptionally
friendly media, and its
party controlled both houses
of Congress. America’s robust
energy production was
an exceptional asset. Other
than the ravages of COVID,
the economy was fundamentally
strong. Illegal immigration
had been sharply reduced
through successful policies.
The military had been revitalized.
These benefi ts were rapidly
dismantled by ineptness,
stubbornness and an excess of
partisanship.
BY AL D’ANGELO
I don’t know about you, but
I’m tired of the blame game.
The President of the United
States recently called Americans
who disagreed with
him “domestic enemies” and
liken them to slave owners
and segregationists. From
his fi rst day in offi ce, he has
labeled Trump voters “white
supremacists” and “domestic
terrorists.” This coming
from the person who was supposed
to be the great unifi er.
The present administration
has gone so far as to
blame the rise in prices and
the shortages in stores on
price gouging. Anyone in favor
of voter ID is labeled a
racist, even though 80% of
the population both Black
and white are in favor of it.
Remember when Trump
claimed the 2020 election was
not conducted fairly? He was
demonized by the media the
Democratic Party and many
in the Republican Party. Why
then is there no outrage when
the present president and
vice president make statements
casting doubt on the
legitimacy of the upcoming
2022 election. Why is it not
racist to have to show your
vaccine card and a picture ID
to eat in a New York City restaurant
but requiring voter
ID is?
Is there anything unifying
about this type of rhetoric?
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J 36 JAN. 28-FEB. 3, 2022 BTR
At a recent press conference,
he blamed Republicans
for stopping his agenda. The
Democratic Party controls
the presidency, the House and
the Senate. Maybe it’s time
to rethink his policies so his
own party can get on board.
Our political system has deteriorated
into the blame game,
a system which divides us
rather than unites us and, as
a result, who suffers, we do.
We have illegal aliens
fl ooding our shores, we have
crime running rampant in
our cities, we have rising infl
ation and a rising homeless
rate. It’s time to stop the blaming
and work together for the
citizens of this country. It
shouldn’t be about party, it
should be about country and
our politicians in both parties
seem to have forgotten
this.
CIVIC CENTER
Morris Park
Civic Association
BY TONY SALIMBENE
Feb. 6 is 4 Chaplains Sunday,
a touching story of a
WW2 ultimate sacrifi ce and
an American Legion tradition.
Form up 10: 30 a.m. at St.
Benedict for an 11 a.m. Mass.
Brunch to follow.March 13
is the St. Patrick’s Day Parade
this year, stepping off
at East Tremont and Lafayette
avenues, promptly at 12
noon. Form up is 11-11:30 a.m.
with all of our comrades.The
third Sunday in February
will be our regularly scheduled
Post 253 meeting. Some
coffee at 10:30 a.m., meet at
11 a.m., light lunch and cash
bar at noon. That’s at American
Turners NY. Please remember
our commitment to
Boys State, a most valuable
Legion program. Support
the Troops packages closing
in on 10K sent. Until Next
Time: Whatever is going on
these days, pray for our police
offi cers.“To maintain law
& order.” -The American Legion.
CIVIC CENTER
Korony Post 253
VISIT US AT BXTIMES.COM
/BXTIMES.COM