Project 21: New Visions

Last month when TRANSCOM (United States Transportation Command) pulled back its $7 billion contract award to Norwegian subsidiary American Roll on Roll off Carrier (ARC) taxpayers breathed a sigh of relief. The contract had been awarded on April 30 in the midst of COVID-19 to overhaul the domestic and international household good’s relocation system for over 350,000 U.S. military servicemembers. The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) put out the bid for the Global Household Goods Contract (GHC) to "transform" the way the military moving system operates. Presently there is a labyrinthine process involving nearly 50 separate DOD offices which hire private ...
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Put quite simply, too many black Americans are financially unprepared to retire. A mix of poor economic conditions, distrust of institutions and an overall lack of planning affects all Americans. But studies show black Americans are impacted harder. So any impediment to their ability to build retirement security that is identified and yet still allowed to continue unabated is a disservice to black lives. That’s why the Trump administration’s proposed rule clarifying the “investment duties” of certain pension plan managers matters. It addresses a clear and present financial danger in which too many fund managers are making investment decisions for ...
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In the wake of George Floyd’s death, America has been presented with a false narrative about blacks and law enforcement. Elite progressive voices have pushed a radical idea: Law enforcement is the embodiment of bigotry in America and that “defunding” or even banning the police department is the solution that blacks want most. But nothing could be further from the truth, as I explain in Chapter 4, “Stop or I’ll Shoot,” of “How Trump is Making Black America Great Again.” It turns out that black Americans are as interested in law and order as the rest of the country, if ...
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George Floyd’s murder was a horrific crime, and it has literally changed the world. But we need to take a moment to calm ourselves. We must reflect on our goals for fixing law enforcement problems before letting radical activists take control of the criminal justice reform agenda. That’s because — in the wake of the memorial services, protests and riots — there has been a steady call for changing the police by defunding them. On the June 14 edition of “Face the Nation,” an interview with Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best was prophetically titled “Policing will never be as it ...
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While I don’t often find myself agreeing with Jesse Jackson, I applaud his support of a pipeline to bring affordable natural gas to the predominantly minority and low-income farming community of Pembroke Township, Illinois. As a black conservative who opposes Jackson on issues from racial preferences to economic policy to protecting our ballots from needless risks under the guise of voting rights, I think he’s courageous for breaking with the liberal establishment and radical environmentalists to help this struggling community benefit from affordable energy. Rising above the political fringe, Jackson said about hooking up the rural community south of Chicago ...
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Americans of all stripes recoiled at the video of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Elected officials all across America have condemned this needless act of violence. But many in the media, and activists across the land have gone further encouraging us to march and protest — implying that sitting on the sidelines is in some way complicity in Mr. Floyd's demise. CNN's Don Lemon compared the rioters to the Boston Tea Party. After looters broke into an Old Navy, Nordstrom, and Banana Republic, Seattle City Councilman Teresa Mosqueda said she "understood it." Standing in front of a burning building, ...
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The Coronavirus pandemic has completely upended the 2020 election cycle in a myriad of ways. The novel virus and social distancing have made traditional campaigning with handshakes, baby-kissing, and massive indoor and outdoor rallies practically impossible. As a result, the presidential campaigns have become virtual, especially in the case of presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. COVID19 has relegated the Biden campaign to doing media interviews and townhalls events from his makeshift basement studio in Wilmington, Delaware. President Trump has, of course, suspended the huge rallies he made famous during his 2016 campaign, but because he is the President and has ...
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released an 1,800-page wish list of left-wing spending priorities that will cost future generations of American taxpayers at least $3 trillion. In less than a week, she brought it to the House floor and rushed to pass it. Thomas Sowell once called schemes like these examples of liberalism’s “unconstrained vision” —untethered from reality.  Whatever the case, the lefts ’answers to the thorny questions presented by the COVID-19 crisis remain true to form: more government control, more government spending, more national debt. Across the board, these are the wrong answers. Pelosi’s HEROES Act is an unserious proposal ...
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Grim news reports have begun to emerge from the Middle East. Yes, they refer to the same topic that dominates the headlines in the US: the spread of COVID-19. But these headlines have an added, dangerous element: military leaders are growing concerned about COVID-19 leading to a resurgence in the strength of ISIS and other terrorist groups. In war-torn Syria, the government is concerned about the makeshift prisons that house tens of thousands of ISIS fighters. The guards—already overwhelmed, under-staffed, and under-resourced—do not know how they will manage a virus outbreak in the prison. They themselves may become infected, and ...
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When California governor Gavin Newsom pointedly notes the political opportunity provided by the pandemic, we should stop, look up and listen. At a virtual press conference April 2,  Newsom spoke of ushering in a new “progressive era” saying, “Absolutely, we see this as an opportunity to reshape the way we do business and how we govern.” Local governments across the nation have responded to the opportunity by doing the unthinkable: freeing criminals. Adherence to the American social contract means compliance when government asks us to limit personal liberties and means of supporting ourselves to protect the vulnerable. Consequently, law-abiding citizens are actually harming themselves ...
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A Seattle patient just became the first American to receive a potential breakthrough vaccine for COVID-19. That vaccine -- developed by Moderna, a Massachusetts biotech start-up -- is one of several experimental coronavirus vaccines and treatments that pharmaceutical firms are developing around the country. The industry's lightning-fast reaction is a testament to the ingenuity of America's scientists -- and the dynamism of America's drug-development system. And it's a reminder that Washington's ongoing effort to defund pharmaceutical innovation puts millions of lives at risk. To say that drug firms have moved quickly to combat this pandemic is an understatement. In the nearly three months ...
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Last fall as Americans joyously celebrated the new retail hybrid holiday of Halloween and Thanksgiving, the very first cases of novel coronavirus appeared in China’s Hubei province. If the Chinese were aware, or were willing to share information on the new illness, the situations in South Korea, Italy and Iran would perhaps be very different. Instead, the virus was allowed to spread unchecked for nearly two months, before the tightly controlled communist Chinese government would go on to share information with the World Health Organization. On Dec. 31, the WHO and China Center for Disease Control quietly issued an outbreak ...
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In his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump heralded a “blue-collar boom” he called “relentlessly pro-worker” and “pro-growth.” Crediting this to sensible regulation, he proclaimed America to be a “place where the action is,” adding that “our nation’s manufacturing might” is yielding historic low unemployment for chronically disadvantaged groups including blacks, Hispanics, women and those without advanced educations. Before his address, he announced what could be his most significant regulatory step with a proposed White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) rule to reform the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Project 21 black leadership network has submitted a public comment to ...
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Trump has kept several of his most important campaign-trail promises President Trump’s base cares about immigration more than any other issue. Fifty-nine percent of Trump voters named “immigration” as a top-three issue in a recent Harvard/Harris poll. By comparison, just 35 percent listed “terrorism/national security” and only 29 percent said “the economy and jobs.” If even a fraction of these voters feel Mr. Trump hasn’t delivered on the immigration reform promises he made in 2016, they may stay home in November — and cost him a second term. So, how’s the president doing on his signature issue? Let’s take a ...
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An obscure organization — the Arnold Foundation — has been cheerleading a series of changes to cash bail nationwide. Its supporters claim that being required to post-bail hurts the working poor and minorities disproportionately. They also argue that in most instances bail isn’t even needed. They are wrong. Bail isn't useful, it is essential. Society will either warehouse every accused defendant prior to trial (at considerable taxpayer expense) or allow them to post a bond promising to show up for trial. We can't simply let them go after an arrest with just their promise to appear. But that's the Arnold ...
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It’s hard to believe that the overwhelming majority of Americans — whether or not they were ever partisan — haven’t formed an opinion by now about the state of our national politics. After all, we’ve all been forced to endure years of various accusations and investigations that recently culminated in the impeachment and failed prosecution of President Donald Trump. And, even after a moderate Senate acquitted the president on the articles of impeachment brought against him by the angry liberals running the U.S. House of Representatives, it seems that there may be no end in sight for this nonsense. Those ...
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Trump Administration detractors often accuse the administration of issuing controversial policy directives whenever they want to deflect attention away from the latest media generated controversy. Of course, the latest media generated controversy is this sham impeachment trial in the Senate where the President is being charged with obstruction of Congress and abuse of power. The controversial policy announcement? The end of so called “birth tourism.” The White House issued this statement on Thursday: Beginning January 24, 2020, the State Department will no longer issue temporary visitor (B-1/B-2) visas to aliens seeking to enter the United States for “birth tourism” – ...
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As we celebrate the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, I am convinced he would look favorably on the gains made by African Americans during the Trump administration. Today we have record low unemployment, prison reform, greater faith-based outreach and permanent funding for historically black colleges and universities. King was a strong advocate for the economic and social advancement of black people. Under President Trump, these goals are being realized. Yet I think King would be puzzled and disappointed by the growth of hatred amid all this success. In particular, I believe he would be profoundly disturbed about ...
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A common criticism of President Trump is that his presidency is a threat to civil rights. It is, but not because of anything he or his supporters have said or done. The real threat to civil rights comes from the environment his opponents have created. When my conservative black family members get together, the concerns about the Trump era that we discuss are about how liberal disregard for common decency and the rule of law could usher in a new era of Jim Crow laws. In the recent debate over Trump’s impeachment, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), a high-ranking liberal sometimes suggested ...
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The American economy is growing rapidly, unemployment is at historic lows and job opportunities are everywhere. We can all agree it is a terrific time for Americans looking to enter the workforce. But when the Trump administration recently finalized a rule that simply holds states accountable to the bipartisan 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, commonly known as President Bill Clinton’s signature welfare reform, there was a flurry of outrage and hyperbolic headlines claiming otherwise. Disingenuous media reports and misrepresentations by many politicians have led many Americans to believe President Donald Trump is taking away critical Supplemental Nutrition Assistance ...
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