Oops! Iran Didn’t Fold

Trump faces the same problem in Iran that Putin does in Ukraine. They miscalculated the strength of their victims.

The current inflation rate of 3.8% means that the Federal Reserve will not drop interest rates anytime soon. The 17.9 % in energy costs reflects the 54.3 increase in fuel oil and 28.4 increase in gasoline due to the Blockades in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran survived the attacks by Israel and the U.S. and even has started to repair the damages. They seem uninterested in a settlement, and the cease-fire is threatened. The 2015 Agreement to Freeze Enriched Uranium seems like a good deal now since it was enforced with International Inspectors before Trump cancelled it.

(Unless someone convinces me that would be a mistake.)

Since the Congress hasn’t formally issued a declaration of war since 1942, they apparently must think they are unnecessary any more. We have fought four major wars since then under statutory authority (i.e. passing a law authorizing the use a military force without specifying for what or where). We got mired in Vietnam, the Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq with more or less an open checkbook. The President always had to keep coming back for more money that always was granted. We had to wait until the end (if there was one) to find out the cost – usually in the trillions.

Immigration has been a hot political issue since the 1870’s. The old system was designed to retain ethnic homogeneity by favoring northern and western Europe. Chinese were excluded in a series of acts starting in 1875 and becoming totally restrictive in 1924. The exclusion was not lifted until 1943.

Two major reform acts were approved in 1965 and again in 1986, each becoming more progressive. 1965 saw formal categories for refugees and was more skill-based and family-based qualifications for entry. It altered the political landscape in voting blocs in California, Texas, and Florida.