The fall of conservative media, and more Governor Brown’s road tax

This past week the most powerful personality in cable news, Bill O’Reilly, was removed from his top-rated Fox News TV program after more than 20 years.

The dismissal followed accusations of sexual harassment and a New York Times expose that drudged up prior claims of the same nature that were said to have been settled for millions of dollars.

Any type of sexual misconduct should never be tolerated, regardless of power, position, or prominence. Every victim deserves to be heard.

Having said that, has anyone else found it odd that the sudden implosion of Fox News and the collapse of several of the most popular right-leaning media personalities have them all falling like dominos?

From Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes to morning show host Gretchen Carlson, to former primetime voices like Megyn Kelly and Greta Van Susteren, to alt-right wildman Milo Yiannopoulos and alt-right internet maven Alex Jones and even up-and-coming viral sensation Tomi Lahren have all taken a tumble.

All of them have bowed out in some way (some forced, some not) from the powerful positons they once held in the public discussion and have either remained in the shadows or have taken lesser roles on platforms somewhere else.

Like clockwork, accusations started yesterday claiming that Fox News commentator Sean Hannity was also allegedly a part of sexual misconduct.

What on earth is going on in the conservative movement?

Recently, the deranged governor of our state pitched a case to all Californians that an additional tax was needed to help repair the horrid roadways that snake through our communities and form our highways.

After several backroom deals, Brown was able to get the majority of lawmakers needed to approve the $52 billion road repair project.

Now maybe I’m just old fashioned, but I coulda swore that my taxes were already promised to said basic government services such as road repair.

Last week I was on Highway 99 and Interstate 5 in the Sacramento and Stockton areas and I can tell you from experience that the miles and miles of those roads are indeed in disarray and are entirely in need of an overhaul.

The problem I have with this new rapidly imposed gas tax that none of us have any power over, is that it’s being established to do something that should already have been done with money we have already paid into the system.

The only two legitimate services I expect of government is to protect us from an enemy and keep our roads paved. That’s it. And they can’t even do that right?

How much more are we willing to let our do-nothing, money hungry state politicians take from us?

Speaking of do-nothing politicians

I would just like to remind everyone that Republicans have control of the House, the Senate and the White House and are still having trouble passing basic bills, least of which was a repeal and replacement for Obamacare.

If you’re still one of those people that thinks that one party is better than the other party, I would encourage you to take a step back and examine how both are quite similar when they have a majority — as in they both have excuses as to why they can’t get things done but still expect you to reelect them.

The next President of France

If politics at home weren’t enough, we all need to be paying attention to the two top candidates for the position of French President, Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron.

We need to be concerned with both candidates because both mean something dramatic for the western world.

A Le Pen presidency means a nationalist, fascist-like leader who is posed to realign the allegiance of France away from the United States and with Russia and at the same time take an isolationist approach abroad.

Macron is a passionate socialist who desires to transform France’s fledgling economy through strange reforms that only a globalist elite would love.

Their economy matters. Their alliance matters. These candidates don’t spell a good outcome for the United States, no matter who the winner is.

Thanks to Lodi and Stockton schools

Last week I spent several days speaking at schools in Lodi and Stockton. It was with great pleasure that I was invited to discuss career options, stories of modern day heroes and how to impact the world in a positive way with rooms full of students in both communities.

It’s always good to come home. It’s even better to be inspired by the hearts and dreams of the young people in that home. Thank you for inviting me.