Governor Ron DeSantis
Governor Ron has decided to ban any mask-wearing in Florida public schools and to ensure his message is received, threatened to withhold school funding for that district if they implement a mask-wearing ban. It appears that Ron is doing the opposite of what he’s complained about in the past. Wasn’t Ron the individual who chastised the federal government for mandating mask-wearing? Isn’t he issuing a state mandate in the opposite direction of mask-wearing? Regardless of the level of the mandate, a mandate is still a mandate.
Ron DeSantis also complains that the federal government makes declarations on proposed mask-wearing when that government is a thousand miles away in D.C. He’d like it to be more decentralized, and I get his point. Those closer to the issue may be better equipped and locally informed to handle this health crisis. Taking that logic further, wouldn’t local governments and local school boards be more decentralized than that directive coming from Tallahassee? But no, DeSantis has threatened to without aid if local school districts mandate mask-wearing in schools.
If local school officials want to ensure to promote safety as much as possible, what’s wrong with having each school district decide individually how they’ll handle this issue? Aren’t school officials in a better position to make that decision?
A bully governor might say he’s banning the use of masks in schools as and what I say goes – again, make his threats to local school districts. Wouldn’t a more conciliatory tone as Governor be to allow all local school districts the power to decide individually? But no, that’s not Ron’s MO. By staking this harsh position, he’s not only preaching to the Trump base but he’s also risking the increased threat of COVID-19 to the state of Florida and beyond.
I read today that roughly half of the Florida school districts are mandating face masks in schools. How will the current Governor handle this policy as about half of districts deciding to go against the directive and decide in lieu of children’s safety to make masks mandatory in those districts?
It Didn't Take Nikki Long...
A few days after Biden’s decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, Nikki Haley said this is a foreign policy blunder we haven’t seen in many years. If you follow Nikki since leaving the Trump administration after nearly two years, any time there’s an opportunity to comment on our current foreign policy, Ms. Haley is not shy about getting some publicity. Does one wonder if her lack of experience in this space compels her to overcompensate by interjecting her comments about current foreign policy?
It’s a slam dunk, most Republicans and many Democrats on the Hill are upset by the way Biden’s foreign policy decisions affect our commitment to Afghanistan. It’s interesting and not surprising with all the negative press towards the Biden administration but at the same time, I haven’t heard recently what Nikki’s approach would be for Afghanistan if she were president. It’s certainly easier to criticize than it is to come up with something on eliminating our 20-year involvement in this war. That certainly doesn’t deter her from speaking out against this latest policy. It appears to be her regular responses to foreign policy issues may confirm her goal of gaining more foreign policy experience, even while she’s no longer in government. It’s worth mentioning that policy scholars claim she needs more foreign policy exposure and knowledge before being better prepared for a potential 2024 Presidential run.
The Headlines in the Huffpost on 082621: Nikki Haley condemns Biden’s Taliban Negotiation, Ignores Trump Did It Too
Nikki Haley condemns Biden’s Taliban negotiation but ignores the fact that the Trump administration began the process of negotiating with the Taliban 3 months before she announced her resignation as U.N. ambassador in October 2018.
Nikki tweeted: To have our Generals say that they are depending on diplomacy with the Taliban is an unbelievable scenario. Negotiating with the Taliban is like dealing with the devil.But which administration (that you were part of) negotiated the withdrawal of U.S. troops with the Taliban around July of 2018?
One more comment here, if Nikki Haley indeed feels she needs more foreign policy experience, then why did she quit her United Nations gig after less than 2 years? And during an interview on CBS on Sunday, Nikki said, “We made sure that we kept terrorism at bay and that we came from a strength of position.” She’s describing the Trump foreign policy although facts don’t lie, she served for about 22 and ½ months as a U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Less than 2 months after leaving the Trump Administration it was announced that Haley had been nominated to the board of directors of Boeing (which lasted about 13 months). Does this paint of picture of someone who’s qualified to be our commander in chief?