SCOTUS – The Right Side of History & Florida’s Sweet Sentiment – July 6th, 2023
- On the right side of history. Two days, three landmark decisions and most of the country which believes the current United States Supreme Court is on the right side of history. It’s no secret that the United States Supreme Court is as politicized as it's been in our lifetime. And that starts at the top as President Biden said “this is not a normal court” in his effort to marginalize and delegitimize key decisions made by the high court which didn’t break his way last week. Well, I think it’s safe to say Joe Biden isn’t a normal president. And not being normal isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however in the case of ole’ Joe – . But while President Biden is attempting to define what a “normal court” should be, based on our view of reality, their rulings are exactly where they should be. New polling is out from ABC News/Ipsos which shows the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling has a net positive (those who approve minus those who disapprove) 20% approval rating. The ruling striking down President Biden’s student loan debt forgiveness plan carries a net positive 5% approval rating, and the religious liberty/free speech ruling has a net positive 1% approval rating. While the coverage of these issues commonly paints a different picture than the surveying of the views of Americans suggests, it’s indeed Joe Biden’s world view – and not that of most of the Supreme Court’s justices which we view as abnormal. But it’s about more than just public opinion. It’s also simply a matter of common sense. Should people be discriminated against based on their skin color? Should the President of the United States have the right to spend hundreds of billions of dollars at his discretion without an act of Congress? Should a private business owner be forced to perform business services for something which runs counter to their personal and religious beliefs? Presented simply it’s not that complicated. And who, this side of Joe Biden, really wants to argue that the right side of history is to engage in racial discrimination, end our representative republic in lieu of a dictatorship, and to put an end to free/religious speech? In fact, I think you must be an awful person to think that’s what should be “normal”. According to us, the United States Supreme Court’s decisions are what should be normal, it’s President Biden’s world view that’s not. Speaking of Bidens and views...Hunter Biden’s plea deal...
- Isn’t playing well politically. Most Americans do have a sense of right and wrong and a belief about what punishments should be for crimes that are committed. And while I don’t know where Hunter was when cocaine was recently found in the West Wing, I don’t think there’s any chance that it’s his. If we’ve learned anything from Hunter’s laptop it’s that he’s meticulous about counting and keeping track of his crack (and actually, Hunter was apparently at camp David with his dad at the time of the discovery – which is an interesting place for a just confessed felon to be). But anyway, back to the recently announced plea deal. Rasmussen’s latest polling shows that there’s a net negative 18% approval rating for the recently announced plea deal which if accepted by a judge would amount to little more than a slap on the wrist for not filing taxes, not paying taxes and for illegally obtaining a firearm. That’s a figure that’s double the president’s current net negative approval rating and a clear indication that the Justice Department’s kid gloves treatment of the president’s son isn’t playing well politically. In fact, well over two-thirds of independents disapprove of the arranged plea deal and now 59% of those in the political middle believe that the United States does in fact have a two-tiered justice system. What this indicates is that the lack of confidence in our Justice Department isn’t derived out of some right-wing conspiracy, it’s now the mainstream belief in this country.
- Sweeter sentiment. Consumer spending as opposed to consumer sentiment is the ultimate tell of how good we feel about our personal finances, however improving sentiment is often a key indicator of soon-to-be improving consumer spending and for the second consecutive month Floridians are feeling better than they had been. According to the University of Florida’s monthly consumer sentiment survey our outlook on our personal finances is the best it’s been since October of 2021 – when the impact of 40-year high inflation was just beginning to be felt by most Floridians. While most Floridians say they’re worse off financially compared to a year ago, where we’ve become the most optimistic is our outlook on where the economy will be in five years from now. Florida’s economy has consistently been the top performer in the country. And with improving consumer sentiment on top of high demand by those still seeking to relocate here, there’s every reason to continue to believe that it will continue – at least five years into the future.