The Morning Rant: Minimalist Edition

Vice President Vance recently said that the United States was "governed by complete morons" before Donald Trump took office. He was talking about the catastrophe of the Biden administration and their ignorance of the fragility of supply chains, but Gavin Newsom has stepped in admirably to fill in the gaps with not just ignorance, but stunning stupidity!

Californians pay the bills for the federal government.

We pay over $80 BILLION more in taxes than we get back.

Maybe it’s time to cut that off, @realDonaldTrump. pic.twitter.com/lwFHFSgSyJ

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 6, 2025

If that were the only calculation, then anyone who makes more in income than he receives from the federal government could claim the same thing. That is the undeniable reality of a progressive tax system. But is even dumber than that; the Trump administration is threatening to withhold funds from California because they aren't following federal law (Title IX) as currently interpreted. That is a tried and true method for forcing the states to do the federal government's bidding. Remember 55 mph speed limits? And exactly how would California withhold federal tax payments? Order every business to stop withholding federal taxes from their employees' paychecks, and instead send the funds to the state? That's...nuts! Tit-For-Tat simply doesn't work.

Bessent condemns Newsom's 'dangerous' threat to withhold $80B in federal taxes amid trans athlete controversy

If the California governor were to follow through with his threat, Bessent said in a Sunday post on X that it would constitute tax evasion.

Newsom's plan would defraud American taxpayers while leaving California residents on the hook for any unpaid federal taxes, the treasury secretary wrote.

Governor @GavinNewsom is threatening to commit criminal tax evasion.

His plan: defraud the American taxpayer and leave California residents on the hook for unpaid federal taxes. (1/3) https://t.co/fn7ch7WwoC

— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) June 8, 2025

It is of course just bluster, and Treasury Secretary Bessent does an admirable job of making Newsom look like the idiot that he is. But the lack of seriousness is becoming a recurrent theme in California and many other blue states. The hilariously confused charge that there are no riots, but they were made worse by President Trump's mobilization of the National Guard, is an excellent example of the clownish fools we have in many positions of power. A United States senator advocating for more riots to combat ICE's legal activity to protect America from criminal aliens? Or the house minority leader threatening to expose federal agents?

Obviously these people have become complacent over the last generation; they have a compliant media that are unwilling to examine critically even the most outrageous and idiotic pontifications. They have carte blanche to say the most ridiculous things, and advocate for blatantly illegal policies, because the 4th Estate are 100% in the bag for them.

Yet in the grand scheme, this is a good thing. The monopoly that the mainstream media had is no longer extant, and the American people have access to both the stupidity emanating from the political class AND they can see the underlying facts. That is a big reason why Donald Trump is president, and it is an encouraging sign that the titanic shift that so many are predicting may actually occur.

[Crossposted at CutJibNewsletter and X/Twitter] And the Apple and Spotify feeds for CJN's podcast should be working!

posted by CBD at 11:00 AM

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