B-Man

CHANGE: ‘No Participation Trophies’: Trump Revamps Performance Reviews for Top Bureaucrats. Performance reviews are about to become much more difficult for the upper echelon of federal government employees. The Trump administration will soon introduce rules to end what the Office of Personnel Management describes as an “everyone gets a trophy” culture permeating the federal workforce, RealClearPolitics is first to report. The ranks of the Senior Executive Service, top bureaucrats serving throughout the government and across administrations, swelled to around 8,000 under President Biden. Most live in Washington, D.C. They typically earn an annual salary between $183,000 and $250,000. An overwhelming majority, 96%, according to an OPM memo, receive above-average performance ratings even as public trust in government continues to crater. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2025/05/01/no_participation_trophies_trump_revamps_performance_reviews_top_bureaucrats__152728.html “Above average” doesn’t mean what it used to.

Something Is Seriously Wrong With Michelle Obama If you had told me just a few years ago that Michelle Obama would be a presidential candidate, I'd have said she was the most formidable opponent the Democratic Party could put up. Yet, as I sit here in May of 2025, I'm not even sure she'd survive a primary, much less be competitive in a general election. Things have changed dramatically, and the spiral is continuing for Barack Obama's wife. Her new podcast has not only bombed in the ratings, but she's been using the platform to dish on her husband and call America racist while showing an astonishing amount of entitlement and lack of self-awareness. It's as if she's going through a mid-late-life crisis, and that includes rather noticeable changes to her appearance. To put it another way, something is seriously wrong with Michelle Obama. Take her latest podcast appearance as a perfect example. When asked about her time in the White House, instead of lauding the immense privilege she enjoyed (and has enjoyed since childhood, when you consider her background), she complained about supposedly having to pay for her own food. OBAMA: Many people don't know, I mean, much is not covered. You're paying for every food, every bit of food that you eat. You know, you're not paying for housing and the staff in it, but everything, even travel, if you're not traveling with the president and the kids are coming on Brightstar, which is the First Lady's plane, we had to pay for their travel. When the Obamas handed over the keys to the White House, they were worth $12 million. Was it really a hardship for them to have to pay for their own food? Does Michelle Obama understand how normal people live? Not only do we pay for our food, but we pay for everything else as well. I couldn't imagine living in the White House rent-free for eight years, complete with a taxpayer-funded army of servants (excuse me...staffers) and ever uttering a complaint about it. That's not to say rich people can't have frustrations, but there's a way to express them without coming across as an ungrateful brat. Again, though, if this were an isolated incident, maybe it could be ignored. But Michelle Obama has become obsessed with painting herself as a victim of America's class system despite firmly being at the top of it. Mix in some accusations of racism, and you've got her current worldview, and it's not pretty or healthy. Understand that this isn't a woman who grew up behind the eight ball. She had good parents who sent her to one of the best high schools in her area. Her college days were spent in the Ivy League. She was given the best jobs. She married a man who became a senator and president. She has two children. Yet, to hear her talk, her entire life has been marred by oppression. The Obamas are currently estimated to be worth around $70 million. America has been extremely kind to them. There is nothing for Michelle Obama to be complaining about. She could be expressing her gratitude to a country that allows anyone to succeed, presenting herself as an inspirational figure for future generations. Instead, she continues to sow division and discord, painting a picture of her life that doesn't begin to match reality. Perhaps the former first lady should try touching grass. She can easily do so by walking out the front door of her massive mansion on Martha's Vineyard. Perspective is a valuable thing, and Michelle Obama has completely lost any semblance of it. https://redstate.com/bonchie/2025/05/04/something-is-seriously-wrong-with-michelle-obama-n2188686#google_vignette

.

What a concept. Portugal announces the expulsion of 18,000 foreigners ahead of a national election Associated Press News, by Staff Portugal’s caretaker government plans to expel some 18,000 foreigners living in the country without authorization, a minister said Saturday in the buildup to a national election. Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro said the center-right government will issue approximately 18,000 notifications to people in the country illegally to leave. The minister said officials will begin next week by asking some 4,500 foreigners to leave voluntarily within 20 days. Portugal will hold an early general election on May 18. https://apnews.com/article/portugal-immigration-election-c491f01613bab2f5342118d288c2903e?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=share

Reminder of where we were 5 years ago. .

Could be very serious news.

Or is this too sacrilegious ? I hope the experts here know.

,

There is a considerable difference. You are simply biased against the truth

Nancy Pelosi and Democrats think voters are stupid, and she said so on PBS of all networks. It's as if she's trying to remind us all why defunding them is a good thing. No, really. We're not making this up, you can see for yourselves: In other words, Nancy and Democrats like her don't think Americans know how to vote. We've lost count of the times we've seen Democrats lecturing women and minorities about being too stupid not to vote against their own best interests. Seems it's basically a party narrative. https://twitchy.com/samj/2025/05/04/pelosi-public-must-know-what-is-in-their-best-interest-n2412331 .

And HE reposted it. . . . . . . . . That's the point !

Papal conclave: Cardinals speak out on challenges new pope will face The process to elect the next pope will begin on May 7. https://abcnews.go.com/International/papal-conclave-cardinals-speak-challenges-new-pope-face/story?id=121445061 Pope Francis' cardinal picks bring new voices to the conclave https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/263817/pope-francis-cardinal-picks-bring-new-voices-to-the-conclave .

Neither did the original picture that The Donald reposted. Yet no one claimed the Obama was sacrilegious. See the Hypocrisy ? Your vendetta on this is so illuminating. You would think that you would realize that someone's faith in God doesn't depend on what an anonymous poser lectures you on the internet.

Since the Pope Francis thread has become overrun with false outrage, I thought that I would start this thread. The papal conclave, to elect the successor to Pope Francis, is scheduled to begin on May 7, 2025. The cardinals will gather in the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City to begin the process. Start Date: May 7, 2025. Location: Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. Purpose: To elect a new Pope. Timing: Conclaves must start 15 to 20 days after the pope's death, which occurred for Pope Francis on April 21, 2025 Who will be the next pope? Conclave 2025 When the world's Catholic cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel on May 7 to elect the next pontiff, eight out of ten will share one primary thing in common: They were all elevated to their rank by Pope Francis. As they gather for what is expected to be the largest conclave in history, the cardinals now face a stark choice: to continue along the path of reform as the trailblazing Francis — of opening the church up to the modern world and making its structures more inclusive — or to initiate a course correction. https://www.ncronline.org/feature-series/conclave-2025/stories Find our coverage of papabile candidates here. https://www.ncronline.org/feature-series/papal-front-runners/stories * Note the National Catholic Reporter is independent, not part of the church.

New York's Budget: Highway Robbery New Yorkers are getting robbed blind. Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state's two legislative leaders announced a budget deal Monday night on how much to tax New Yorkers and how much the state government will spend in the coming fiscal year, which starts June 1. From the smattering of information available, it's likely this deal will necessitate additional tax hikes months from now that could trigger an economic death spiral for the state and its largest city. Here's the kicker. This is a backroom deal, done in secrecy. No press allowed, and none of the other 211 members of the legislature were permitted in the room. New Yorkers are paying through the nose because of this backroom dealing. It allows the state to spend a staggering $254 billion in the coming year. That's more than it costs to run Florida and Texas combined, even though New York has 33 million fewer people to serve. As lieutenant governor, I witnessed this backroom dealing 30 years ago. It prevented lawmakers from doing the right thing. They're still getting sidelined today. State Sen. Tom O'Mara considers the level of spending "reckless," but his voice isn't heard. In fact, there was no Republican in the room. Now that the deal is announced, nine or more bills will be hurriedly printed and put on each lawmaker's desk, along with a "message of necessity" from the governor asking that it be voted on within hours, even in the middle of the night. Unread. Lawmakers will vote with no debate. Like party puppets. This is not representative government. https://hotair.com/betsy-mccaughey/2025/05/04/new-yorks-budget-highway-robbery-n3802377

I see "White House posts AI image of Trump as pope/'I’d like to be pope,' Trump jokingly told reporters this week, soon after attending the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome" (Politico): When asked who should succeed Francis, Trump told a reporter on Tuesday: “I have no preference,” after joking that “I’d like to be pope.” Trump said he himself would be his “number one choice.” He then added: “I must say, we have a cardinal that happens to be out of a place called New York who’s very good.” The AI-generated picture has been met with some amusement as well as criticism, with a large swath of social media users seeing it as a clear insult to the just-deceased pontiff.... Well, it seems pretty simple. Someone asked him who should be the next Pope. He made an offhand comment, which makes some sense, in that he feels capable of running things and he knows himself and doesn't know much about the various cardinals. Then someone made the AI image, and he passed it on because it was funny and provocative. It's something to think about and to distract us from other things. Posted by Ann Althouse https://althouse.blogspot.com/2025/05/trump-as-pope-posted-by-trump-himself.html