Raoul’s Two Cents: February 21, 2025
How Deep Is Deep?
WARNING: Political topic. Move on to the jokes below if you’re not into this.
It’s fascinating to watch the Trump administration clean the “swamp” (My definition of swamp — The sea of corruption where the seemingly untouchable and unreachable political monsters lurk at the bottom). Guilty politicians and shady government employees are understandably up in arms because their illegal activities are being exposed. Surprisingly, not one of the protestors are questioning the veracity of the corruption claims and neither are they happy to save trillions of dollars of our tax money. They are hoping their loud voices will muffle their crimes to America. And equally fascinating are the die-hards who are more loyal to their party than to their country. It’s easy for them to point out the problems and offer no solutions — no sense trying to reason with them.
So my question is how deep should DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) go? Should they stop at kickbacks of one million dollars? Five hundred dollars? A dollar? And what about those who blindly followed orders … orders they knew were questionable?
It’s easy to be self-righteous when the big fish are targeted but what about the little goldfish? I know some people who work for these institutions and I can’t help but be concerned about their livelihood. How are they going to survive? I guess they deserve it, right?
Aren’t we all guilty in some way or another? Haven’t we all tried to circumvent the system by paying as little taxes as possible? I know we’ve justified our actions knowing that our tax dollars were being wasted anyway — but It was still wrong, wasn’t it?
Where do we draw the line for compassion to step in? How will the economy function if tens of millions are out of a job? What if DOGE goes after you?
No, I don’t have an answer for this one. I just thought I’d ask. What do you think? Below are some quotes that may help you wrestle with an answer to this quandry.
TGIF people!
“Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven time.’ — Matthew 18: 21-22
“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.” — Bruce Lee
“When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized that the Lord doesn’t work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me.” — Emo Philips
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” — 2 Corinthians 5:10
“For me, forgiveness and compassion are always linked: how do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and yet at the same time remain in touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed?” — Bell Hooks
JOKE OF THE WEEK
Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, CA
Original art by Raoul Pascual.
Parting Shots
Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, CA
Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA
Thanks to Colleen of Washington State
Thanks to Norm of Encino, CA
Thanks to Joanne of Hacienda Heights, CA
Thanks to Drew of Anaheim, CA
Thanks to Larry of La Habra, CA
Thanks to Maling of New Manila, Philippines
I found these:
My good friend (and jokester) Terry and I came up with these.
Larry
February 25, 2025 at 4:11 pm
Corruption didn’t begin in New York in the late 1800’s.
Corruption of the old school variety or what I grew up with in Chicago under Mayor Daley will always be with us.
People are afraid of Trump upsetting the system. They are afraid of their own shadows, as well.
TGIF
Tom
February 25, 2025 at 4:12 pm
Love your intro. A positive look politically at the deep state. It’s good to see both sides and try to make. It all make sense . And it feels good to smile. Tom
Ed
February 25, 2025 at 4:13 pm
How Deep Is Deep.
We can only look at this from personal experiences.
My father was a career firefighter . He was a city of Seattle government employee, which required city tax money. The salary was low, but the benefits were essential to afford a stay-at-home wife and three children.
Like me, he was very clumsy, once falling off the back of a fire engine. He had paid his dues for the firefighters’ union, often dismissed as socialism, such as social security is today.
It was because of this my family avoided destitution.
Sure, drain the swamp; buy many low incomed need the funds.
Best Joke!
Raoul
February 25, 2025 at 4:17 pm
True.
In the process of cleaning up the swamp, many innocents will suffer. This is why I believe compassion is important. To be so strict in the rules leads to insensitivity. Even Christ gave the woman caught in adultery a break.
I know someone who works for the Pentagon and indeed, she said, they just sign off millions like a rubber stamp. No questions asked. And she works at home. She’s the poster child of the DOGE hit list.
Our parents lived in a different time. The world was a lot simpler then. The rat race didn’t demand the wives to have to work.
It’s interesting that you can trace your clumsiness to your Dad. I can also trace many of my habits to my Dad and Mom.
Glad you liked the joke.
TGIF!
Ed
February 25, 2025 at 4:18 pm
My Dad used to say:
“It’s always the little guy who gets hurt.”
Heather
February 25, 2025 at 4:13 pm
Trump will do a deep dive on this problem and keep on finding more and more cheaters. Thank God for Trump, Vance and Elon. The Three Musketeers!!!!
Rogelio
February 25, 2025 at 4:20 pm
Raoul – you are a good writer and I like the jokes you show here but your worldview of Trump and his blind followers are totally distorted. Sad to see this. Wake up to the facts and the truth.
I will continue to pray for people like you who have been blindsided, gaslighted and fooled. I hope that you don’t use your God-given writing skills to spread more lies and falsehood.
But that is just my view.
Look me up when you are in Manila. Will show you the impact of stopping USAID assistance in the Philippines.
Rogelio
Raoul
February 25, 2025 at 4:24 pm
Thanks for your feedback Rogelio.
I am glad to hear from you even though you may have opposing viewpoints. I really don’t mind. I look forward to a good discussion.
What in particular is wrong with my viewpoints? What is distorted? I know Trump is no saint. But I genuinely want to know where you think I am wrong.
Do you at least agree that there is major corruption in the US government? Do you believe the claims that DOGE is making about the trillions of dollars that are being wasted?
As far as USAID to the Philippines, I am not aware of the kind of aid we are getting. Please tell me what that is. Are you actually benefiting from that? Are you getting the full amount to these programs or is someone pilfering the funds? I remember during the Marcos era he had 10 billion dollars in Swiss accounts. Most of the money came from the tax the US was paying for the military bases. The $ never reached the Filipino population.
DOGE may not be perfect but it’s doing something that previous administrations have promised but never did. It should be expected that there will be collateral damage when you audit these decades-long illegalities.
What better solution would you suggest?
I’m really looking forward to hearing your point of view.
Raoul
Rogelio
February 26, 2025 at 12:25 am
Hi, Raoul,
Sincere apology for my tardy response to your email. I got busy with all the GTG (get-together) from Balikbayan friends and families.
Also, I was thinking that debating the facts and the truth with Trumpers is a waste of time. But something inside me tells me you are different.
First let me address the semi-questions you posed on your reply:
“What in particular is wrong with my viewpoints? What is distorted?” – You are not logically assessing the facts and truth. You have your worldview (opinions and beliefs, and some are faith-based) that is making you jump to conclusions without looking at the facts and the truth. The Trump-world is built on lies, fraud and misinformation.
“Do you at least agree that there is major corruption in the US government?” – I don’t think that there’s a government in this world that is corruption-free. The US government has its share of corruption, no doubt. But the beauty of the democratic government in the US is that there are checks and balances and there are rules of laws. This leads to accountability. This is exactly what Trump wants to eliminate. Why do you think he wants to eliminate it – because he does not want accountability. If he has the fortitude and love of the country like Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew (LKY), a benevolent dictatorship will be fine for a while but he is no LKY. Trump is not only corrupt in running the government but is morally corrupt and unethical. Do you want a nation to be led by a person of this character?
Speaking of Marcos and his billions he stole from the Filipino people – yes, those are facts and the truth. It happened because Marcos instituted dictatorship and removed accountability. Isn’t that precisely what Trump wants to do – eliminate accountability?
“Do you believe the claims that DOGE is making about the trillions of dollars that are being wasted?” – here you go again with jumping to conclusions. DOGE is trying to justify their existence. Yes, a lot of inefficiency exists in the way the government is run. But that is the price we pray for a democratic country. Do you honestly believe that DOGE has the profound method, process and goodness to change the system? Maybe they have good intentions but as the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Power corrupts and absolute power leads to absolute corruption. Musk is not there to do selfless good for the country. Just like Trump, he is doing these things for the money and power – that is their God. Just my viewpoint based on facts and truth I see.
“As far as USAID to the Philippines, I am not aware of the kind of aid we are getting. Please tell me what that is. Are we actually benefiting from that?” – I grew up benefitting from the USAID getting milk and medical services here in the Philippines. I am from a poor family of 13 kids. I understand most of these services (specially the health testing) are going to stop now. I don’t know all the facts, but that is what the government and private sectors here are saying.
“What better solution would you suggest?” – I don’t know the solution to the world’s problems. But one thing I am sure of (and this is just my view), Trump and Musk are not the solution to the problems USA (and the world) have now.
From what I see from your writing, you are a very decent, sincere and Godly man, Raoul. Again, what I hope to happen is that you assess the facts and the truth before making conclusions and writing to your audience about it.
I will keep on praying to the Lord for the enlightenment of all of us and the truth and goodness to prevail in this world.
Sincerely and respectfully,
Rogelio
Raoul
February 26, 2025 at 12:28 am
Good responses, Rogelio. And I’m flattered you think I am different from the other Trumpers. BTW, I don’t consider myself a Trumper in the true sense. I like to think that my eyes are open to his mistakes (and I admit there are a lot of them) and if he does something egregious then I will not defend him for that.
I wish you had been more specific as to what crimes or injustices he had committed instead of blanket statements almost to the point of saying everything he does is wrong. If you get your news from CNN and other mainstream media, many of their claims like the Russian ties, or the rape and payment of women, or the January 6 insurrection, then it’s understandable why you think that way. You must be aware that many of their claims have been debunked. That’s why every single one of them are struggling to survive — more and more people realize they aren’t objective. Hillary was the “author” or the Russian fiasco. Videos are coming out now where the J6 was instigated by the FBI and Nancy Pelosi allowed it to happen. Covid was started at the Wuhan labs sponsored in part by Faucci and Bill Gates. Many more suppressed data are finally coming out.
As I said earlier, Trump is not a saint. If we only elected saints into power, the best of us would not qualify. History has proven that many heroes had their imperfections. JFK was a womanizer, Churchill was a political loser until he rallied England against the Nazis, I’m sure Lee Kuan Yew had his problems as well … many thought he was too extreme. Yet many of these great men (and women) stood up and fulfilled their destiny in their nation’s most critical moments.
Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David — all the Bible heroes had major flaws. American independence was criticized by the loyalists of England. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by liberal thinking Northerners. Cory Aquino and PiNoy had good hearts but lacked leadership. The Philippines missed its chance for greatness. In every revolution there will always be critics.
It’s hard to dismiss the findings of DOGE when they produce the receipts, bank records, tax returns of the criminals — like the ongoing civil war era recipients of Social Security. Again, it’s not perfect but hey, we need to start somewhere.
I agree with you completely that there should be checks and balance because absolute power corrupts. I’m waiting to see how Trump’s team will solve that. Since we don’t have a better solution, at least they’re doing something. The previous administration made things worse. It’ll take years for the Trump administration to fix what Biden destroyed.
I’m glad you were helped by the USAID. I don’t doubt many have benefited from that. I think aid will come back but not in the same name (because of the scandal) and the next time, with more checks and balances. American is still full of charitable people. America needs to repair itself first before they can help others.
Anyway, It’s only been a month and every day something new comes up. The complainers are doing everything they can to save their own skin. Many are resorting to fear mongering. They’re desperately searching for the hot buttons to press in order to recruit sympathizers. So it’s going to be a long path to success. Let’s give the Trump administration a chance. Let’s not throw the “baby out with the bath water.”
There is much to hope for. As scripture says: If God is on our side, who can stand a chance against us?
I’m enjoying this sharing of ideas. Glad you’re one of the thinking subscribers.
Raoul
Rogelio
February 27, 2025 at 4:05 am
Hi, Raoul,
“I wish you had been more specific as to what crimes or injustices he had
committed instead of blanket statements almost to the point of saying
everything he does is wrong. If you get your news from CNN and other
mainstream media, many of their claims like the Russian ties, or the
rape and payment of women, or the January 6 insurrection, then it’s
understandable why you think that way. You must be aware that many of
their claims have been debunked. That’s why every single one of them are
struggling to survive — more and more people realize they aren’t
objective. Hillary was the “author” or the Russian fiasco. Videos are
coming out now where the J6 was instigated by the FBI and Nancy Pelosi
allowed it to happen. Covid was started at the Wuhan labs sponsored in
part by Faucci and Bill Gates. Many more suppressed data are finally
coming out.”
WOW!! (actually, double WOW).
You forgot a few other recent “facts”:
– Haitian immigrants are eating the dogs/cats in Ohio;
– Zelensky is a dictator and Ukraine, not Russia, started the war;
– He will end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours;
– The explosion in NE was done by an illegal immigrant;
– Current uptrend in inflation was caused by Biden;
and some old ones:
– 2020 election was stolen from him;
– There’s a pizza resto in NY where in the basement they eat babies;
– Obama was not born in the USA;
– That the cufflinks he gave Charlie Sheen was a recuerdo and given to him personally by Churchill.
etc. etc. etc.
Enough said.
You are truly and certified Trumper, Raoul.
By the way, I get my news from all sources, including Fox News. But I rely more on international new organizations.
I am sure you will agree with me that this discussion is a waste of time for both of us.
Have a good life, Raoul. I will keep on praying that light shines upon you and you don’t use your God-given writing talents to spread more lies.
Rogelio
Raoul
February 27, 2025 at 4:10 am
Appreciate that you are praying for me.
Some of the issues you brought out are questionable and some I had never heard of. But again, time will tell which are lies.
Rogelio,
I guess you didn’t get my point about everyone having their own problems. And if you can’t offer a solution to stop the corruption, at least Trump is trying something.
If you don’t want to continue the discussion, that’s fine.
Peace and blessings to you.
Raoul
Rogelio
March 2, 2025 at 1:54 am
It is my turn, Raoul, to ask the question – where are you getting your news??
I think Trump (my opinion) is there for himself (power & money). Maybe he may stop the corruption but that is incidental, not the main objective.
I don’t think the almighty God will side with someone that is morally corrupt. Maybe Trump is in power, just like Nebucchadnezer, because of some unknown God’s plans.
Believe it or not, I still admire and like you as a person and writer, but I am honestly dismayed by your belief and blindness.
“Peace and blessings to you.” Thank you, Raoul and likewise to you.
My invitation for you to look me up when you are in the Philippines is always there, sincere and with gratitude. I even have an extra room in my small place for you here in Makati.
Rogelio
Raoul
March 2, 2025 at 1:56 am
Finally have time to respond.
I get most of my news from X (Twitter) and some also from Bill O ‘Reilly (?). In X people from both sides are free to comment and there are occasional fact checkers that pipe in. I think those who criticize X are not interested in hearing other opinions but their own.
Bill honestly admits he is center right in his politics and he has admitted a few times when he made a mistake — something the big networks rarely do unless they are forced to.
Bill proudly calls his channel a “no spin news” because he “tries” to be objective. He’s also a political historian. He’s written several best sellers. He isn’t perfect but he’s better than most.
Trump there for the money:
It’s possible. He’s a narcissist for sure. But I think he genuinely loves America and has a vision of how it should look like. I can’t say the same for Biden who loved his family above all else.
I think the assassination attempt changed him. So let’s pray for what’s best not only for America but for the rest of the world.
I like what u said about Nebuchadnezzar — a narcissist who was humbled by God.
My wife and I reached our destination. So I’ll continue later.
Rogelio
March 4, 2025 at 5:58 pm
I don’t listen to political commentators – right , left or center. I don’t know Bill O’Reilly. Sorry, Raoul.
I don’t get news from social media – just from news organizations – BBC, CNA, AP, NYT, WSJ, PBS, CNN, Fox News, Al Jazeera, etc.
I thought Elon Musk removed the fact-checkers in X when he acquired Twitter. It was supposed to be to promote “free speech.”
From an MIT Study – – – fake news in social media spread/travel seven times faster than true/factual news. PBS study says it is 6 times faster.
Safe travel/driving.