Cogport proposes Initiation of a New Amnesty program for Illegal Immigrants. It's been done before. Background Ronald Reagan proposed and passed a law with a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants with the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 . Amnesty for Undocumented Immigrants Offered legal status (and a path to permanent residency and citizenship) to undocumented immigrants who: Had entered the U.S. before January 1, 1982 , and Had resided contin

In early 2024, Cogport did a Six Part Series covering the long term changes in Global temperature and factors (Greenhouse Gases, etc.) that affect the Climate. Summary: Mankind has thrived in a Goldilocks Age of climate with moderate temperatures in a sweet spot – not too cold, not too hot. Over 4 Billion years, the planet has changed from Fire to Snowball Earth to many ranges in between. Here is an update on recent trends on the average annual temperature in the U.S. (con

The previous post reviewed the costs of crude oil and gasoline. The cost of crude has fallen but the national average cost of gasoline has not. The expectation was that lower crude prices would lead to lower gasoline prices. Why hasn’t the price of gasoline declined? The reason presented was the increasing cost of refining oil into gasoline. Refineries in the U.S. are old and capacity is limited – not a new one has been built in 50 years. The expense of maintenance and upgr

In the previous post, Cogport addressed the Affordability Issue on the Price of Beef. We continue that theme with the Price of Gasoline. The policy of “Drill Baby Drill” has worked to increase crude oil supply and reduce prices. The cost of crude oil is down by 21% over the last year. However, the retail cost of Regular Gasoline has not changed. That is referred to as “Sticky Inflation .” The average cost of gasoline is exactly the same as one year ago at $3.05 per gallon.

The issue of Affordability for average Americans has reached center stage. As it should be. Food cost inflation over the last 5 years has been a major issue. Beef is a major component of our nutrition. This post will focus on why the price of beef has risen so much, and how that can change. In 2018, one pound of ground beef averaged $ 3.18 per lb. In 2022, one pound of ground beef averaged $ 5.31 per lb. Today, one pound of ground beef averages $ 6.32 per lb. That is doub

In a post on September 24, 2024 , before the second election of Trump, Cogport.com reviewed the recent history of oil prices in the U.S. Here is a brief summary of that History: Obama (2009-2016) $75 per barrel. Peak Price $109 Trump (2017-2020) $53 per barrel Peak Price $ 70 Biden (2021-2024) $80 per barrel Peak Price $130 You can easily see the major swings in prices between Open and Restrictive Policies. The effect on inflation unde

The Senate is held hostage to a Rule that was not sanctioned by the U.S. Constitution. We are in a record period of government shutdown due to this Rule with Democrats unwilling to pass a Continuing Resolution for funding. What is the Filibuster Rule ? Here is the background history: Prior to 1917 the Senate had no formal mechanism to cut off debate. Senators could hold the floor with continuous speech preventing the vote on a Senate Bill. This was known as a filibuster.

In the last post (October 21), Cogport reviewed the current state of the current Broken Budget Process. We encourage you to read that report for background information. This post will focus on what can be done in the short term and structural reforms for the long term. Current Situation The Government is shutdown due to lack of a Final Appropriations Bill for the 2026 budget for the Fiscal Year that began October 1. Continuing Resolutions have been shut down by Democrats who

We are approaching 3 weeks of Federal Government Shutdown. How did we get in this mess ? We will start with a basic review in plain language of the Federal Budget process. We have added Footnote Citations at the end of this report for more detail on authority for this review. The U.S. Constitution provides minimal guidance on the Federal Budget process. Here are the basics that are provided: Congress has the single authority to raise revenue and decide how it is spen

Many Americans have a perverse notion of the meaning of Free Speech. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights,...

Targeted violence is now encouraged in public speech and on-line. A Quinnipiac Poll just released shows 79% of public believes we are in...

It has taken me a while to compose my thoughts after the shooting of Charlie Kirk. It was a heinous act by a deranged youth. Ironic,...

See Part 1 and 2 of this Series on the Wisdom of Private Enterprise on Cogport.com for background on this report. Why the Government...

In Part 1, Cogport provided an overview of why the Government should not be involved in Private Enterprise. You are encouraged to read...

The U.S. Government has a bad history of attempts to fund and invest in private enterprise for the pursuit of policy. This will be a...

In his wisdom, George Washington feared the effects of Political Parties on the government. It was not long after that Thomas Jefferson...

The Trump – Putin meeting about Ukraine took place on August 15. As expected, nothing of substance happened because no strategy was in place. See my previous report on August 11, The Ukraine-Russia Deadlock. The Statements afterward were brief, and no questions were taken. Trump must have used the word "productive" 10 times. That is a code word meaning no progress. It’s hard to understand why Trump keeps claiming he has a good relationship with Putin. Either he thi

Cogport last reported about the Lagging Federal Reserve on August 2. At that time the Fed did not reduce rates. Member Adriana Kugler had...

Russia first invaded Ukraine on February 20, 2014 , when it began its military operation to seize Crimea during the Obama administration. Obama and the EU conceded to the annexation of Crimea. That was followed by Russia’s support for armed separatists in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions later in 2014. Obama did nothing. During his first term, Trump did nothing. A much larger, full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022 during the Biden administration , when

Last year, Cogport.com posted a summary history of Israel and Palestine going back to the time when Jews were enslaved in Ancient...