I invite civil, bipartisan discussion on this post.

Today I want to talk about a theory known as the Veil of Ignorance and see how it can be applied with the United States’ recent actions towards immigrants. 

The theory of the Veil of Ignorance was proposed in a 1971 book by John Rawls called simply, A Theory of Justice, where he lays out his view of how a group should form a political and economic structure focusing on justice in society.

To simplify it significantly, we should look at our social, economic, and political landscape and determine if it is fair by assuming we do not know which person we are – rather as if you were shrouded in a Veil of Ignorance about your race, gender, ability, wealth, etc.  According to Rawls, this would make you more prone to choosing policies that advocated fairness in society.

This is one of my favorite thought experiments related public policy.

As you read the details on immigration below, I challenge you to think about every one of these situations as if you were behind a Veil of Ignorance.  If these situations could happen to you, would you really still continue to consider them to be fair and just?

Who is being targeted?

Back in May, the Trump administration ended TPS protections for Afghans.  According to the administration, conditions in Afghanistan have improved enough since the U.S. withdrawal that it is no longer warranted for them to have legal status in the United States.  This includes people who helped the U.S. occupation in their home country and would undoubtedly be targeted by the ruling Taliban.  A man who helped the U.S. was detained after what should have been a routine green card appointment.  This person has followed immigration law, was approved for humanitarian parole due to threats from the Taliban, and was working to become a permanent legal citizen.

A few weeks ago, it was reported that roughly 200 workers had their visas revoked at a JBS plant in Ottumwa.  We don’t know the full details of each employee, but according to Zach Nunn, many of these workers were under the CHNV program (Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela Program) which was abruptly cancelled by the DHS in the Trump Administration.  These are people who entered the country legally and began working in the United States.

Venezuelans were allowed to enter due to political unrest. Haitians were allowed to enter due to a devastating earthquake and subsequent violence.  Nicaraguans and Cubans were similarly allowed due to increasing oppressive conditions in their home countries.

Are American Citizens facing consequences?

U.S. Citizens have also been getting caught up in raids with a recent video showing a man being arrested and told he has no rights, despite being a citizen.  Lawsuits have accused the Trump Administration of race based detentions, and now the administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow targeted detentions based on race.  On top of that, Donald Trump himself has clearly said on numerous occasions that he has considered deporting American Citizens.

 

What is happening to them?

A few weeks ago Donald Trump took a trip to visit a new ICE facility in Florida which has been dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” combined with new funding in the Budget Bill for ICE Detention Centers of $45 Billion.  More recently, there is a new facility set to open called the “Speedway Slammer” in Indiana.

There have been numerous reports of overcrowding, reports of medical neglect, reports of unsanitary conditions, and one of the deadliest years in recent history for ICE detainees.  Yesterday, after many of these stories have come out, a judge ordered that an ICE facility in New York must improve conditions for those detained within.

As reports of poor conditions in ICE facilities rise and new detention facilities are added, we would hope for adequate oversight of the facilities to ensure humanitarian conditions.  However, in June, the Department of Homeland Security put new restrictions on members of congress requiring a 72-hour notice in order to visit an ICE immigration facility despite Congress having the right to inspect detention centers without notice.

Many immigrants are also being deported to countries they are not from.  The Administration now has agreements with Eswatini, South Sudan, Rwanda, El Salvador, and others.

 

If we could look at these decisions behind the Veil of Ignorance, would we truly consider these actions to be just and fair to those involved?

 

Sources:

Original position – Wikipedia

John Rawls – Wikipedia

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-theory-of-justice-john-rawls/1131131419

Trump administration ends TPS protections against Afghan deportations

Timeline of U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan – FactCheck.org

Trump’s immigration moves put Afghans who helped with US airstrikes against Taliban in limbo | AP News

Afghanistan: Relentless Repression 4 Years into Taliban Rule | Human Rights Watch

Former Afghan interpreter for U.S. military detained by ICE after routine immigration appointment | WBUR News

Advocates, officials call for release of Afghan man arrested by ICE in CT | Connecticut Public

Ottumwa mayor: JBS tells workers visas are revoked, must leave US

Get the Facts: What triggered an immigration status change for 200-plus JBS workers in Ottumwa?

DHS Issues Notices of Termination for the CHNV Parole Program, Encourages Parolees to Self-Deport Immediately | Homeland Security

Supreme Court allows Trump to revoke protected status for thousands of Venezuelans

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/haiti-crisis-what-know-president-violence-government-rcna143000

Setting the Record Straight on CHNV – Refugees International

A U.S. citizen detained by Border Patrol captured his arrest on camera | Miami Herald

Trump administration sued for allegedly targeting brown-skinned people in Southern California | AP News

Trump administration asks Supreme Court to lift limits on ICE patrols – Los Angeles Times

Trump hopes to deport and jail U.S. citizens abroad : NPR

https://www.npr.org/2025/07/01/nx-s1-5453078/trump-alligator-alcatraz-visit-migrant-detention-center

https://time.com/7299360/big-beautiful-bill-trump-ice-immigration/

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2025/08/06/speedway-slammer-indiana-alligator-alcatraz-kristi-noem-mike-braun-miami-correctional/85540808007/

https://apnews.com/article/immigration-miami-deportation-detention-ice-67a6c798b56ea4b42ee06afcc8c22428

https://www.wired.com/story/ice-detention-center-911-emergencies/

https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2025/03/27/miami-ice-facility-overcrowding-poor-conditions

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/30/us-ice-detention-deaths

Trump Administration Ordered To Fix ‘Serious Threat’ Conditions at NYC ICE Facility – Newsweek

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-administration-puts-new-limits-congress-visits-immigration-centers-2025-06-19/

https://www.axios.com/2025/06/20/trump-ice-visits-congress-restrictions

This Isn’t Just deportation. – Politically Rational

US sends 5 men to Eswatini under Trump administration’s deportation program | AP News

South Sudan says US deportees are in government’s care | Reuters

Rwanda accepts up to 250 deportees from the US under Trump’s third-country plan | AP News

El Salvador offers to accept deportees from US of any nationality, including Americans | AP News

Here’s Where Trump’s Deportations Are Sending Migrants | Council on Foreign Relations

Whether you choose to enjoy your holiday by going to a parade, watching fireworks, attending a community festival, grilling, or just enjoying a quiet day off from work, I would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Fourth of July.

I started this page (and website) to try to bring discussion back into politics.  I firmly believe that it is essential for us to be able to speak civilly and candidly to one another about the issues facing us.  We should be able to have an open conversation and ask questions, even hard questions, without immediately devolving into hatred and yelling at one another.

I hear a lot of people talk about how divisive the United States has become, and I have to agree that recently it feels like we are moving further apart than any time I can remember, but we should also recognize that there has been disagreement in America longer than it has even been a country.

There was disagreement on whether we should declare independence.

The First Continental Congress convened in 1774 to talk about how to respond to perceived overreach by the British Monarchy in the wake of the Boston Tea Party. At the conclusion of their meeting in 1774, they decided to meet again in 1775 if the Intolerable Acts were not repealed.

By the time the Declaration of Independence was signed, the colonies had already been at war with Britain for over a year as the battle of Lexington and Concord was in April 1775.

When we learn history, we often speak from a unified perspective – saying things like the colonists rebelled, or the 13 colonies stood together to take on the British Empire.  In reality, many colonists did not believe independence was required – that is why essays like Thomas Paine’s Common Sense were necessary to convince enough of the population to fight.  There are also numerous examples of essays written against a fight for independence, like James Chalmers’ Plain Truth, which was written in opposition to Thomas Paine’s work and talked about the necessary stability provided by the British Monarchy.

In the end, many American colonists were loyalists, estimated at between 15-20% of the white population, while 40-45% of the white population were patriots who supported the fight for independence.  This leaves around 35-45% of the population who were on the fence about the American Revolution.  As the British promised freedom to slaves who fought for them in the Revolution, they are often not included in such figures.

There was disagreement culminating in the Civil War.

Slavery was a contentious issue in the United States from the very beginning.  At the Constitutional Convention, the George Mason and Governeur Morris argued against slavery while Charles Pickney and John Rutledge were in favor of the practice.

As the economy shifted toward industrialism in the North and towards agriculture in the South, the invention of the cotton gin in the late 1700s increased the importance of slavery in the South.  In the wake of the Mexican-American War, the United States annexed a lot of new land in the West leading to questions about whether slavery would be allowed in these new territories.  With increased northern opposition to slavery and increased southern dependence on slavery, it was becoming impossible to reach a political compromise on the issue.

When Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas debated leading up to the U.S. Senate election for Illinois in 1858, Lincoln was clear that he considered slavery to be morally wrong and must ultimately disappear in the United States.  Honest Abe lost the election in 1858.

When he won the presidency just two years later, he won without winning a single Southern State. With his victory and stance on slavery, Southern states believed they would have no say in how they were governed and opted to secede.  While this is partially based on the idea that the state would not have its own rights, reading the secession documents for South Carolina and Mississippi make clear that the key issue was the state not having the right to allow slavery.

There was disagreement during:

• The Jim Crow Era
• The Civil Rights Movement
• The Vietnam War
• The War on Terror

There remains disagreement today, and there always will be.  That doesn’t mean we have to hate one another for it.

 

I invite civil, bipartisan discussion on this post.

 

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Continental_Congress

Intolerable Acts – Wikipedia

Boston Tea Party – Definition, Dates & Facts | HISTORY

Declaration of Independence: A Transcription | National Archives

April 19, 1775 – Minute Man National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)

How Thomas Paine’s ‘Common Sense’ Helped Inspire the American Revolution | HISTORY

Plain Truth (pamphlet) – Wikipedia

Loyalist (American Revolution) – Wikipedia

How Enslaved Men Who Fought for the British Were Promised Freedom | HISTORY

George Mason | Founding Father, Virginia Statesman | Britannica

Forgotten Founders: Gouverneur Morris | Constitution Center

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Pinckney_(governor)

https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/john-rutledge/

Cotton gin | Definition, Inventor, Eli Whitney, Impact, & Facts | Britannica

Mexican–American War – Wikipedia

Lincoln-Douglas Debates – Background, Summary & Significance

1860 United States presidential election – Wikipedia

South Carolina

Mississippi

The United States has bombed Iran.

I long for days of peace and understanding worldwide.

This seems like a good time for a reminder that Donald Trump took the United States out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) designed to limit Iran’s ability to acquire a nuclear weapon. As he carried out this action, there were privileged bills in Congress to require the President to get their approval before carrying out such a strike.

Donald Trump made two major claims against the JCPOA:

• The United States was giving Iran billions of dollars
• Iran was not upholding their side of the deal

The money Iran was able to use due to this deal was actually Iranian funds that had been frozen by sanctions, not money sent from the United States’ funds to Iran.  According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran was maintaining compliance with the JCPOA.

I invite civil, bipartisan discussion on this post.

 

Sources:

BREAKING: US launches attack against Iranian nuclear sites | Fox News Video

President Donald J. Trump is Ending United States Participation in an Unacceptable Iran Deal – The White House

What was in the Iran nuclear deal and why did Trump withdraw the US from it? – ABC News

Congress mulls war powers as Trump considers strike in Iran

Roll Call Factba.se – Speech: Donald Trump Addresses Iran Strategy – October 13, 2017

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/13/us/politics/trump-iran-nuclear-deal.html

PolitiFact | $150 billion is high-end estimate for Iranian assets gained after nuclear deal

GOV/2017/48 – Verification and monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran in light of United Nations Security Council resolution 2231 (2015)

I do not believe Donald Trump is a king in the United States today.

Last weekend, I went to the “No Kings” protest at the Des Moines Capitol Building.  My pictures are here and here.

If you attended a protest, what was your experience like?  What are you asking for?

I invite civil, bipartisan discussion on this post.

I won’t give an extremely detailed write-up on each point, but here are some of the reasons I chose to attend.  If you’ve been reading my posts, these probably won’t surprise you.

• I was really curious what it would be like, and I wanted to see it in person.
• This administration has attacked the judicial branch again and again.
• Donald Trump has repeatedly cancelled funding approved by Congress.
• The crackdown on freedom of speech of Donald Trump’s opponents scares me.
• I believe in following due process.
• I cannot believe Congress isn’t standing up for their own powers.

Who is behind these protests anyway?

I find it really important to look at the details of organizations and truly understand where their support comes from.  This is especially true if there is any consideration given to providing financial support.

The overarching organization is No Kings, but it is more of a grassroots system with local organizations taking the reins and coordinating the activity in each individual city.  The main group behind the protest in Des Moines was Indivisible Des Moines.  Indivisible, at the national level, has received funding from the Open Society Foundations, which was founded by George Soros, most recently receiving a grant in 2023.  It is important to note that this protest ultimately had many organizations helping organize it.

So, what was my experience at the protest like?

On my way downtown it was immediately clear there would be a pretty significant turnout with traffic backed up from the Capitol exit on the interstate.  Walking up to the Capitol, the crowd was unmistakable with an estimated 7,000 people ultimately turning out.

When I walked up to the crowd, it was difficult to figure out what, if any, plan and organization there was.  People would occasionally grab a sign and walk down the road through the capitol steps, and a number of people with megaphones would start various chants or simply start ranting about the government in general.

After about an hour and a half, I realized there was a place in the middle of the crowd where people were speaking but it was difficult to even get close enough to hear what they were saying.

In total, I appreciated the crowd, but I was disappointed with the protest overall.  A sound system allowing speakers to be heard by the entire crowd was sorely lacking, some indication of who would be speaking and when would have been nice.

Do I think this event will make a difference?

The beauty of a grassroots movement is people coming together to make their voices heard.  Standing up, without using extensive funding from wealth people or dark money, to try and make an impact in this great country by exercising their first amendment right to free speech and peaceable assembly.

However, the nature of grassroots movements can lead to an inconsistent message as everyone is standing up to speak for themselves without central organization.  Moreover, these events across the United States were designed with well-defined start and end times and did not have set goals.

This event can help, but it will not be enough.  To make a difference, people need to continue to speak up.  People need to reach out to their Congress members and demand the government follows the Constitution.  While I have many disagreements with this administration, this is what I care most about:

• Follow the Constitution
• Adhere to judicial rulings
• Follow Congressional Appropriations
• Follow the laws passed by Congress
• Don’t punish speech

Again, I do not believe Donald Trump is a king in the United States.
But I do believe he wants to be.

 

Sources:

Ignoring the Judiciary – Politically Rational

Vance and the Judiciary – Politically Rational

Freedom of Speech is a Bedrock of American Democracy – Politically Rational

The First 100 Days – Politically Rational

Due Process in America – Politically Rational

The Presidency Does Not Exist in a Vacuum – Politically Rational

No Kings

What is No Kings Day? Here are all Iowa’s Trump protests for June 14

‘No Kings Day’ protest brings thousands to Des Moines

Open Society Foundations – Awarded Grants, Scholarships, and Fellowships – Open Society Foundations

Open Society Foundations – Wikipedia

First Amendment | U.S. Constitution | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute

 

 

 

 

“Well, we’re all going to die.”
– Joni Ernst

As the “Big, Beautiful Bill” has passed the House, it is now in the hands of the Senate.  Moreover, the public now has access to the full scope of the bill.  As it contains significant cuts to Medicaid, I want to re-examine all the health-related impacts of the current Trump administration.

I invite civil, bipartisan discussion on this post.

 

I will note that I have also been paying attention to the situation in Los Angeles, the upcoming protests, the Iran/Israel News, and the military parade set for June 14^th, and I will be addressing those as well, but I will not be focusing on those today.

 

During an address to a Joint Session of Congress in early March, President Trump made a brain cancer survivor an honorary member of the Secret Service.  After that speech was over, Democrats received a lot of backlash for not standing to applaud the commemoration.  I have to agree that Democrats should have stood in respect for the honoree, but also that it is difficult when the administration was unilaterally cutting research for cancer funding at the same time.

The New York Times recently released an article that provided extensive details regarding funding cuts imposed by the President which included cuts to Cancer research, HIV research, vaccine research, and Alzheimer’s research.  With the budget bill passing the House of Representatives, I reached out to my Senators from Iowa to ask them to oppose Medicaid cuts and other provisions in the bill.  I finally received a reply from Senator Ernst, which I have added to this post; it is probably the least informative message I have ever received from someone in Congress, and that is saying something!

I suppose her town hall remark, and follow-up sarcastic apology say more than enough about her position, despite her subsequent claims that she is compassionate.  If I receive a reply from Senator Grassley, I will post it here as well.

During the confirmation hearings for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., he reiterated support for the polio and measles vaccines and said he would do nothing to discourage people from taking them.  He also answered yes when asked if he would promise to maintain vaccine review standards.  It was a deviation from his testimony then, when he announced major changes to COVID-19 Vaccine policies without guidance from advisory committees.  Shortly after those announcements, the entire vaccine advisory committee was removed from their duties.  He has since added new picks to the committee, some with controversial past statements on vaccine efficacy.

Yesterday, there was a third confirmed case of measles in Iowa as the number of cases and outbreaks has increased significantly across the country with 1,168 confirmed cases nationwide.  Less than halfway through 2025, we are approaching the worst year since 2000 already – there were 1,274 cases in 2019.  As RFK Jr. has downplayed the efficacy of the measles vaccine and questioned their safety, the cases will continue to spread.

So far, during this entire administration, Republicans have been quick to defend the President’s actions as simply cutting waste, fraud, and abuse.  However, as the sources I’ve detailed here show, we are cutting tangible resources spent on critical research, life-saving funding for medical care for those in need, and critical expenditures simply for those who are hungry.

These funding cuts will significantly decrease quality of life and harm health outcomes for people across the world and I urge everyone to stand up and ask their Congress members to stand up for health funding.

Thank you.

 

Sources:

Trump makes 13-year-old cancer survivor a Secret Service agent during speech to Congress | Reuters

Dems slammed for sitting as cancer survivor was honored during Trump’s speech | Fox News

An Uncertain Future: New NIH Policy Endangers Childhood Cancer Research – Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/06/04/health/trump-cuts-nih-grants-research.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Ok8.aUU5.tXO4wcq3_Gvc&smid=url-share

https://www.iowapublicradio.org/ipr-news/2025-06-11/how-cuts-to-medicaid-in-big-beautiful-bill-affect-iowans

These Hidden Provisions in the Budget Bill Undermine Our Democracy | Campaign Legal Center

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/31/nx-s1-5418932/we-all-are-going-to-die-ernst-joni-town-hall-iowa-senator

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2025/05/31/iowa-sen-joni-ernst-posts-sarcastic-apology-after-viral-medicaid-comments-we-all-are-going-to-die/83967492007/

Sen. Joni Ernst defends her “we all are going to die” comments: “I’m very compassionate” – CBS News

RFK Jr. Confirmation Hearing Day One

RFK Jr. Confirmation Hearing Day Two

Q&A on New COVID-19 Vaccine Policies – FactCheck.org

RFK Jr. removes all members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee : Shots – Health News : NPR

The CDC’s new vaccine advisers – POLITICO

Measles in Iowa: Child in Johnson County becomes third case

https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/rfk-jr-claims-measles-treated-vitamin-linked-poor/story?id=119713193

RFK Jr. Misleads About Measles Vaccine in Hannity Interview – FactCheck.org

PolitiFact | Trump said a GOP bill doesn’t change Medicaid, only targets ‘waste, fraud and abuse.’ That’s False