At Wit’s End

30 March 2023

With the thrumming drumbeat of potential indictments against Donald J. Trump, the various prosecutors appear to be playing chicken – who will go first?  All are under a microscope to be absolutely sure of conviction before stepping into indictment limelight and there seems to be no end to additional testimony from players cleared by judges.  I have great respect for CNN and MSNBC, but the coverage is sounding like catching up on three months of “Days of Our Lives” within the first five minutes of turning on the set.  A Grand Jury finishes when it finishes and not before; meanwhile, waiting is anti-climatic.

So, wrap these investigations up and let’s get on with it.

Last weekend, Donald held a rally in Waco at the site of David Koresh’s last stand in 1993.  This 30th anniversary rally was marked by a choir of J6 inmates singing in unison to a non-anthem.   This is just one more “push the envelope” stunt in a long list of them that mark the political career of DJT.   Regrettably, the public has become immune (or deaf) to their outrageousness.   I remember both the Waco shoot-out (and fire) and the Jonestown events:  they were armed defiance episodes by cult leaders who preferred to kill all their adherents than submit to federal law.  By these actions, David Koresh and Jimmy Jones have become martyrs to anti-federal movements.  Donald Trump has now positioned himself alongside these men as an anti-governmental leader.  One key difference:  DJT will never set fire or poison himself as a statement – no, he wants all the power with none of the cost.  Koresh and Jones were, frankly, murderers, no different than if they shot all these followers at point blank range.  Koresh and Jones are not to be admired.  Neither is Donald Trump for assuming their mantle as martyred hero.

I used to be quiet in mixed company about politics, respecting others who may have differing opinions.  I find that I cannot stay quiet about these matters any longer.   We should not and cannot re-elect Donald Trump as President.  He is a danger to our democracy.  Armed insurrection is not an acceptable means to make change.   It’s time to speak up, and minimize him and his enablers, like most of the Congressional Republicans.

14 November 2022

If Senator Warnock wins the Georgia run-off in December, there will be 51 Democratic Senators.  Besides  a more balanced judiciary bench, it would mean Joe Manchin (and Kyrsten Sinema) would no longer be able to obstruct consensus Democratic bills.  There is also a decent possibility of bipartisanship in the wake of Republican disorder.  Former timid Republican lawmakers might find their voice in the absence of deafening Trump noise.  That’s my hope – a functional 2-party system that can work together.

11 November 2022

Alas – Democracy has been tested and is still alive and well.  Methinks Donald Trump is headed for a reckoning, although the “how” and “when” are still unclear.  One thing for sure is that he will take as many people as possible down with him and will reduce the Republican Party to bits and pieces.

The post-COVID world is in a state of flux and it will take a long time for the dust to settle.  On this Veteran’s Day, we can mark the end of the post-WWII trade protections and the rise of authoritarianism across the globe.  The fight for democracy continues.: in the U.S., this fight will be led by Generation Z in future years.  There is hope for us.

18 December 2020

There are 33 days to go before Joe Biden’s inauguration and President Trump appears to be coming unglued.  His Twitter feed makes zero sense, as he reaches for the last “loyalists” for key positions, regardless of how preposterous they are for the respective jobs.  Today, for example, he mentioned naming Sidney Powell as Special Counsel for Election Fraud.  In the same meeting, Mike Flynn expressed interest in calling for martial law to redo the elections in the swing states.

The bubble around President Trump is getting smaller and  only the craziest ones are left in there with him.  The President hasn’t been seen in public for days.  Twitter is busy, but activity sparse.  Oh – wait – he renamed two post offices.  That’s a key accomplishment!

Meanwhile, Trump has made zero statements about the enormous Russian hack into our government’s cyber-files, and he has not weighed in on the disposition of the COVID vaccines.  Curiously, he could actually take a lot of credit for the vaccine’s rapid development.  The fact that the President is taking no interest is telling.  He doesn’t care about this virus and never has.  Over 300,000 people have died so far; last week, 825,000 more people filed for unemployment; the President takes no interest in involving himself in Congressional negotiations on relief.  It’s as if the President has zoned out except as it pertains to his survival as President.  He simply cannot lose the election – it must have been stolen from him.  Turn a loser into a victim by making it someone else’s fault.  Such a sorry man.  I just hope nothing explosive happens between now and the inauguration (at least, no more explosive than the extremely serious Russian hack!)

Until Biden is settled in the White House and can mobilize the FBI, I am concerned about his safety.  The White Nationalists are on the march in several states, as anointed by this president.   It’s only a matter of time before one of them actually pulls the trigger or lights the detonator.

6 December 2020

Quiet Sunday afternoon.   Warmish for a December day in Dallas.  Meanwhile, the election wears on, with President Trump continuing to tell everyone the election was stolen from him.   Here is a sample of his governing day:

Clearly, President Trump is not governing.  There are no efforts to halt COVID-19, as more people die daily than all the reported deaths on 9/11 (2,977).    Trump is making changes at the Pentagon, replacing reasonably competent people with inexperienced youngsters.  Considering the assassination of the chief Iranian nuclear scientist and Netanyahu’s  complicity, there are concerns that there are nefarious plans afoot.  The new people at the Pentagon are refusing to speak with the Biden transition team.   Walling off the Pentagon leads one to believe that our dear President is up to something – maybe like declaring martial law?   The Electoral College deadline of 12/14 is fast approaching, when the election will be etched in stone.   If all hell is going to break loose, it will be next week.

In the meantime, it is refreshing to hear an adult speaking on issues relating to governing.  This would be President-elect Joe Biden.  He may not have been everyone’s first choice of the Democratic lot, but perhaps he should have been.  Biden will do a great job.

24 November 2020

At long last, President Trump has allowed the transition of power to take place.  It only took him2 weeks and numerous dead-end lawsuits to figure out that he was beaten in this election.

Two interesting observations come from this move:

1.  The President plans to open his campaign next month for a reelection bid in 2024!  As if the election process wasn’t long enough now, he wants to start it before he leaves office.   I am reminded of that phrase “there ought to be a law…” This one should say that election campaigns cannot be opened until one year prior to the General Election.   I wonder if Biden will follow up on this.
2. Opening his reelection campaign early is an obvious attempt to retain control of the party – most importantly, his base supporters.  In this fashion, Trump blocks anyone else from taking his place as the titular head of the Republican Party – e.g. Mike Pompeo or Nicki Haley.
3. The reelection campaign not only keeps Trump relevant, but also allows for money to flow into his coffers to cover his living and legal expenses.   He has to support his lifestyle somehow.  Additionally, I can see him charging exorbitant fees for his rallies, personal appearances and the tell-all book (that will obviously not tell all).  Perhaps a television channel in his future?  I wonder if Rupert Murdoch will be involved.

The live shot this morning of President Trump granting a full pardon to the turkey is a classic.  The next meme will feature the turkey granting Trump a full pardon.

Meanwhile, President Trump is touting his triumph on the Dow (passed 30,000) and is busy trying to enshrine his legacy by making it impossible for Joe Biden to undo some of the catastrophic policies of the last 4 years.  For example, bids are being awarded for sections of the Alaska Wildlife Refuge now – an area that has been until now off limits to developers.  I doubt President Biden will be able to cancel them, if that is what he wishes to do.

Another interesting observation is that the Press is going to have to rethink how they report the news.  The more liberal press has been engaging in outrage for 4 years now.  Every newscast had an “OMG – look what Trump has done now” aspect to it.   I noticed that with the announcement of Biden’s first national security and cabinet picks, there was silence!  No outrage because these choices are competent, experienced leaders in their fields.  Will CNN now experience boredom and all the outrage will be on Fox News?

So, President Trump pardoned the turkey today.  Will the turkey return the favor?

15 November 2020

President Trump continues to refuse to concede even though none of his election lawsuits present a shred of evidence.  Just goes to show you that anyone can file a lawsuit – no evidence required.  Of course, when you get in front of the judge, he or she will ask for the evidence.  With nothing to point to, one by one, the administration’s suits have been dismissed.  They are just throwing linguini at the wall, hoping something will stick.   Besides – Biden’s wins were decisive enough that some inaccurate counts would not change the outcome of the election.  So, a lot of time and paper is wasted.

With recounts, the push is get all the elections certified before the December deadline when the Electoral College meets.  Current view is that this will not be an issue.

President Trump continues to push the message that the election was “rigged”.  His base believes him.  We should believe what the President of the United States says.  This President, however,  lies all the time, amplifies it with Twitter and the voice of Fox News and OAN.  So these citizens take what he says at face value.   So very destructive to our government and institutions.

I’ve written before about the concept of public service.  Surely, some of these right wing Republicans believe that they are serving a higher purpose in protecting white society and our old way of life.  I have to think so.  There are many, however, who knowingly exploit this notion of “higher purpose” for self-gain.  In the end, however, it doesn’t matter.  They all are pursuing power and working to keep it.   Thanks, Lee Atwater.  Look what genie you launched from the bottle.

8 November 2020

Election Day has passed and the majority of states have finished with mail-in counts.  Biden has won – good for democracy, good for America, good for us.

Of course, Donald is fighting the outcome through all possible legal channels, most of which will be tossed out of court.  What I believe the judges will understand is that no widespread voter fraud occurred and that whatever recount takes place will not change the outcome for each state.  Biden beat Trump fair and square.  Trump needs to concede and move on to protect himself, if nothing else.  He desperately needs a pardon for federal crimes and will need cover for the state and civil suits that are likely to come the minute he leaves office.   One Facebook post I saw was taking bets on how long his marriage will last.  If Donald is poor, will Melania stick around?  It’s catty, but a realistic observation.

Two observations on the election aftermath:

1) What will become of the Republican Party? “Trumpism” is here to stay, but will the extreme right wing of the party continue to hold complete sway over party definition?  Individuals in the extreme camp include Newt Gingrich, Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton and Mitch McConnell.  The disposition of the two Georgia Senate seats will make a huge difference in who controls the Senate agenda.  But beyond that, will the Republican Senators within the Senate stick with the Libertarians and Freedom caucus?  or will they want a broader legacy for themselves and be willing to work across the aisle?  Will they understand that the Republican Party is shrinking and try to broaden the tent?

2) The Biden transition team and administration must put in place a robust communication/marketing group to counter the inevitable messaging from Trump and his supporters.  Just because Trump lost does not mean his voice is stifled.  He is talented at sucking all the air out of the room with each news cycle.  Biden needs to be ready to counter that and control the narrative.

Fox continues to preach “grievance politics”.  I’ve never so regretted awarding citizenship to anyone as I regret giving it to the Murdochs.  Rupert had to have it in order to buy the television stations (now Fox O&O’s) which has led to consolidating his  news empire in the U.S.  Wish we had never allowed it.  Fox News is powerful:  I say to viewers that Fox News is NOT NEWS.  It is “programming”, not reporting;  it is not “news” in the journalist sense.   It is propaganda in prime time that is designed to lead the viewer in the network’s preconceived direction – solidly right, very right, wing.  I suggest watching a variety of other channels to get a better perspective on what’s really happening out there.

2 November 2020

It’s Monday, the day before Election Day, and the tension is very high.  The battle lines have been drawn, rhetoric is constant and shrill, and everyone – and I mean EVERYONE – is sick to death of politicians and political issue advertising and wants the day to pass.

Election Day itself could prove to be a spectacle.  I am certain that armed individuals will show up at the polls to “protect the vote”.  It could be ugly in some battleground states.  We know President Trump will declare victory if ahead at the end of the day  and fight a loss every way he can.   We all wish Election Day would pass with a clear decision – hopefully, a mandate.

I will be celebrating by taking Skippy for an assessment at a new day-stay place.  Low stress!   I have voted already and will enjoy the silence until election coverage begins.

18 October 2020

The campaigns are moving at the speed of light.  I always know when I’m really close to an election because poorly-produced spots appear on the air for minor office candidates.   Lots of them are on now, right along with the presidential and issue commercials.

In the midst of all this, Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court vote is scheduled for Wednesday.  Curious are the paradoxes of history:  she followed Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s roadmap exactly by not answering any questions specifically, and here we have a candidate who is 180 degrees from RBG’s views on women’s rights.   It is pretty much a fait accompli that ACB will be seated.

On the whole, I think Amy Coney Barrett will do a good job.  Really, of the three that Trump nominated, I think Brett Kavanaugh is the weakest jurist.  Aside from ACB’s ill-timed nomination in the middle of a presidential election cycle, her extremely conservative advocacy on behalf of Right to Life and anti-abortion stance do concern me.  She is also a member of a church that advocates that married women are subservient to their husbands.  ACB could set women’s rights back 200 years – or not.  You can’t always tell about justices’ decisions.  John Roberts is very keen on SCOTUS not being  overtly political with their decisions.

In the past 3 weeks, Trump has gone from regular loud-mouth version to sick-with-COVID version to recovered Superman version.  Rallies are frequent and with mostly maskless crowds.  All of them are “super-spreader” events.  Most people have heard the “greatest hits” before and are pretty sick of his rhetoric – so much so that his  town hall  sank to the bottom on the ratings opposite Joe Biden’s town hall and the World Series.  Poor Donald.

His latest tweets call for “Character Counts Week”.  Another paradox, since character matters naught to this man.  He could start off by being nicer to his own children.

Only 16 days to go.   I voted earlier this week at Brookhaven College.  No way I was mailing anything in.

30 September 2020

Last night’s presidential debate was not actually a “debate”.  Chris Wallace, one of the very few competent journalists left at Fox News, lost control of the debate from the opening.  President Trump ignored the rules that his own staff had negotiated with the Presidential Debate Commission, and quite literally “steamrolled” over the whole exchange: he constantly interrupted both Wallace and Joe Biden, and – so annoying – “talked over” them more than just occasionally.  President Trump deflected direct questions about accepting a peaceful transition  of power and rejecting white supremacy.  His language was filled with the usual childish pejorative terms : “left”, “hoax”, “mail-in ballot fraud” and “witch hunt”.  Donald sounds like a skipping record, direct from Fox News and back.

Joe Biden did a good job of handling Trump, as much as anyone could, and directed his views into the camera to the viewers.  I agree with the MSNBC folks that this was Trump’s plan all along:  “I don’t want to be here and don’t think I should have to go through this exercise, so I’ll just blow the whole event up”.  Chaos is just the ticket!  And that’s what the viewers got – chaos.  The Presidential Debate Commission is going to change the structure for the next debate.  I wonder if they will just ask the candidates to choose weapons and costumes instead of speaking seriously about national and international issues?  Frankly, the voters deserve better.

23 September 2020

It’s full-tilt-boogie political season in the U.S. and it’s not at all good.  This election season is different in that there are so few undecided voters.   Normally, all advertising is directed to these “undecideds”.  With such a polarized population, it feels more like supporting entrenched battle lines.

Yet another Republican has endorsed Joe Biden – Cindy McCain, John McCain’s wife.  If John were alive, I am convinced he would have done the same.  She joins a legion of other Republicans like John Kasich and Colin Powell along with all the Republican Conservatives like George Will and Steve Schmidt.   The Lincoln Project has gathered Republican luminaries like Stuart Stevens to produce ads for them.  So, there is no more Republican Party any more – Trump’s banner flies under the Party of Trump.

Ruth Bader Ginsberg – RIP, sister – has passed and another controversary has arisen: replacing her seat on the bench prior to the election with, presumably,  an arch-conservative candidate.  I am not surprised that Trump decided to go forward with a nomination.  Decency would have suggested, however, that he at least wait until RBG’s body cooled off.  Her replacement is a critical decision for many issues.  The concern is that, if Trump puts someone on the Supreme Court, he will expect his candidates to support his views in their decisions.  This has never been the way the Supreme Court has operated.  Alas, we are in the Days of Trump now.

Donald Trump has been spending his rally time diminishing the threat of COVID (with numbers now  rising in many states and no masks at the rallies) and ignoring the sorry state of the economy.  His message is one of White Grievance and fear.  Such nonsense, but these audiences love the entertainment quality.  Bill Barr is completely on board.  Other messaging says that whatever the results, if Trump is not elected, then the vote was rigged.   For his followers, it is a no-holds-barred attempt to suppress minority voting  and voting by mail.  The only – and I mean ONLY – recourse is to beat Trump by a landslide.  It is the only way he will not be able to ignore the results.  If not this scenario, we are back to the hanging chads of the 2000 election which the Republicans managed to steal.  No doubt that Trump wants to pack the Supreme Court with his “bought” candidates to ensure his victory.

I recall reading Michael Lewis’s “The Fifth Risk” which described the shoddy way that Trump assumed his governing tasks.   Trump representatives  visited the various  governmental organizations and were less concerned with the actual governing part than the “spin” or how to use the agency in a marketing capacity.  So Trump now gives himself an “A+” for handling COVID-19 and a “D+” for marketing the issue.  It is the logical extension of Lewis’s conclusions in “The Fifth Risk”:  the COVID response was never about managing the problem, it was all about how to “spin” the message, as if illness and dying people are strictly a public relations problem.  So many legislators now have staffs that have no clue about policy or issues – they are marketing and communications specialists.  So, form and content matter less these days than appearance.  I’ve seen this trend for many years in my work career.  Now it’s flashing in neon lights at the very top of our government.  Sad.

Hillary Clinton brought the term “deplorables” into the political sphere.  In Trump-speak, there are “followers”, “deplorables” and “expendables”.    The “deplorables” are all those citizens with whom he would never want to interact personally – this includes the vast majority of the U.S. population, including most of those who attend his rallies.  The “expendables” include his staff and allies who serve him directly.  If any of these people cross him, they go from “followers” to “expendables” within a quick Twitter message.  The “expendable” is tossed aside and replaced by another sycophant.   Simple as that.   One thing about Donald Trump is that you always know where you stand.

How did we get into this mess?  If Trump wins this election, we are headed for an authoritarian-style government.  His adoring fans will not like the results, although they are too blinded by the light right now.

9 September 2020

More negative news for Donald Trump.  Between Mary Trump (the family member), Michael Cohen (the previously loyal consigliere), Jeffrey Goldberg (Atlantic Editor), and two Bob Woodward books (Watergate journalist), we have a pretty focused picture of the man currently occupying the White House.   The only people defending this President are those on his payroll and those who specifically benefit from his largess.  He has no friends – no one to defend his character or moral compass.  Why? Because these are non-existent.  I am reminded of Occam’s Razor – viz. the simplest, most concise explanation is usually correct.   Trump is an expert promoter, but not much else.  In all ways ‘presidential’ and related to governing, Trump is a failure.

Time to Dump Trump.  I don’t agree with everything Joe Biden has put forth, but I trust him to manage our problems with care and intelligence, and lead our nation into a more inclusive and rational direction.

I thought I had heard enough from Sarah Huckabee Sanders.   Now Kaleigh McEnany delivers the same lines, with fake eyelashes and a Harvard degree.  Every time I hear the word “clear“, as in “as the President clearly stated …”, I want to  retch.  This president is so poor at expressing himself that clear is not a word that comes to mind.  It is left to the payroll people to interpret and spin what the message should be.  A News Conference should not be an interpretational event.  It should provide explanation, expansion and to some degree clarification, but not complete invention and spin.

30 Aug 2020

Merriam Webster definition of fascism:  “a political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual, and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition”.   Anyone who witnessed the audience on the south lawn of the White House last Thursday night, listening to the President’s acceptance speech saw writ large the emergence of a fascist leader and philosophy.  The audience’s eyes (on unmasked faces) were adoring and unblinking as our dear President Trump delivered teleprompter wit and wisdom.   The audience was comprised of the entitled ones, those who have kissed the dear leader’s ring and received favor.

Centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader  check (we’re there with the help of Bill Barr and others); exalts nation and race above the individual – check (Mexican border policy for one); severe economic and social regimentation – check (dismantling the Affordable Care Act and now elimination of the payroll tax that funds Social Security); forcible suppression of the opposition – check (look at Portland, Oregon).  We’re here, folks.  Four more years of Donald Trump will bring misery to minorities and the lower economic class – “the expendables”; elimination of safety nets; no more environmental restraints;  and a dramatic loss of free speech across all media.  Executive orders are his means of governing now.  The President has only to figure out how to remove the purse strings from Congress to have near complete control.  I’m certain he will figure this out if reelected.

So, the election boils down to fascism versus democratic values. It’s that simple.  If only the mostly white Anglo-Saxon crowd in Trump’s audience knew what they were actually giving up by attaching themselves to this guy.  Is burning the village to the ground in order to save it really worth it?

We are in a dangerous time now.  We have few weeks left until the November 3rd election, three presidential debates, and the promise from President Trump that if he loses the election it was surely rigged.  This man will not leave quietly under any circumstances.  We may not know who puts his hand on the Bible on January 20, 2021 until that very day.

23 August 2020

The lapse in entries is not an indication of nothing happening.  It’s a signal that I am extremely busy with many projects.

The Democratic Convention is over; Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are our nominees for President and Vice President.  Good choices on many levels.  It is evident from the superior production quality, representation and messaging that the Democratic Party has become the “big tent” party of coalitions that the Republican Party has abandoned.   It is interesting to watch the Bernie Sanders voters coalesce with the center-right of the old Republican Party (Colin Powell, John Kasich).   It worked on a cinematic level, and I have every reason to believe it would work on a practical level if Biden is elected.

President Trump could do little else than Tweet all week about how “nasty” Kamala Harris is.  Small mind, small vocabulary.  Meanwhile,    it looks like Trump is holed up in a bunker – not only was his brother Robert’s funeral staged at the White House, the president will also be conducting much of the convention a few short steps from the Trump Hotel in Washington D.C.  (I understand that their room rates are considerably higher in the coming week).  No rallies possible due to the pandemic so, except for golf and screen shots in factories, the president is “confined to quarters”.

It is interesting to note that the Senate Intelligence Committee released their final report on Russian interference in the 2016 election:  it is conclusive – the Russians did interfere and the Trump election group was actively involved.  Does this not bother anyone?  Does it not bother anyone that the president regularly speaks with Vladimir Putin offline?  No notes on these calls?  Does it not bother anyone that the president has not held Russia to account (or even challenged them) for bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan?  Does it not bother anyone that all of the principal opponents to Putin have been poisoned or otherwise killed?  How can this be okay with American voters?  It shouldn’t be.  Russia is not an ally: if push came to shove, Russia will only support its own interests – no one else’s.  What does this say about the U.S.?

I am looking forward to watching the ‘doublespeak’ of the Republicans in the coming week at their convention, and the coverage by actual journalists as it progresses.  I am certain that Fox, CNN and MSNBC will cover the convention  very differently.

15 August 2020

‘Busy’ hardly describes my days recently.  Every day brings some new report of the destruction to our nation.  I am an optimist by nature, but now believe those in power aim to burn the house down before they give it up.  The coming election is a pure power grab by the current administration.

We have been in the midst of a political “winner take all” mentality for years.  It has gotten beyond ugly.  I see lots of Roger Stone dirty tricks (like the Nixon elections) and beckoning Russian (and other malcontent) interference for all they can provide.   So, Trump-fan Kanye West is running for president?  I feel certain that Putin suggested the idea – it’s not original.  The unmarked troops dispatched by Erik Prince?  Probably came from Putin too.  This is standard fare in Russia.

Now there is the dismantling of the postal service – a Constitutionally-mandated service – and blaming the Democrats for bargaining in bad faith for the funds to fix it.  It’s just like Donald Trump to create a problem when none existed before and then make it a crisis.  Further, he is holding the postal service hostage while making sure it cannot be reassembled in time for the election.  Some public pressure stopped removal of postal boxes, but said nothing about removal and dismantling of the 671 sorting machines.   News reporting says these are being taken apart as they are removed.  Removing postal boxes are merely an inconvenience; destruction of the sorting machines is permanent.   Even if Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Shumer were able to reach an agreement, I feel certain it is too late to save many mail-in ballots.

My Trump-supporter friends side with the president in blaming the Democrats;  I think it was a case of “please, please don’t throw me in the briar patch”.  The impasse gave the president just the excuse he needed to make his prediction come true and then claim it wasn’t his fault.

I cannot fathom why my MAGA friends perceive this man as anything great.   He is not.  He is burning the house down and my friends are giving him the matches with which to  do it and now dancing by the fire.

My sincere fear is that it may be too late to save our democracy.  I see a lot of chaos at the polls on election day.  There will be lines and there will be shouting matches, if not brawls.  It will be surprising if the results are clear on election day.  Regardless, the period between 11/3 and 1/20/21 will be scorched earth.  I believe there will be nothing left to rebuild.  The “peaceful transfer of power” that has marked our elections since George Washington will be at a minimum ‘troubled’.  Even if Trump loses and vacates, I don’t foresee a concession of any kind and the road out of Washington will leave scorched earth behind.   I also foresee that, should Trump lose, he will take his rhetoric and blast it out in another medium – say, a separate network.  His personality will not go quietly into the night.  Of course, this presumes, he loses.  What if he wins?

I foresee problems from the start with a Democratic Congress.  I do believe the down-ballot races will mostly go Democratic.  Trump will consolidate his power in the Executive Branch, courtesy of Bill Barr, and anything passed in Congress will need to be veto-proof.  The Executive Orders will hang like prayer flags.  Four more years will only complete the destruction of our institutions, piece by piece, with reassembly compliments of corporate entities.  The US will be isolated from all our former allies and connected to authoritarian governments.   Trump will be really, really rich as will all the grifters he employs.

So that’s it.  Very dystopian vision either way.

The wild card is COVID-19.  This little virus could cause an abrupt change in direction, like a tornado dropping down out of nowhere.

5 August 2020

It occurs to me that the President’s focus on mail-in voting might be more than just intended to undermine the election results.   It could very well be that paper ballots can be counted and recounted which would undermine attempts to electronically adjust votes or voter rolls by outside influences (such as, say, Russia).    Mail-in ballots make sense due to the pandemic, but they are also a fail-safe way to be sure the electronic counting is accurate.  Perhaps Putin whispered this in Trump’s ear on one of those many private phone calls?

3 August 2020

Time flies in the world of  political doublespeak.  The president’s Axios interview was a triumph of his ignorance and lack of empathy.  So, deaths from the pandemic are “it is what it is”.

We all prefer to think of unpleasant things as happening “over there”; for Donald Trump, everything is “over there” except what is immediately around him.  When Mary Trump said that Donald grew up in an “institutionalized” world and never left it, a lack of empathy for anyone and anything outside these boundaries is “over there”.   He doesn’t care about the pandemic (or the casualties) except that it is inconveniently affecting the economy and his political messaging.

29 July 2020

Today’s announcement that the 2nd Quarter GDP dropped by almost 33% must have come as a shock to the administration.  It’s the worst ever.  Granted – 32.9% is an annualized figure;  in actuality, it is a decline of 9.5% over the quarter – but it’s still really terrible.

I’m sure the administration will blame the decline on the shut-down, and promise better news in October.  Yes – October’s will be better than where we are now, but there is no “recovery” in sight.   People are still afraid to reenter “life as we knew it”, still fearful of eating out, still won’t fly or travel, will avoid crowds of any sort, and are thinking long and hard about how children will attend school this Fall.

The CARES Act unemployment supplement runs out this week.  Although I do believe that $600 is a bit high, the payments need to be higher than the meager $200 that the Senate has proposed.  It pains me to see that there is no real Congressional effort to meet somewhere in the middle on a proper payment level.  The fact is, the main thing supporting recovery is consumer spending.  If the government tightens the payments to make working minimum wage jobs more attractive than staying home, three things will happen:  the economic recovery will stall,  there will be an epidemic of evictions, and C-19 will spread even more.  In part, not working has helped to suppress viral spread.

I printed a copy of the Senate’s HEALS Act proposal.  Much of it made sense, but there were some “earmarks” within that were clearly from the Trump Camp:  “temporary full deduction for business meals”, funding to move FBI headquarters to a lot across the street from the Trump Hotel,  $2B to replace money for arms that Trump transferred to the border wall, and liability protection for businesses without safety requirements beyond “best efforts”.  Only “gross negligence would still be subject to legal claims”.  What this does is place the burden of proof entirely on the worker to prove that the employer maintained an unsafe work environment.  The burden of proof should be on the employer to prove that they installed and maintained safe working conditions according to CDC/OSHA guidelines in order to avoid liability, not on the worker.  The way it’s phrased puts the worker in a powerless spot.  The other “earmarks” are ridiculous on their face.   The Democrats are in the driver’s seat this time.  It is the Republican-controlled Senate that will take a hit – after all, there are several at-risk Republican senators who really need a win on which to campaign, including the speaker.

Hopefully, this group will make a deal that both can live with and claim victory.  Then we all win.

25 July 2020

It would appear that President Trump is starting to catch on that his presidency is dead in the water due to the pandemic.  As he urged states to open up their economies after the Spring shut-down, all now have run-away infection rates that can only be stopped by yet another complete shut-down.  Reading from the teleprompter, President Trump is finally recommending (not requiring) wearing masks in public.  It’s a start.   Finally, he understands that the economy will not rebound until people feel safe from the virus.  Parents and teachers alike are resisting a return to the school environment.  In short, nothing he wants to do is possible as long as the virus is so widespread.

Congress has previously approved two massive funding measures;  the third is stalled in the Senate who chose to take the weekend off.  As of this writing, another 1.4 million Americans have filed for unemployment this week (now  in excess of 50 million),  extra unemployment  benefits have now run out, the states have no money to enable their schools to set up for in-person teaching,  evictions from government housing are now in full swing, and food banks are over run.  I read today that one quarter of Americans have missed their last rent or mortgage payment!  Let’s see how much more of a disaster we are facing.  At least our wonderful president gets the message now – sort of.

The administration’s problem is that it is too late for half-way mitigation measures.  They missed their chance to act decisively.  Like the lights of an oncoming train, it’s too late to shut-down again and then claim some small victory in the aftermath.  The train is coming too fast.

In the meantime, Trump is sending unmarked, unidentified soldiers to major cities in the name of protecting government property.  It occurs to me that this idea must have sprung from one of the many casual phone conversations with Putin.  The lack of transparency and the violence the “soldiers” are fomenting in major (Democratic) cities carries the mark of an authoritarian regime – not a democracy or even a republic.

22 July 2020

The President decided to start holding daily COVID briefings again.  The first “re-imagined” briefing took place yesterday afternoon.  No scientific experts, no Mike Pence (who supposedly leads the Corona Virus Task Force) – no one else except – center stage – the President himself sans mask.  The one useful and true statement from him was that the virus is widespread and will get worse before it gets better.   Later, he could not resist restating that the virus will simply disappear one day.   No sentient being believes that.  (I don’t even believe that polio or smallpox have disappeared, although some medical professionals say they have).

The concerning action is the federal government sending unmarked, untrained, uninvited, unsupervised, uncoordinated  troops to American cities to “quell the violence”.  “These protesters are invading the suburbs!”, says the President.  Shall I break it to him that this is not the Whiskey Rebellion?  The President is only distracting from the public health crisis that looms over all aspects of our economy.  Until that is under control, nothing will be, including violence in the cities.  Without jobs and money (and food and shelter), it is hardly surprising that George Floyd’s death opened a long-festering wound within the cities.

The NY Times has reported that President Trump instructed the British Ambassador to ask for the British Open to be played at Trump’s golf course in Scotland.  I’m sure the President doesn’t see any problem with this, although the rest of us do.  It’s illegal for one.  Can Congress impeach someone twice?

18 July 2020

A favorite pastime is to play scenarios forward.  What if this? or What if that?  Then what would happen?  I posted on Facebook 6 months ago: “Suppose Donald Trump loses the November election: would he leave the White House? If he refuses to leave, who would make him?”  Still good questions.

Now, let’s play the Trump-loses-the-election scenario forward a bit farther:  if Trump leaves the White House, what next?   I foresee that several of his most ardent fans will follow him.  I predict that the Democrats (and Republicans) will be dealing with the Trump megaphone for several years to come unless they are prepared to counter it early.  Most Republicans will come to their senses, but refrain from publicly denouncing Trump for fear his supporters will target them in the next election.

The Democratic Party is made of several interest groups who are unified at the moment in their wish to defeat Donald Trump in November.  After that, it will be the ex-President’s joy to try and splinter the coalition that elected Joe Biden.  Trump is expert at finding cracks and exploiting these divisions.  We all know how he loves an audience: the rallies will continue, one way or another, and so will endless Tweets.   His audience will still believe in him.

I also fear the lame duck Congress between the election and January.  I’m sure this period will be occupied by the President’s protest over election results, quite possibly involving the Supreme Court.  No “hanging chads” this time, but there are many ways to question results. Even in the face of a landslide, I believe the President will fight the loss.  It is not like him to admit defeat.

Still, the Democrats need to prepare for the “spin machine” if Trump loses.  It will need to be locked and loaded on November 4th.  The Biden election team needs to prepare for this.

I foresee the various federal agencies will be in shambles in January.  Whereas the Obama administration left all agencies in pristine condition with binders ready for the Trump folks, the upcoming transition will be much more difficult.   Just figuring out who stays, who leaves and the positions to be filled immediately will be onerous.   If Joe Biden wins, he had better be ready with a crack team and a singular message.

I foresee that, unless there is a “pardon” somewhere, Donald Trump will have extensive legal difficulties in the coming years.  It all depends on how much blood the public wants to extract.  Me?  I’d like some long overdue accountability that he cannot escape.  Not prison, but extreme monetary loss would be nice.

17 July 2020

COVID cases continue to rise nationally as the administration continues to deflect attention from it.

A friend of mine, who is a Trump supporter, PM’ed me a day or so ago about how horrible the riots were and “what is this country coming to?”  I scratched my head, wondering what the heck he was talking about.   Then, last night, I watched a news story about the plain-clothes soldiers and unmarked cars that were breaking up protest marches in Portland, Oregon.  These anonymous “GI Joes” came out of nowhere, fired rubber bullets and whisked one protester away in a van, only to release him from a federal building awhile later.

Neither the Governor of Oregon nor the Mayor of Portland knew who these unmarked soldiers were, and were upset to learn that they were dispatched by Homeland Security to “protect federal buildings”.  No “by your leave” requested, no notification, no identifiers, no transparency.  It seems that the city and state authorities were close to having the protest situation under control.  The only conclusion they and the rest of the sentient viewers can surmise is that the “invasion” was political theater, pure and simple, designed for the Fox News audience to show the need for armed intervention into lawless cities.  In the wake of George Floyd protests,  Black Lives Matter and removal of the Confederate Flag and monuments, the notion of “lawlessness” and “chaos” is being heavily promoted to show the need for strong police and armed presence.   It is the extreme Right’s way of demonstrating how liberal elements are tearing our society apart.   Actually, it is the invasion by the  SS that is creating the problem.  –  Besides, it takes our attention away from the dismal job the administration has done containing this COVID virus!  This is the whole point, right?   A shell game.

14 July 2020

The fallout from Roger Stone’s sentence commutation has been negative and loud.  The best argument I’ve heard is from his jurors who said he was clearly guilty of lying.  Furthermore, the only person who benefited from the lies is the President.  The most damning argument is that White people are convicted of a crime and go free, while People of Color don’t have that advantage.  The contrast in justice is stark, and few miss the paradox.

COVID cases are exponentially growing in 35+ states.  Although the scientists say there is still a chance to shut the spread down, I fear that opportunity might be closing in rapidly.  Testing cannot keep pace and the federal response is still poor.  Moreover, the Senate is blocking further moves to send funding where it needs to be applied.

The administration is demonizing science and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the only adult left in the room.  Why? Because reality conflicts with the politics of Trump’s reelection.  Abysmal federal response and exploding infections go against the happy talk about improvement and moving the economy forward.  The next economic report will be terrible and our current paralysis will not improve the next one.  So, the administration is trying to de-legitimize the voice of science as not trustworthy.  This is a familiar Trump tactic.

The President and Betsy DeVos are pushing to open schools in the Fall.  No plan and no funding to make this happen – just a solution to his problem that creates a  major one for the rest of us.  Yes, opening schools will allow parents to return to a regular working schedule.  In doing so, it will put the kids, the parents, the custodial staff, the teachers, the bus drivers and so on, at risk for spreading and/or catching the virus themselves.  There is also a logistical consideration:  in order to conform with CDC guidelines, it will not be possible to space desks within the schools themselves.  There is no funding for shields, cleaning or PPE; if lunch cannot be served in a cafeteria setting, food distribution will be challenging.  Many of these public school children receive their only balanced and robust meals at school.   On the other hand, if these kids have to utilize online learning, many don’t have internet access, let alone a computer to work on.   From my vantage point, I cannot imagine how the schools can possibly open as they did last year:  it may be a late opening, it may be that children will have to split their in-person classroom time, going 2 1/2 days per week and online the other 2 1/2.   Half the children would attend school Mon-Weds 11am, and the other half attending Weds 12n-Friday.  Unless we double the size of the schools, I think this will be their story.  Parents will have to fill in.  So, how do they work on the days the kids are at home?  Again, no plan – not even suggestions – from the federal government as to how this could possibly work.   No money to fund local initiatives either.   On our own – again.

Meanwhile, without rallies and confabs in red states to stir up the base voters, President Trump is looking a bit haggard these days.  I picture him as a rat in a maze with a very large megaphone.   He’s loud, but there is no good way out of this mess.

11 July 2020

The Friday Night News Dump: as COVID-19 cases rise in 36 states, the administration’s nefarious activities  are moving forward:  Roger Stone’s sentence is commuted, EDNY’s Donoghue has been relieved of his duties and Michael Cohen is back in prison.  Lt. Colonel Vinman has chosen to retire rather than deal with the bullying any more.  So, the liars are all free while the truth-tellers are in jail or simply leaving the stage.  SCOTUS finds that the President is not above the law, but he won’t stand to account until well after the November election, if ever.  Like Fabian, he wins by losing.  Trump hates to lose – even he has trouble seeing the SCOTUS decision as a win.  But it is.  It was one outcome that Attorney General Barr could not engineer.  Even so, he has successfully muffled all the other investigations into President Trump.

I wonder if Bill Barr ever stops for a minute and asks himself if Trump is worth all this trouble?  No other President has required all this legal manoeuvering just to keep the lid on investigations.  It’s one thing to know that you have the power to do something – it’s quite another to use that power – viz. “I can do this, but should I?”  It amounts to a cover-up.  No person, no office is worth that.

Meanwhile, the real story is the surge in COVID cases, the deaths, the over-burdened hospitals, the economy in limbo, and life is definitely not carrying on “as usual”.  We are not even in the “new normal” yet, unless lurking disease is a way of life henceforth.

8 July 2020

To assuage any readers – I grew up very near New York City and am a contemporary of Donald Trump.  Over the years, I’ve lived through the building acquisitions, the skating rink, the casinos, the bankruptcies, the marriages, the Trump Princess, the Birther Movement and now the Presidency.  No – I never liked him especially – mostly thought he was just a “playboy”, a rich kid who never really reached  adulthood.  There is a big difference between not liking or respecting someone and out-and-out disliking someone to the point of madness.  I have never been a “never Trumper”.  I feel sorry for him as a person (I do believe he has a “can’t measure up to Dad’s expectations” problem), but don’t like much of anything he does.   Now that what he does impacts me and all the rest of us, I intensely dislike Donald Trump.

COVID infections are up and squeezing the life out of the healthcare systems in so many states.  The administration is completely ignoring this and saying that everything is fine.  Universities are being pressured to have in-person classes: if a foreign student has to take courses completely online, they have to return to their own country.  Now the administration is ignoring previous CDC guidelines and pressuring states to open up public schools K-12.  No assistance offered or plan or guidelines, just pressure by threatening to withhold educational funding.  Alas, Betsy DeVos is singing the same tune.  (I wonder if an exception will be made for her precious charter and religious schools?)

I could accept the pressure to open schools if it came with some kind of “how to” guidelines and data to back up the reasoning.  Nothing but pressure.

My copy of Mary Trump’s book is on order.  From news coverage, it is spot on.  I have long suspected that his father was at the core of his psychological issues. I’ve seen this in other men and to a some degree in my own family.

4 July 2020

Last night, our President headlined the fourth of July celebration at Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota.  Invited by the attractive, Fox-News-worthy governor, Kristi Noehm, President Trump held what amounts to a campaign rally (which was inappropriate for the occasion), to a crowd of 7500 people (who were not “social distancing” or masked) during the worst pandemic in 100 years, in a setting to which he was not invited (by the Sioux nation), to deliver a speech that was filled with White Power imagery and call-to-action (Mt. Rushmore park is located on Sioux land – how obnoxious and ironic).   In his mind, he imagines himself carved on that mountain alongside the other four presidents.

1 July 2020

It’s hard to know where to start with all the chaos surrounding this country.  COVID-19 cases are spiking in several southern and western states.  As of yesterday’s news, 36 states are showing record numbers of new infections daily.  Dr. Fauci says it’s not unreasonable to expect us to go from 40,000 new cases daily to 100,000 with no ceiling in sight.   No wonder the EU won’t let U.S. citizens travel there.

Public health issues will further depress business openings and the economy.  Congress is revving up for a renewal of the previous subsidies to businesses and out-of-work individuals.  States are quietly suffering from the loss of sales tax income and pressure on the health care system.   Then there is civil unrest due to policing issues.  This will not go away soon.

On top of all this, President Trump did not take notice of the national security briefing alerting him to the Russians paying bounty money to the Taliban to kill U.S. soldiers.   I am being charitable by saying that the President “did not take notice”:  he doesn’t read anything and only listens to these briefings a few times weekly.  Analysts believe the information is credible because of money trails between the GRU and the Taliban, plus prisoner accounts and emails, and captured cash.  “BS Barbie” (Kayleigh M) says the information was not verified – no, there was no neon sign in Russian saying “we are paying the Taliban to kill you” – but there was sufficient evidence to say it was true in a late February briefing which was later printed in the WIR.  Some say the President’s briefers might have not told him about this because he apparently grows irate at any mention of Russian wrongdoing (the briefers like their jobs and don’t want to be fired); others suggest they might not have told him so he would not repeat it to Vladimir Putin on one of his many informal chats (might disclose “sources and methods”); still others say he simply ignored the briefing information; yet others say he never saw the information in the first place (if this is so, why did no one make it a priority to tell him?)  No matter what the truth is, it’s a very bad situation for President Trump.  At the least, he is careless; at worst, reckless with the lives of our service members who are still fighting in Afghanistan with bounties on their heads.  Moreover, Trump was trying to cut a deal with the Taliban.  So, we get back to that old Nixon phrase – “what did the President know and when did he know it?”   For sure, President Trump is an immediate security risk.  Can a president be impeached twice?

Once again, President Trump is saved by a holiday weekend and the lure of the golf course.  Bill Barr is spared too.  His time will come soon enough.

27 June 2020

I tuned into a Zoom meeting this morning sponsored by “American Promise” – a group committed to passing and ratifying the 28th Amendment.   If Democrats prevail in November, this should be their top priority.

The root of nearly all our governmental problems is money in politics along with the SCOTUS ruling that money equals the right to free speech as protected by the Bill of Rights.   No, money really equals power.  The Citizens United case assigned corporations the same rights as individuals, including free speech. As corporations have expanded, they wield ever greater monetary power over politicians, and can corporately and personally donate money in multiple, often clandestine, ways.  Congressmen have to spend at least 30% of their time raising money for their campaigns instead of addressing issues.  The larger the corporations get, the harder it is for competitors to gain any headway.  Competition is the only thing that makes capitalism work.  Hence, big money, big corporations mean a frozen Congress.

The proposed 28th Amendment uses “couching” (“may”) language which I abhor – principally because the opposing party could just as easily turn it 180 degrees in the opposite direction.  “Couching” language has no teeth.   By the same token, it may be the only way to get the amendment passed.

Money in politics touches every single issue we face, from climate change to gerrymandering to abortion to immigration reform to gun rights.  The ability for  Congress to get anything done in a bipartisan manner necessitates getting money out of politics.   Corporations are not people and should not be legally entitled to the same rights as individuals.

24 June 2020

COVID-19 is out of control in over half the states now; the economy is sagging as a result and may have to shut down again in some places; and civil unrest over police brutality is still high – fewer marches, but still simmering and actively pushing legislation.  Trump is actively ignoring all this in favor of his re-election focus.  Performances in high COVID-19 spaces are no obstacle for his advance team.  So many in the audiences are not wearing masks and not “social distancing”.  The public health crisis is leading to the economic crisis and definitely impacting the tenor of the marches.  And the President is absolutely clueless.

The latest person on the hot seat is AG Bill Barr.  Jerry Nadler has asked the AG to testify, and has intimated that if AG Barr does not appear, one possible response is to defund the Justice Department.   That would definitely be a first.  It is clear that AG Barr is a micro-manager, working on President Trump’s behalf, and has interfered with numerous investigations that would be harmful to the President.   Current hearings might stop his forward momentum however.   For a fellow who has the look and bearing of an experienced lawyer,  one would think that Barr would know better.  Instead he is very like his boss in using all the tools of his position and the tools of the law to achieve political (and business) ends.  That’s not what the rule of law is supposed to be about.  Even his George Washington Law School classmates believe Bill Barr is not behaving ethically – certainly not according to his oath of office.

21 June 2020

The crowds for the President’s  Tulsa rally were disappointing for him.  He tweeted “a million applications” for tickets and less than 10 thousand showed up.  It makes me wonder if there wasn’t some hacker work afoot that made the applications appear more plentiful than were real.  It was glorious in the President’s eyes until the performance was over.  Then more than a few staffers were likely raked over the coals for their failure.   At the very least, if there were thousands of false reservations made, it will mess up the campaign’s data gathering initiative.  Too bad.

Occupying the news cycles are John Bolton’s revelations and the Barr/Trump “mis”firing of the Geoffrey Berman, the lead SDNY prosecutor.   Not a good day for Donald Trump.

18 June 2020

Run and hide, John Bolton.  Your book tells us what we already knew:  this president doesn’t care a fig about foreign policy except how it will support his own reelection.   You threw him right under the bus in time to influence the election.  Yet you refused to testify about all this when it would have really mattered – during the impeachment trial.  You claim now that Trump is an unfit president and yet you didn’t lift a finger to get rid of him when you could have made a difference.  And now you blame the failure of the trial on the Democrats for not investigating the matters you reference in your book  further?

The bottom line is that the Republicans will never trust you again.  You’ve cashed out.  And the Democrats will always despise you for being so spineless during the impeachment trial.  There is no where to hide.  John Bolton is living proof of my June 16th premise:  the Republicans stand for nothing as a party except money and power.

16 June 2020

And so, under pressure, the President has rescheduled his Tulsa rally to Saturday, June 20th.  Still, in order to register for this rally, the attendee has to click a box that states he or she will not hold Donald J. Trump liable if he or she becomes ill with COVID-19.  Why on earth would you agree to put yourself at risk just to see this guy in person?  Be safe, save your energy and turn on Fox News to see him!

I heard about an interesting book last night  The thesis is that the Republican Party has gradually dropped the guise of standing for specific policies, and has embarked on a campaign designed solely to consolidate power.  The author terms it the “post-policy” era.

This thought prompted me to retrace the history of the Republican Party since Nixon’s resignation to see if this thesis is consistent with patterns I’ve observed.  It is true that Republicans have been busy gerrymandering for decades.  This is how state governments wind up with Republican legislatures with a majority Democratic voting base.  Gerrymandering the national districts every ten years after the census leads to the same result:  more Republicans elected than is consistent with the voting base.  This is how the Tea Party gained power and pulled the Republican Party farther to the right.  The Republican Party has been the party of low taxes, strong alliances and leadership in foreign policy, strong defense policy, social status quo, pro-business, fewer governmental restrictions and spending, pro-2nd amendment rights, and in favor of individual freedom and responsibility.  Their social conservatism includes the evangelical “moral majority” and Right to Life movement.

Republicans have always been consistent at their core – in that all these “policies” per se – represent maintaining the status quo in the face of a changing society.   Social scientists have long predicted that whites would be in the minority by 2030 (maybe even sooner) which has made the white folks circle the power wagons.  What this means is that Republicans – who were in the voting minority to begin with – were going to lose ground politically unless they broadened their” tent” policy-wise to accommodate minorities.

At some point, the Republicans just gave up trying to “broaden the tent” by abandoning policy creation designed to attract other voters, and have been working for years exclusively on gaining control over the levers of power in order to hold on to it.

One example that comes to mind in the current administration is the fact that Mitch McConnell spent all 8 years of Obama’s administration blocking his federal judicial nominees from coming to a vote, and has spent the past 3 1/2 Trump years doing nothing but putting conservative judges on the federal bench.  This is the man who also blocked Merrick Garland’s nomination to the Supreme Court.  That’s not the policy driven, deliberative body that the Senate is supposed to be.  Mitch McConnell will not bring any bills to the floor except those that serve his singular purpose:  pack the federal bench with very conservative lifetime appointees.  He has gone so far as to ask older judges to step down so he can confirm new federal judges in their 30’s and 40’s.

Recent examples of voter suppression – like the administration’s aversion to mail-in ballots and fewer voting stations in minority areas – all point to minimizing voter participation in likely Democratic districts.

Republicans used to favor strong alliances, strong defense and leadership in world affairs.  Not any more.  President Trump has ditched our old alliances and formed loose ones with autocratic world leaders like Vladimir Putin.  Our withdrawal from the Middle East and, most recently, the plan to withdraw all U.S. troops from Germany appear to make no sense and conform to no long term strategy.  The world leaders no longer appear to respect the U.S. in the realm of world affairs.  Oh where is John McCain when we really need him?  The U.S. doesn’t appear to stand for anything in the world any more beyond “heads, I win and tails, you lose” and “every nation for itself”.

The current administration has ditched most of whatever policies that Republicans had left:  yes, we have lower taxes, but the deficit is sky high;  we have ditched most of our trade agreements and are left with fewer to work with which has impacted many  industries and economic areas such as farming.  Trump claimed to be a supporter of African American and LGBT rights and has shown us lately that this is not so.  Attempts at successful governing have been haphazard  from the very beginning – mis-management of the COVID-19 public health crisis is the latest example.

Donald Trump is the inevitable vanishing point for the Republican Party.  He represents the core of what the party has become:  all about power and money.  That’s it.

With the departure from formulating actual policies, this Republican administration now finds itself painted into a corner.  There is no possibility of broadening the tent.  President must feed his base continually because these are the only supporters he has left.  Many of these don’t agree with his handling of the public health crisis, the financial fallout and recent civil unrest. There are no policies – only executive orders and – egad! -tweets.

13 June 2020

COVID-19 is officially on the rise and the Trump administration is officially ignoring it.  Several states are reporting hospital occupancy at 85-88% capacity, mostly with COVID patients, including Texas.  Now the President is beginning his political rally reason with events in many of these same states.  No masks, no social distancing, and online sign-ups which require that the applicant absolve Trump and the RNC of any liability if he or she should subsequently come down with the virus.

Yes, my earlier projection was correct:  the Republican convention will officially move to Jacksonville, Florida.  Governor DeSantis has a big  COVID-19 problem on his hands and is allowing the event to occur in his state.  Not surprising – these people don’t operate for the public good anyway – but still mind-boggling in the future ramifications.  These delegates will come from all 50 states and will carry the disease back with them when the convention ends.  The many workers who support the event will be at risk and cause a huge local infection increase.  By September, I predict an upward spike in many more states than the 19 or so now.

The first of Trump’s rallys will be held in Tulsa on Juneteenth (Friday, June 19th) on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Black Wall Street riots.  I have not researched this, but am told that these Tulsa riots were the worst in our country’s history in terms of death to black citizens.  Local black officials are incensed at the gall of holding the Trump rally on this date, and are fearful of an increase in COVID-19 infections which are disproportionately impacting the black community.  I expect counter-protests galore which I’m certain this law & order president will want to squash.  On this particular day, I will be celebrating the 65th birthday of a good friend at another friend’s house – a much nicer way to spend my time than watching an ugly episode in our history.

11 June 2020

I can’t believe how quickly time has passed.  It has been several days of marches and changes.  Police departments across the nation are finally changing policies to prevent unnecessary invasions and choke-holds.  After 100 years of effort, lynching will finally be illegal nationwide if Congress passes the new bill.

In the wake of all these protests, the extremes on both sides of the spectrum are demanding absurd changes.  For example, “defund police” has some momentum.  This is a ridiculous demand – the funding equivalent of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.  Policies definitely need an overhaul, especially in hiring, firing and disciplinary actions.  I believe in unions, but police unions have gone too far in protecting their own and preventing police officials from firing multiple complaint officers.  There needs to be more flexibility to get rid of problem officers.  The fellow who strangled George Perry Floyd had 17 complaints filed against him over several years and instead of being released, he was promoted.

There is a national sex offender registry, there is a national background registry for healthcare workers – lo and behold, there has never been one for law enforcement!  It’s about time for this.  (If only the Roman Catholic Church had utilized a private registry instead of moving bad priests from parish to parish … but I digress).

These steps alone will make a huge difference in how law enforcement works within communities.  The culture change that will follow, however, will take years.  I hope the public, mainly African-Americans, is patient.  There are so many other elements connected to this than just how law enforcement is applied.  So many educational, legal and social dimensions to the overall culture change.  It is the Millennials who will make this happen fully, but not until they control the process.  That is a generation away – at least.  Maybe not in my lifetime.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic is still widespread and infections are rising in 19 states.  Some hospital systems are being overwhelmed.  The Trump administration is completely ignoring it and planning on rallies starting next week.  No masks, no social distancing!

The Republican Convention coronation is moving from North Carolina to, of course, Florida.  I knew this is where it would go because Governor DeSantis will do whatever President Trump wants, and the money will stay in the president’s (now) home state.

5 June 2020

The new jobs report shows a decrease in the unemployment rate to 13.3% (government estimate) with the addition of 2.5 million jobs.  I wonder if these numbers aren’t derived from the stimulus money?  In other words, these are not technically “new jobs”, but funded restoration of the previous workers?  I want to know.

Nevertheless, President Trump is “declaring victory”.  Over what?  The pandemic? Hardly – it’s rising rapidly. Over the economic slowdown?  Possibly, but it’s only a first step in a very long process – not what one would term “victory”.

The stock market is currently at 27,000+ which restores the value of most of the shutdown market loss.   It is not a good indicator of the general health of the economy, and is surely not a benchmark for “declaring victory”.  The reason for the market rise has little to do with the fundamentals of the underlying stocks – rather it’s because there is no where else in the world in which to put money where there is a chance of seeing an increase in invested dollars.   Interest rates are so low, and world economies are less solid than ours.  That said, we are lucky to be living in the U.S.  For those of us who live off retirement savings, the index increase is welcome, but not considered a “victory”.

4 June 2020

People are still protesting – mostly peacefully.  I am happy to see the crowds because it reinforces how strongly the public feels about racial divisions.  I posted a photo on Facebook of my bi-racial Raggety Andy and Annie couple.that have been with me for 35 years.   It is fitting to do this.  It’s time we moved past fighting the Civil War.

The “photo op” in front of the church across the street from the While House has backfired on the president.  Mounted riot police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds which was painfully obvious to anyone with a cell phone, a camera or two eyes.  The intent was to make the president look strong; instead it made him look weak. (A few old news people compared it to the Dukakis tank photo). It was interesting to listen to the various lame explanations put forth by the White House – denying that it was tear gas (as if the participants would not know the difference), saying it was Bill Barr’s directive (it wasn’t – he was covering for the president),  the poor decision to include the head of the Joint Chief’s of Staff wearing fatigues (whoever choreographed the photo op specifically asked for this),   Mark Esper claiming he didn’t know where he was going (of course he did)  … and so it goes.   Lies, lies and more lies.

At the preceding press conference, the President said he would call out federal troops to the states if they don’t stop the protests.   This bizarro statement caused the normally tight-lipped General James Mattis to blast the President in a public letter.  Meanwhile, Mark Esper has retreated back to the Pentagon and tried to back-pedal the whole episode.   A lot of flak targeted at the President from all directions.  His approval rating is slipping even further.

The most amusing result was President Trump actually claiming credit for reversing the decision to deploy troops in order to “save the country” from someone else’s decision – as if the original directive was not his!  So who are these tricked-out, unidentified troops posted around the federal buildings?  Who are they and to whom do they report?  I wonder if Eric Prince had anything to do with their presence.  They look like Blackwater guys.

While the Democrats are holding a virtual convention due to COVID-19, the President wants a packed house for the Republicans.  No masks, no social distancing.  Charlotte, North Carolina has said no, so the Republicans will move “the coronation” somewhere else.  I hope it’s not Texas.

The interesting point here is that the White House appears to have “declared an end” to the pandemic.  The President refuses to wear a mask and doesn’t like anyone around him to wear one either.  The point is, the pandemic is no where close to being over, and is in fact rising rapidly in southern and western states.  Considering the crowded beaches over Memorial Day and the immense crowds on all city streets during these protests, the case load should rise appreciably.  For the White House, it’s as if it doesn’t exist any more.  The President wants his coronation crowd and one state or another will allow it.  My bet is Florida because Rick DeSantis does whatever Trump asks.  Stay tuned.

2 June 2020

More days of rioting in more cities.  For the most part, the protesting is peaceful.  Of course, there are always those who benefit from chaos – they throw the bricks and loot the stores – the trouble-makers are using these opportunities to enrich themselves or create more political chaos.  Some of the bricks are fueled by anger about racial discrimination that has persisted in our culture for hundreds of years.  We take a few steps forward immediately after the triggering incident, then a few steps back once the matter leaves the front page.  This “dance” has to be very frustrating for the Black community – in the end, nothing much changes for them.

There is a layer of poor whites whose necks have been stepped on, too.  They also cannot breathe.  President Trump has corralled this group into his base, and has successfully incited them to be angry at the system while feeding their superiority as white people.  Just feeds the dissension and fire.   We need to get past this.

Yesterday’s “photo op” in front of the Episcopal Church with President Trump holding a Bible was embarrassingly fake – intended only to feed his base supporters which include Evangelicals.  If only the Bible had been right side up in his hand it might have passed for real.

It gives me hope that young people are peacefully marching.  Now, if they would just all register to vote and show up on Election Day, we would be sure to get rid of this disaster of a President and the enablers who support him in Congress.

30 May 2020

For the third straight day there is rioting in major cities over the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.  For the umpteenth time, a black man or woman has been killed at the hands of law enforcement without repercussions- that’s on top of 400 years of enslavement and 150 of social marginalization.  On top of significant job losses and COVID-19 confinement, the poorer parts of U.S. society are on edge anyway. The outright murder of this man – on camera – is hard to ignore.  Protesting has inevitably turned to looting.  Fingers are pointed in all directions.  President Trump did the righteous thing by speaking with the family – this is one in a row for him – while continuing to minimize the COVID-19 numbers, especially in red states.  I don’t know how long rioting will continue.  Nerves are frayed, people are broke and the President has absolutely no plan to turn this economy around or address societal inequities.

Twitter began to label certain Trump tweets as “untrue” or “misleading”, so Trump slapped an Executive Order saying media companies could not do this.  We’ll see how this turns out.  Another Supreme Court special.

28 May 2020

We are now up to 40 million unemployed and this president claims economic success because the Dow Jones rose past 25,000!  I think we have a priority problem here.

In other news, President Trump has now issued executive order # 2 jillion that says social media companies cannot advise readers about the inaccuracy or misleading nature of his posts.  This president lies all the time and does not consider it dangerous.  When others say negative things about him, “he is being treated unfairly”.   We’ll see how far this goes.

Freedom of speech is at the top of the Bill of Rights.  Technically, President Trump has a point.  What we are faced with as a society is that truth and opinion are now intertwined.  It all began when media corporations fused news with entertainment.  They realized that newscasts were money-makers and decided to make them more entertaining to boost ratings – better looking anchors and leading with stories that titillate (“if it bleeds, it leads”).  General Managers no longer had to clearly state when they were delivering editorial opinion.  Facts have gotten lost in the search for ratings success: fact has become opinion and opinion has become entertainment.

There is no absolute truth either.  Eight eye witnesses to an event will have eight different opinions on what happen.  They may all agree on who fired the gun, but otherwise, the contextual details may differ and so the story gets cloudy and the facts obscured.  In days before body-cameras on police, there was no way to establish fact from fiction.  Juries will always take the word of the police officer over the defendant if there is no visual proof. (A variant of “if the tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound?”)  Body-cams – and to a large extent, phone videos – have become invaluable evidence.

I’ve been watching stories on the Minneapolis riots and grieve for these people.  Here, the body-cam does not lie:  that officer suffocated a black man right on camera while his police compatriots stood and watched.  It is sickening.  It made we wonder – if armed black people decided to peacefully invade the Michigan state capitol, would it have  been allowed?  Yet these GI Joe guys have done this several times and there is no outrage and no interference.  If these toy soldiers were black, I wonder how quickly gun control legislation would be passed.

We have not finished fighting the War Between the States and it needs to end.  Such a radial divide cannot stand.  This president keeps the conflict alive with his comments and this needs to stop too – if not voluntarily, then by calling his comments what they are when appropriate.

25 May 2020

The President has threatened to pull the Republican Convention away from Charlotte, North Carolina because the Democratic Governor wants “safe distancing” within the crowds.  The president, by contrast, wants shoulder-to-shoulder adoring crowds.  So the whining begins.  I posted on Facebook that perhaps Trump should move the convention to South Dakota or Iowa where the Governors are more appeasing.  Perhaps move it to Florida.  Rick DeSantis would roll out the red carpet for this president.  On the other hand, who in their right mind would want to visit Florida in August?

The beaches are open and the sunbathers are out in droves.  Young people don’t appear to be afraid of this virus and are more or less ignoring it.  I hope we don’t see a resurgence in a couple of weeks.

States that opened for business early are experiencing high infection rates which are overwhelming smaller hospitals.   It’s in the heartland, and not just in meat-packing plants, prisons and nursing homes.

21 May 2020

Another 2.4 million unemployed added to the rolls.  Eeek!

On the other hand, some earlier filers may have been called back to work.  I visited Bed, Bath and Beyond yesterday and checked out with a friendly cashier I recognized from previous visits.  I was told me that unemployment was more lucrative than actually working.   That is a sad commentary on the concept of unemployment and inspires me to look into this further.  It seems like there should be some social service or construction project that the unemployed could do to earn the benefits.  I’m channeling the Depression and the WPA.   It doesn’t take that long to fill in the sheets each week.   Maybe I’m just dreaming.

19 May 2020

As of yesterday, 91,000+ individuals have died from COVID-19.  Compared to other viruses, this represents a low percentage of deaths to those who have tested positive.  This is the good news.  The bad news is that the virus is highly contagious and can make people sick for a long time after the crisis has passed.  Damage to other body organsy besides the lungs is not uncommon.  I heard one physician compare the infection to trying to breathe at the top of Mt. Everest.  Not much oxygen at 29,000 feet – most climbers use oxygen tanks to summit.  It can take months for the lungs and other organs to heal.  There are research projects now to determine the long term effects of this virus.  There is so much we still don’t know.

Viruses are tricky because they mutate – sometimes in a more benign direction and sometimes not.  I understand that the resurgence of the 1918 pandemic was due to such a mutation taking a nasty turn and causing thousands of deaths during the following winter.  This corona virus could do the same.  We don’t know and cannot predict.

We do know it is very contagious and can make people quite sick.  In the meantime, President Trump and his merry band of men are trying to revv up the economy by encouraging businesses to open up.  As I have written before, I understand the need to do this.  The states and municipalities are starving for revenue.  In order to prevent layoffs, as many people as possible need to go back to work.  By the same token, it would help if the President exemplified safe practices to discourage the spread of the virus – like distancing and wearing a face mask.  He also announced yesterday that he is taking hydrochloroquine daily to keep the virus at bay.  There is absolutely no research to support taking this drug for preventative use against this virus.  Moreover, we don’t know if the president is even telling the truth.  It’s enough that he says he is taking this medication for off-label use that it is setting a questionable example for the populace.  This medication has a lot of side effects which can be deadly for those with heart issues.  On the whole, not a good idea for the president to be touting this drug or even (maybe) taking it himself.

It’s also not good either that President Trump refuses to wear a mask.  He thinks it makes him look weak.  Not wearing a mask has resulted in lots of people refusing to wear one either.  No pressure to maintain distancing or safety procedures is causing a high percentage of the populace to come out of “sheltering” and congregating just as before.  Perhaps many of them will not get sick, but they can pass it along to others who in turn pass it along to someone who becomes really ill with it.  In the process of providing continual “hosts”, the virus has the time and the means to mutate.   Clusters of outbreaks will keep COVID-19 in the news and the fear of contagion alive as well.  The worst cast scenario is that the virus becomes endemic like HIV for which we still have no vaccine.

Recent reporting has revealed that the Trump White House has engaged in creating their own forecasting metrics apart from the public health experts.  Their projection showed that the virus would burn itself out by Memorial Day, whereas public health projections show an upward climb in deaths to 100,000 by June.  This explains why the White House has been spewing stories for weeks that the economy will come roaring back by the end of the summer.  In fact, it was expected that every state could open up by June 1st.  At some point, the White House discovered that this projection was catastrophically incorrect, but decided to double down on reopening anyway – it’s really the only direction the president could go to insure his reelection (and we know it’s all about that).  He’s doing everything possible to make success happen on the corporate level, which is supporting the stock market, but not so much on the small business and individual level.  I expect the unemployment level to remain high for months to come.

We are in the midst of the reopening now.  The infection rate is going skyward in places other than the NY tri-state area, Detroit and New Orleans where it is leveling off or dropping.  The heartland is on fire: congregate facilities such as prisons and meat packing plants have very high infection rates which extend into their communities.  If the meat packers are sick, who will take their place?  I can’t imagine us all turning into vegetarians.

Irony of ironies, Indian reservations are also suffering greatly.  It’s like the white settlers are getting rid of them once again with foreign diseases.   Between the Spaniards and British colonists,  we managed to wipe out 90% of the indigenous peoples in North America, mostly by means of western diseases.  History is not exactly repeating itself, but it is definitely rhyming.

15 May 2020

Oh my – now we’re up to 36.5 million unemployed.  Those who have believed the 20% unemployment percentage a hoax  can no longer say this with a straight face.  Ladies and Gentlemen: we are in a full blown economic Depression.  The question is, how long will it last?  The administration thinks it will end by the election and that next year will be a banner year.  They’re dreaming.  The economy will not come back to this level for at least a couple of years.  This virus is not leaving us that quickly.

I have been watching news on several channels and have seen no reporting of the Xi government crackdowns in China.  News of this came in a series of newsletters that alerted me (not Fake News, by the way).  ALL the attention here has been on domestic issues related to COVID-19 and the antics of the President – there is no air left in the room (or time in the block)  after  these stories are presented.  The story is that China is imploding financially (If you think the U.S. national debt is big, China’s is exponentially higher).  They can no longer subsidize industry, there is no production and no buyers if produced.  Moreover, they can’t ship goods anywhere if there is no ocean security because they’re in a geographical corner.  Their Navy is not adequate to cover this need either.  There are demographic constrictions stemming from the one-child policy that prevent China from creating a consumer-based economy similar to the U.S.  China cannot grow enough food to feed itself without heavy fertilization and irrigation.  The result of this melt-down is that the CCP is driving a purist nationalistic message to citizens – similar to the shiny objects that President Trump drops on the media.  The Chinese version is much nastier.  What this means in particular is that foreigners are persona non grata.  Get out while the getting is good.  So much for good international relations.  It’s every man for himself.

There is no doubt that China and North Korea (a China ally) have been lying to Trump and the rest of the world for years and certainly from the very beginning of this viral outbreak.  I don’t know if Trump has figured this out yet – if so, he would never admit that he was “played”.  To Trump’s credit, he is confronting the lies connected with COVID-19 (which are epic) and Chinese business practices.  COVID-19 has hastened the inevitable Chinese collapse – the only good thing I can say about this virus.  In the meantime, we will have the Chinese version of “1984” and the Trump sideshow as seen on TV.

9 May 2020

I’ve noticed that in spite of the terrible jobs numbers, the stock market is not tanking.  Sure – it has fallen from the all-time high of almost 30,000, but at roughly 24,331, it doesn’t reflect how awful the economy is.  Why is this?

The short reason is that, as bad as the world economy is overall, the U.S. is the safest place to invest money at the present time.  Funds are leaving other countries and coming here.  With interest rates so low, more money is going into the stock market.   So the 24,331 DJA is due to demand, not really the strength of the underlying stocks.  Even in a weakened state, our economy looks better than anyone else’s.

Foreign investment also explains where the money is coming from for all this Congressional funding.  Even our low interest bonds look better than anywhere else to park funds.  This is good.  We need the support right now.  It does give me pause, however, to know that this money is being subtracted from someone else’s economy.

Real job losses hover around 20% which, as was noted a few days ago, is a  Depression Era number.   Now is the time that problems will start to hit the states if Congress doesn’t get moving with funding assistance.  Yesterday, 500 workers were furloughed from Dallas city government.  With no sales tax coming in, the budget had to be trimmed.   More of these announcements will follow from states and municipalities.  Opening retail businesses is providing just a slow trickle of customers – why? Because the infection rate is still really high.  Business will not be robust until the infection rate is down – way down.  The federal government is making every attempt to downplay the crisis by withholding infection data among their friendly states.  I’ll say again – “thank God for a free press” because it’s the only thing keeping us informed these days.

7 May 2020

Another 3.2 million unemployed added in the past week.  The headline for the day is “1 in 5 American workers is out of a job”.   That amounts to 20% which is Depression-level unemployment.

The President has to be bold about turning this around.  This is tricky and time is not on his side with the November election approaching.  So, he is choosing to walk right into the storm by opening all state’s economies as quickly as possible by Executive Order or any other means (for example, tweeting life into the more extreme base members).  This means higher infection rates, higher death rates especially among people of color and low-wage workers in meat-packing plants, for example, now deemed necessary industries.

Having written about this already, I want to take my thoughts one step further.  There has always been a curious mixture of morality (religion) and practicality (capitalism) in this country.  From the beginning, New York,  Jamestown, Plymouth and Boston were capitalistic ventures.  Investors paid for the voyage and settlement to gain access to natural resources.   (You can count Columbus and all the Spanish explorers in this mix: they planted the cross and missionaries in the sand as they enslaved the natives to find gold and the Northwest Passage).

So, from the beginning, morality and practicality had to balance in developing this nation.  Without “practicality”, we would have no payoff for the risk in developing new territory.  Without morality, we would have no appreciation for the blessings we receive from this endeavor and no inspiration for a better life.  Morality has always been the glue that holds the laws of U.S. society together.

We are in a time (not the first) where morality and practicality are not only imbalanced, but warped.  For example, knowing that meat-packing plants are full of COVID positive workers, the Republican government is not forcing owners to adhere to CDC directives and putting all these workers’ lives at risk.   Yet, Republican supporters picket Planned Parenthood to save the lives of babies.   Both have moral implications – I don’t see how you can say one should operate as a moral imperative and the other should not.  The difference is that the meat-packing plants have a practical aspect:  supporting the food supply.  I maintain that the owners could achieve this end on a smaller scale with measures to protect the workers.  But the federal government is supporting the corporations who want as few regulations as possible.   So the practicality is ignoring morality here.  The corporation – the ultimate inanimate, immoral being – reigns.   Meanwhile, the gun-toting irregulars march to “protect their liberty”.   I wish they would storm the meat-packing plants and protect the workers lack of liberty.

In short, corporations have too much power now.   It’s all about making money.  Toss a morality issue in to get everyone riled up and deflect the blame from the real culprit:  the meat-packing corporations just want to make as much money as possible at the expense of their workers.   Do it quickly because Donald Trump might well lose in November and the party will end.

Besides corporate power and greed, we are experiencing a shrinkage of frontiers.  When the Pilgrims disagreed with English authorities, there was the option of sailing to a new land.  We don’t have this anymore.  No where to escape to.  Markets are shrinking, especially in this era of nationalism.  So how do corporations keep their profits up?  Merge, depress the line-item costs (people) and buy their way to power.  Many then go to church and receive absolution on Sunday.

Revolutions arise from situations like this.  If the corporations don’t watch it, the peasants will storm the castle.

5 May 2020

Current projections for new COVID-19 infections have now incorporated “opening for business” in most states, but still presume people of utilizing social distancing and masks in public environments (which is not universally accepted).  The projected increase is staggering, going from roughly 80,000 to 135,000+ projected deaths by the end of the summer.  Infection is now nationwide and propelled largely by congregate living and working environments:  nursing homes, prisons, meat packing plants e.g.

There are only two ways to handle this crisis:  shelter in place and open slowly and selectively – or – walk into the storm by opening up widely and accepting the consequences as the cost of  doing business.  Considering President Trump’s penchant for doubling down and the ever-present knowledge that the health of the economy is the lynch pin to a successful re-election in November, he is facing the storm head on.

I hear the spin machine cranking out lines from Jared Kushner, for example, that “the economy will be rocking” by July.  It is a difficult balance that the administration walks:  to start the economy in the face of greater illness and death.  So the “spin doctors” are minimizing the fallout, as though rewriting the historical cost.   The spin has to have enough strength to overcome revolt by the proletariat about the human cost of this strategy.  Will all these 30 million people actually return to work in the next few months?

I understand this frontal assault decision, but do wish the administration would express some sadness for the losses.  They seem so incapable of empathy for front line workers and generally for those who are paying the price for “opening for business”.

4 May 2020

Today marks the 50th Anniversary of the Kent State shootings.  On May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guardsmen fired real bullets on college protesters, killing several and wounding others.  As a contemporary of these students, I was horrified by governmental overreach and the severity of their action.  It was the government firing on its own citizens.  Fast forward to 2020 and, ironically,  it is the citizens who are armed and threatening to fire on state governments who restrict their freedom of movement within pandemic directives, and goaded on by our own President.

Speaking of which, many states are starting to reopen business categories – retail, restaurants, construction, etc. where social distancing can be maintained.  Some states are allowing closer contact workers such as hair stylists to start working. Some states require citizens to wear masks – others see this rule as too onerous on customers.  Employees, however, must wear them.  We’ll see in two weeks what kind of results come from this.  I’m open-minded on these rules, but tend to the Governor Cuomo side of caution.

All these changes lead me to the conclusion that the Trump administration has concluded that, in the name of reopening the economy, there will be “acceptable losses” in the population.  President Trump sees this as a “deal” like others he has negotiated.   Besides, most of the losses will be within the Democratic ranks, not the rich, corporate ranks who support him.  Some recent protests like those in the Michigan state capitol building suggest that his base might lose a few voters, too: no face masks and huddled together with their automatic weapons.  The new projection is that the U.S. will suffer 100,000 deaths by Fall.   “Acceptable losses”.

It is true, however, that the economy needs to get going again.  Americans are not patient and only so much “sheltering in place” can be sustained before people get anxious.  With 30 million people out of work, it’s only a matter of time before the peasants will riot.  Wait until about August when tempers will  flare.  At least the weather is pleasant now.

I still maintain that the government should have required the meat suppliers to install safety measures in the plants rather than make these moves voluntary.  The food supply line needs to keep going, but I believe the public would accept a little less “plenty” in the meat aisle in the name of plant safety.  Trouble is, the owners would not.  These are “acceptable losses”.  There is always another low-wage worker to take the deceased worker’s place.

If anyone has read George Orwell’s “1984”, you will quickly recognize what Trump is doing:  trying to rewrite history to suit his reelection narrative.  There is an entire bureaucracy in “1984” devoted to rewriting history when the enemy or head of state changes.  In Orwell’s book,  Big Brother was always watching.  Thank heavens for freedom of the press today!  They are our best hope.

I still haven’t received my check from Donald.  A friend of mine whose father passed away last year has already received a check for him:  the abbreviation “dec’d” is clearly marked in the pay-to line.   I’m alive.  Where’s my money?

30 April 2020

Nothing but bad news these days:  jobless claims now up to 30 million, 1st Quarter GNP shrank by 4.8% (just wait until 2nd Quarter posts!), and we now have lost more than 60,000 people to COVID-19 – more than were lost in the Viet Nam War.  News reports this morning say that Wuhan, China’s economy is starting up way more slowly than anticipated.  What Wuhan does presages how the rest of the world will emerge from shutdown mode.   Citizens are wary of too much collective activity.  They don’t want to die – go figure.

The President continues to shoot himself in the foot.  No more “briefing” appearances, but he is now talking about going to Arizona for a rally next week.  I hope his fans are not as stupid as he evidently thinks they are:  shoulder to shoulder rallies are a bad idea.  Anyone can carry the virus and not show symptoms.  Does he expect to test everyone upon entry into the auditorium?  Just taking someone’s temperature doesn’t clear them of carrying the virus.   I hope Arizona’s emergency rooms are prepared for the 2-week aftermath of the rally.   Considering the administration’s track record in “taking responsibility”, if I were a governor (even a Republican governor), I would not allow a rally in my state unless the government posts a huge bond to cover the expenses.  I can see President Trump overriding such an order and then off-loading the problem to the state.  That’s just his way.

Another piece of bad policy is forcing the meat-packing plants to reopen without enforcing proper safety measures.  Yes – we need to keep the food supply chain going or other problems will ensue.  But why put the workers at risk by not making safety measures mandatory?  Right now the CDC guidelines are voluntary which puts any plant in a non-competitive position if they decide to impose safety measures and the other plant doesn’t.   The icing on the cake is that Mitch McConnell wants corporations absolved of liability in the next Congressional package!  McConnell is right that the subject of liability needs to be addressed – but, dear God, not for these plant-owning corporations unless they have at least tried to protect the very workers who would sue them.

All in all, we have reached a point in this country where corporations have entirely too much sway over our lives.  There is too much of their money in politics – lobbying and campaigns – and it appears that the laws are supporting whatever they want at the expense of the individual citizen.  I say this as a committed capitalist who realizes that it is capitalism that has made this country great.  But the balance between corporations and public good is no longer there – Trump does not want to support the post office (!!), the government has privatized other essential services,  PAC dark money controls who gets elected, and don’t get me started on gerrymandering on the state level.  The corporations keep getting bigger and more powerful  by reducing competition.     The lack of competition is what makes capitalism and greed run amok.  The concept of public good is absent, the only focus is profit.  This is a scenario where President Trump thrives and the rest of us come in second.

28 April 2020

We spent a blissful weekend sans presidente at the news conferences.  But, in Trump fashion, he just can’t ignore the limelight for long.  His ego needs a feeding.  So he returned yesterday to explain his sarcastic wit about drinking clorox to rid our bodies of the C19 virus.  His advisors are telling him that he is “overexposing” himself in the media.  Now that’s sarcasm.

Governor Abbott of Texas (where I live) is opening some businesses at 25% capacity – movie theaters, restaurants, etc. – effective Friday, May 1.  I think I will continue to “stay at home” for an additional 2 weeks to see if there is a spike in C19 cases.  That’s about how long it will take to tell if this re-opening plan is working as we hope.

Although testing has been no where near where it should be nationwide, some  things are clear in teasing truth from crap in reporting:

• the COVID-19 virus is very contagious, but not especially deadly.
• it is transmitted both by touch and through the air.
• populations most at risk are the elderly, the immune compromised,  those businesses who work in close quarters and people who live in close quarters.
• It’s possible that healthcare workers contract C19 due to multiple exposures rather than singular vulnerability.
• this virus is not deadly like ebola and AIDS – both of which are transmitted by means of bodily fluids.  Once you contract either ebola or AIDS, it is pretty much a death sentence.  C19 deaths are relatively few compared to the positive-test population.
• C19 makes people sick primarily by reducing the oxygen supply such that you are breathing air at 30,000 feet.
• Reduction in the oxygen supply affects other organs besides the lungs such as the heart and  kidneys.
• Those who become ill from C19 are sick for weeks on end.  It takes a long time for the body to rid itself of this virus, even for apparently very healthy people.
• The death rate is smaller than that of the seasonal flu.  But, with so little testing, it’s not possible presently to measure the impact.  My take on current reporting is that the death rate is under 3% and closer to 1% of those who are positive.
• The principal societal problem is that many of those who are sick require hospitalization and intubation by ventilator; those who enter the hospital stay there for weeks in recovery;  together, C19 cases can easily overwhelm the hospital system.
• Because of the contagion, hospitals are forced to cancel elective surgeries, many of which are private pay.  This disruption is causing severe financial pressure on the health care system.
• The biggest societal impact is on our inability to move around which has caused the collapse of the oil industry.  There will be some food shortages.
• The economy will not be restored to pre-C19 level for several years.  We are in the new normal for a few years at least.
• There is insufficient PPE available to protect front-line and healthcare workers;  multiple exposures to C19 is causing labor shortages in these key areas.
• We do not know yet if having suffered illness from C19 leads to immunity from future infection.
• Many companies and entities are scambling to develop a vaccine.  Until we have one – that will safely create a “herd” resistance to C19 – none of us is completely safe.

It is abundantly clear that the COVID-19 outbreak has been mismanaged by the U.S. government from the very beginning.  By my calculation, “the beginning” would have been the daily executive summaries in early January.   It is the governors who daily show leadership qualities that are so lacking in our chief executive.   Governor Abbott may have the right approach – we’ll see soon enough – for now, I’m going to take it slow.

25 April 2020

The President’s daily press briefings have sullied good air time for weeks now and have progressively gotten worse.  He continues to “riff” toxic suggestions to viewers that have no basis in scientific fact, such as prescribing hydroxychloroquine and – his latest remedy – swallowing household cleaners to kill the C19 virus.  Anyone with a scintilla of sense would know this was bad advice, but there are those who hang on this president’s every word and take his suggestions literally.  The President must have the limelight and take credit for the ratings, however.  Riffing is part of his authentic persona as a performer.  So the real experts are relegated to bit parts, when it is their information we truly need.

Another very disturbing part of Trump’s personality is his ability to bend the truth.  On Tuesday of this week, he complimented Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia on his order to open the state economy.  During Wednesday’s briefing, Trump said he was not happy with Governor Kemp’s decision.  Within 24 hours, Kemp went from hero to zero.  Nothing changed except the President’s opinion.  How confusing for the public!  So, is it good to open businesses or not?

Trump’s advisors are imploring him to not be present at all the briefings and to take less of a role when he is there.  As the President is fond of saying, “we’ll see what happens”.

17 April 2020

More C19 (new abbreviation) happenings.  The President has decreed that it is time to open up the country again and the states (some) are endeavoring to comply with careful steps.  Still no testing or tracking which the President has off-loaded to the states.   Why? Because testing is “complicated”.

After the late start in confronting this epidemic, the President knew what needed to be done.  He convened a panel of corporate drug/lab big-wigs and left them in control of the testing process.  Easy, right?  “You have testing capability?” Check.  “You have national reach?” Check.  The proper follow-up questions to these guys should have included: do you have enough to cover the country? How many tests can you process in a day?  Do you have the materials needed on hand to get the tests done?  By when? Where?  Or – try some area testing of the various products and labs.  Let’s see which of these tests is the most reliable and “scalable”.  Then, after choosing, invoke the DPA and tell these companies to make tests pronto and get them to the states.  The President didn’t do this – because he didn’t take responsibility for the process from the beginning.  He off-loaded it to the corporations (for profit, of course), just like he’s doing with the states now.    Too complicated.  As if it will be any easier for the 50 states to do it individually.

I love the postscript:  the President tweets insults to Governor Cuomo and the Governor pushes back.  This is not pretty, folks.  It’s the state ‘blocks’ against the federal government now.

Meanwhile, the Republican-governed states are trying to open some businesses.  Most everyone is wearing masks in public places.  Those not wearing masks get the stink-eye from other patrons.  We’ll see how this goes.

The C19 cases are still rising and the deaths level.  Senior Living communities are taking a hit.  Casualties are not always older adults, however.  Without testing, it’s hard to make a determination, but it appears that ‘density’ has a lot to do with the spread.  ‘Density’ as in the streets of Manhatten and ‘density’ as in manufacturing plants like Smithfield.

Unemployment is up to 22 million filers.  The small business part of the CARES Act is out of money and Congress is squabbling over the terms of the next batch of money.  And so it goes …

I’ve had some really great conversations with my oldest son, Gus, who is a Trump fan.  Our votes in November will likely cancel each other out, but the dialogues are excellent.  Gus makes some good points: he likes that Trump has taken strong stands where previous administrations have not;  he believes that Trump has rightly ditched the “free lunch” foreign policy that has marked US policy since WWII;  he feels that Trump addresses his feeling of giving our country over to foreigners and minorities (must inform the reader that Gus is an Iraq War Marine vet).  These are key issues to him.   I respect these positions, where they come from and don’t 100% disagree with him.   What he is disregarding is that this President has no moral compass at all, no direction to his policies other than blowing everything up and getting reelected, and he is piss-poor at governing (a chore to Trump – he’s all about “winning” – after winning, he wants to own things, but not have anything to do with managing them – e.g. casinos).   These lively discussions are mostly by text – ship-to-shore – and are very special to me.  Gus is the smartest boat captain ever!

14 April 2020

The President’s Daily Briefings have deteriorated into one part Re-election Rallies, one part News Conference (beatings), and one part actual, usable facts about the COVID-19 crisis.  Yesterday’s Daily Briefing was a sad mixture of these three elements – the worst Trump performance so far.

As if the “1984”-ish, hastily-made, campaign video intended to rewrite administration history were not bad enough, even the easiest questions from the safe-distance news correspondents sent the President over the edge – “Enough!”.  Included in the question & answer briefing was the bizarre assertion that the President has the supreme power over the state governors (see 10th Amendment, Mr. President).  He does not legally have this power, but he can selectively withhold federal goodies that would bring Democratic governors into compliance and speaking kind words.   This is called “extortion”, the likes of which we see in thugs.   It is evident that this is what is going on, as you see state governors tripping over their words to not make disparaging remarks about the administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.  The clearest evidence of the federal government’s underhanded tactics is that entire shipments contracted to individual states have been  diverted to federal authorities – after the President told the states to get their own supplies.  In this manner, the President can send supplies to those states he wishes – forcing compliance in order to get needed medical supplies.

I never thought I’d see the day when the federal government and the states (and blocks of states) would be acting against each other.  That supposedly ended with the ratification of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and establishment of the federal bank.  Regional blocks have not existed except with former slave states which have operated in loose unison from  Constitution-ratification to present day.   With the ascendancy of FDR during the Depression, the role of the federal government  greatly changed and expanded.  Before this, the states were the “court of last resort”; FDR made the federal government the court of last resort with services and programs that transcended state lines, like FDR’s new interstate highway system and Social Security.  President Trump is so coy about setting up a Constitutional Crisis:  to paraphrase,  “I have the power, but I won’t use it unless I have to; I don’t want to, but we’ll see what happens”.   Just claiming the presidency supercedes states rights is enough to ignite controversy.

As I have said in earlier entries, Trump’s concept of earning the Presidency is just about “winning” the prize.  Trump has no interest in governing – never did – like his other business enterprises, he leaves it to others to do this.  It’s better this way – if the enterprise is successful, he can claim all the credit;  if it is not, he can blame someone else for its failure.  All machinations of Trump’s governing are about 1) attending to his base supporters, and 2) getting reelected.  Whether or not a policy is good for the rest of us matters not.  Facts don’t matter unless they serve his purpose.  Otherwise, they matter not and are pliable.  The New York Times has reported extensively on the administration’s lack of preparation for the pandemic.  Yesterday’s Presidential Briefing video was a blatant attempt to rewrite the facts.  He was warned over and over again and did not use the time to prepare.  That’s the fact.

I can tell that the President knows he has to get the economy start-up right – and that his reelection depends upon it.  It most certainly does, Mr. President.  With Bernie now endorsing Joe Biden, there is only one enemy now.  Saddle up, everyone.  The next 7 months are going to be tumultuous.

P.S. In the face of all this, I am very sad that Donald Trump has not risen to the honor of the Presidency.  In spite of everything I write about him, I can’t help but wish that it had all happened differently.

11 April 2020

So quiet on this Easter weekend.  The nation’s capitol has mostly emptied for Passover and Easter observances.  A welcome lull to the news of the week.  Meanwhile, the pandemic rages on across America.  New York has evidently reached its apex of new cases – this is good news;  the number of deaths lags behind the reduction in new cases by about two weeks, so New York death numbers continue to be high – 700+ daily.   Other parts of the country are following a similar peak/reduction pattern, although at slightly later dates and with lower numbers.

Sadly, due to quarantine procedures, these patients are dying without the solace of loved ones by their side.  Having spent many years in the senior living industry, we refer to passing as a “good death” or a “bad death”.  A “good death” happens when there is a calm acceptance of death by the loved ones and the patient; a “bad death” is one marked by pain and resistance to the inevitable, often accompanied by sore feelings between the patient and family.  Deaths by COVID-19 individuals in quarantine have introduced a whole new category of dying – not a “good death” or a “bad death”, but a “death by strangers”, muted by the ventilator, surrounded by strange beings in disguise, and unresolved, mute journeys to the beyond.

In recent days, Rachel Maddow has televised stories about the high incidence of viral spread within congregate care communities, especially nursing homes where residents are less mobile and often have multiple health complications.  The national media is not covering these stories – only the local media.  It is so easy for disease to spread within these communities.  Staff members come and go daily, as do families and suppliers.  Life inside a congregate community is all about social interaction with meals, activities, and movement within the building,  which places a huge burden of creating “social distancing” measures inside the building while keeping disease at bay.  In my city, for example, there are several senior living facilities with multiple COVID-19 cases.  Sadly, it’s country-wide, but not covered by the national media or tracked by the government.

President Trump continues to use the daily briefings as rally-substitute showcases for misinformation on the seriousness of this crisis.  There is no way to minimize the number of cases (except by not widely testing), or the number of deaths (except for not requesting secondary cause of death information on, for example, deaths by heart failure).  Facts are facts.  The American public can handle bad news.  Many governors deliver it daily.  What they cannot handle is how badly the federal government is handling the problem:  poor planning, slow and inept management and response, inconsistent messaging to states and citizens, and poor data-collection.   State Governors are emerging as the heroes, flanked by so many healthcare workers on the front line who are fighting this virus with what they have, but not what they need.

President Trump made one comment in yesterday’s briefing that is true: he is the “sole metric” for deciding when to reopen the country.  He says he will listen to “35 opinions” and then make a decision.  This is what presidents do – listen to input and make the final decision.  In light of President’s Trump’s short attention span, in light of the fact that he equates disagreement with him to disloyalty, in light of his penchant for marketing his way out of jams … I don’t have confidence that the “35 opinions” will be gathered from a balanced group of experts.   Rather, I’m certain those 35 opinions will be from individuals who either already agree with the president or don’t want to lose their jobs with a contrary statement.   The moment to open the country will be decided according to the most favorable “spin”.   That is the sole metric.

Besides the glowy crap the President dishes out at these briefings, I dislike the way he answers questions from the press:  he is clearly in the “power position” as President, standing tall behind the podium, and uses the “position-requiring-respect” plus the need for reporters to be non-confrontational with him to talk over and belittle them.  The absolute worst is when he attacks the reporter for even asking the question – like, “how dare you?” – and proceeds to denigrate the press as a whole.  These are such cheap shots.

The President’s references to reigniting the nation’s economy sound more like a marketing event for a Trump casino opening (“with fireworks”!) than a well-thought-out plan that doesn’t prompt disease spreading all over again.  With 16.6 million people having filed for unemployment benefits, the country is already in recession, and on its way to a depression if the restarting process isn’t handled well.   My take is the President wants it to happen like flipping a switch – as a an event requiring slick marketing rather than substance.  It’s more “humbug” that many will believe – that is until the disease comes roaring back and the economic pieces don’t fit together as they should – like interlocking cogs that seize up.

For example, the leisure industry will not return until citizens have stable jobs and money to spend.   Just funding the airline industry will not fix the problem.   To project May 1st is too soon because the peak of the COVID-19 cases will not occur in many states until mid-May.   I’d say June at the earliest – if we’re lucky – and one data-driven step forward. Ever hopeful.

7 April 2020

I finished two books this week.  Both were enlightening with regard to President Trump.

“Trump Nation” by Timothy O’Brien describes Donald as a one-of-a-kind marketing whiz while comparing the image to the reality.  This book was completed in the early 2000’s.  Donald Trump is the same guy he always has been, today as when the book was completed.  Trump is authentic which is a key aspect of his charm.  He is always positive, constantly spinning what most would consider disaster, while keeping the truth under wraps so there is no way to prove the negative.  By keeping it close, the message can be whatever Donald wants it to be.  He is a tireless self-promoter like P.T. Barnum.  Any press, positive or negative, is good press, and keep it coming every day, multiple times each day.  Accumulating and enjoying great wealth is the image he has put forth while professing to be self-made (not true, he started out wealthy and was bailed out on more than one occasion by his father and family members).  His claims to be a Manhattan real estate mogul were never true and his casinos never made money.  Part of his “art” is to leverage the heck out of everything he “owns”, have the properties pay for his toys, then negotiate out of the financial hole because the banks don’t want a giant bankruptcy on their books.   Casinos were great because they were cash machines.  The Art of the Deal and subsequent books are “non-fiction fiction”, as O’Brien calls it.   This is the Donald Trump I remember from my younger years in New York.  He was the young real estate tycoon, living on the edge, and tetering on bankruptcy.

While reading the book, I wondered at what point the Russian money entered his life.  Probably started during the casino days.  Even though the banks allowed Trump to refinance his casino and real estate loans and give him more generous terms, they would not have lent him any more money to buy or construct the golf courses of the late 90’s.  That’s a matter that Donald has also kept close to the vest.

“Disunited Nations” by Peter Zeihan is the other book I finished.  Amidst all the insightful information about the disintegration of the Order world-wide, is the fact that countries are beginning to negotiate deals that are “transactional”.  In this arena, Donald Trump will shine.  This is his favorite kind of negotiating.    One to one transactions.   He’s done some already that are good for us.  This in one in a row, Mr. President.

The daily COVID-19 press briefings are just “spin” on a truly terrible pandemic.  Stress the positive, diminish the negative.  Project the image of a decisive leader while not accepting responsibility for actions taken.  Use other people’s money (the states) to pay for the clean-up.  Being a leader is just showbiz – no governing necessary – let others do it.  It’s the cinematic image of a leader that counts, not the reality because that can be spun.

1 April 2020

COVID-19 cases up, up, up.  Models show the projected US death toll between 100,000 and 250,000!   Within just a few weeks, we have gone from “virus? what virus?” to OMG territory.

It makes me wonder if the Chinese bareface lied about their death toll.   My bet is that they did and it was much higher than reported.

At the top of our federal government, Trump continues to not lead.  His definition of being decisive is stopping travel from China:  What he forgets to disclose is that American citizens were allowed to come and go along with other exceptions after the travel ban was announced.  That’s not really shutting down travel and it’s certainly not going to stop the virus from making the trip.

He shows no understanding of the levers of government in times of crisis except in ways it can support his re-election.  Except for Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx, the President’s news conferences are a farcical way to hold a rally that isn’t a rally.  If not for the crisis at hand, I doubt some news networks would even televise them.  As for the levers of government, it was Andrew Cuomo who introduced the President to the Army Corp of Engineers’ capability.  The Department of Defense hasn’t been utilized at all.  They have laboratories who could be processing coronavirus tests and are sitting idle.  The Defense Department has equipment they are ready to send if only they were instructed as to where to send it.  Was the President aware of this?   All 50 states are bidding against FEMA for critical supplies.  How stupid is that situation?  The President should have taken over the purchasing process and distributed according to need.  The sole beneficiaries are the PPE companies who are enjoying record profits in this bidding war – certainly not the states or their citizens.  The states will experience severe budgetary problems in the aftermath, courtesy of the President’s refusal to manage the commodity purchasing process.   That leaves FEMA who is hoarding ventilators and PPE for future use.  Why? It appears the President is distributing hoarded FEMA material to states who are properly appreciative of his largess.  Of course, this will include Florida and other states who cow-tow to the imperial presidency.   Never mind that this material is not the President’s to distribute.  He acts as though he personally paid for it.  Those of us who know Donald Trump’s history know that he does not pay with his own money if someone else’s is available.

The available infection data  is faulty because of the lack of testing – also the President’s fault.  “Anyone who needs a test, will get a test”.  Not so then and not so now.  Tests are being rationed and getting the results takes days when it should only take hours.  Until testing is more widespread, social distancing also has to also be widespread.  Unfortunately, several Republican states are still refusing to enforce this practice.  They will be part of the next wave of infection.

If the brunt of the infection falls on the 80+ age group, I wonder if the President has considered the fact that these people are mostly Republicans and probably voted for him?

Domestically, unemployment will reach 40%+ very soon, greatly surpassing the Great Depression high point of 25%.  Since the 30’s, the US has shifted from a manufacturing-based economy to a service-based economy, and our supply lines were domestic then rather than international.  It is this interstitial period – between the US in February 2020 and after COVID-19 – that will be chaotic.   One thing is clear to me:  President Trump is not the guy to lead us out of this mess.  He may not have created the virus, but he has done such a poor job of managing this crisis , it is clear that he is not person we need in charge.

It is also clear that the global situation is dire.  My reading is that the US will be in much better shape than most countries.  With supply chains disrupted many populations will face food shortages and unrest.  With warm weather on the horizon, water and tempers will grow short.

27 March 2020

Three more days  of COVID-19 and the infection rate is still going up.  The U.S. now leads the world.  New York City is hardest hit.  Stories from the hospitals are heart wrenching -13 died in one day in one Queens  hospital.  The healthcare workers just can’t get to patients quickly enough and there isn’t enough equipment to take care of patients once admitted.  Retired healthcare workers are stepping up to relieve current workers, surgical specialty docs are learning nursing skills, and medical school seniors are allowed to graduate early if they join the cause.  American workers are amazing people!

“Safe distancing” closures have caused the unemployment rate to explode:  3.3 million claims last week and an insanely high number expected to be reported next Thursday as well.  Meanwhile, Congress is only a day away from passing a 2 trillion dollar relief package which the President says he will sign.  This is good for American workers and small businesses (another benefit: it is designed to not benefit Trump properties).

Every day during this crisis, President Trump continues to emcee the daily Coronavirus Briefings – still with a gaggle of experts standing shoulder to shoulder behind him.  Every day  President Trump exhibits a complete failure in crisis leadership.  Having disbanded the epidemic task force three years ago, he has placed B-grade non-experts in charge of a process that he is making up as he goes along.  Never mind that there was a pandemic handbook on which his original team was briefed early on.  It has been ignored and the process free-lanced.  The president’s comment?  He inherited a broken healthcare system.  Not true.

It would make sense for the federal government to procure needed supplies and distribute them to the states at cost.  This process would have been more efficient in terms of cost, manpower and delivery.  Instead, all 50 states are competing against each other for scarce supplies.   He invoked the Wartime Powers Act, but did not ask a single manufacturer to comply.  Why?  The only possible reason is profit motive  – he is forcing the states to pay much higher prices in order to support the profit margin of 3M, for example.  In turn, he is not forcing any company to change their manufacturing model to suit the current needs.  It may sound really “deep state”-like, but I can only guess there is something in it for Donald, like a nice fat campaign contribution.  The losers are the states who have to spend endless hours negotiating for supplies at a premium cost, only to find out an hour later they were outbid by another state at an even higher cost.  Listening to the Governors speak about the President, it is very clear they don’t think he’s doing a good job at all, but know they must be careful about what they say.  After all, the President is very touchy and can direct FEMA to send non-functional equipment to the governors who are critical of  him.  I am watching this play out every day:  Florida and Mississippi, who have Republican governors, get what they want, but the Democratic Governors get less.

What is most distressing is that the President refuses to assume responsibility for doing anything to help the states and then blames them for not being able to get what they need, saying it’s their own fault.  The Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA have been dispatched.  These resources were only sent when Governor Cuomo asked for them, not at the President’s direction.  My guess is that the states will be asked to reimburse the government for the cost when this is all over.

Now, the President is working on a county-by-county plan for going back to work after Easter.  If only people lived and worked in the same county, this might be worth considering.  I believe it is only usable in sparsely populated areas.   All the experts I’ve heard say mid-April is too soon and will lead to reinfections.  It also doesn’t allow for people being fearful of trusting the earlier close-working environments and clustering in stores and restaurants.

By the way – where the heck is Russia?  With news reports galore about all other areas of the planet, there has been not a peep about Russia.

A couple of things to be learned:  this is not just an “old-person’s” infection.  I have heard of many younger people who are seriously ill.

The second thing:  the “new normal” is some time off.

24 March 2020

New York State has 25,000 cases of COVID-19 – way more than any other state!  Astounding how quickly this epidemic has spread.

Meanwhile, our impatient president wants to start up the economy again.  Don’t we all?  Until more testing is done, however, I cannot fathom where to start the process without the risk of starting the disease cycle all over again.  Humans are not good at understanding the size of numbers.  I really don’t think Trump understands the risk yet either.  With no rallys and no other showcase except for the dreaded daily briefings which are a farce of happy talk within a few usable facts, the President has no other outlet.  No golf, no Florida, no television tidbits on the fly except for these briefings – he has only his staff,  Fox News, Twitter and the mirror to entertain himself.  So, Trump’s impatience with governing and the scientific process is on full display.

Congress is nearing a deal that will hopefully focus on the workers and not the corporate entities – the very same ones who made so much money in 2019 with Trump’s tax bill and used the money to buy back stock instead of expanding.  If the House of Representatives and Senators learned one lesson from that tax bill, they learned to 1) insist on oversight in the language of the bill, and 2) make sure the money is spent on specific items.  No more “here’s your money, no strings attached” with Trump and corporations.

23 March 2020

“Sheltering in place” is getting to all of us, most especially the POTUS.  Patience has never been one of his qualities  much less  the ability to plan long term.  In the current environment, I wish I could give him points for decisiveness, but I simply can’t.  It’s performance art – all of it.  The only thing on his mind is how this pandemic and market collapse is affecting his reelection campaign.  No rallies – only a gaggle of “experts” on the White House Press Briefing Room stage who are clearly not practicing “social distancing”.  President Trump is performing the role of “War Time President”, as though starring in his own John Wayne movie.  It’s fake decisiveness:  the time for him to have been decisive was two months ago when it was evident that the epidemic would spread to our shores.  He ignored the problem.  Those who were aware (e.g. Senator Burr) simply sold their stock and didn’t bug the President with matters he didn’t want to deal with.  Another round of golf anyone?

So, the President has invoked  war time mobilization powers and is doing nothing with this.  We need certain equipment and he isn’t asking any corporations to make it.  Why?  It makes absolute sense to ask the federal government to procure PPE and distribute it according to need, but POTUS says all 50 states should get their own.  Why?  He doesn’t want to be a shipping clerk.  So far, I’ve seen nothing that smacks of decisiveness beyond deciding to do nothing at all.  Why?  It will hurt his reelection campaign.  So we have shortages and a lot of hot air out of the White House.  And the market continues to flounder.

In Trump’s effort to sizzle up the economy over the past few years, he removed several of the levers that presidents can use to support the markets – he pressed the Fed to lower interest rates, he lowered taxes in a bull market (stupid in itself), he removed regulatory restraints, and so on.  I can understand why some would think these moves were good for the economy – they did help propel it forward for a time.  On the flip side, by removing all these levers, there is nothing left to do but issue more Treasury bonds.  All intermediate steps have been exhausted already.  There are no levers left to pull in order to level the markets off.  I am reminded of the scene in the movie “Jaws” where Quint runs his boat at full throttle to tire the shark.  He turns the pressure up so high that the engine eventually blows and stops dead.  So the shark catches up with the boat because it is now dead in the water.  This is what has happened to the U.S. economy.  Trump is out of aces and we are dead in the water.

The stimulus package is snarled up in Congress.  The Republicans want to stimulate the corporations and business entities such as the airline industry, the Democrats want to stimulate the working families and 1099 workers who are living on the edge.  Both want to support small businesses.  It boils down to supporting the big businesses who supply the goods/services or supporting the customers who buy from the businesses.  The corollary is that without jobs, there are no businesses, and there are no businesses without customers.  Very tough balance and each side has dug in.  Whenever there is real money involved, the lobbyists line up for a handout.  Mnuchen’s Senate package was a no-go.  I hope he and Nancy Pelosi can work out a deal.    It’s just that critical.

15 March 2020

We are teetering on the edge of a global recession.  My sense tells me that the absent revenue, lost value and general fear among the public will take months, if not years, from which to recover.  At this point, the U.S. is at the very beginning of managing this CoVID-19 outbreak, so the economic fallout will not be known for a few months.  In the meantime, many people on the edge of survival will suffer the consequences of layoffs.  Our dear leader is still blaming everyone else for the problem and resorting to TrumpTV to raise the Dow Jones average as a quick fix – (as if the stock market were the sole indicator.  Wait until the quarterly earnings reports come out!)  Trump’s solution to his problems include: ignore it (as in this virus), divorce it (2 so far), or declare bankruptcy, letting the accountants and attorneys sort it out.  This virus doesn’t fit well into any of those categories.

7 March 2020

The world is in the midst of a melt-down over COVID-19, the latest coronavirus to surface among humans.  Our interconnected global society has led to a rapid spread to all continents.  From all indications, COVID-19 does not have a high death rate, but is easily transmissable.  Young people and healthy adults may show few symptoms:  it is the elderly and health-compromised adults who are most at risk for serious illness.

The “melt-down” is comprised of two things:  first, catching and spreading the virus   If a person has come into contact with the disease, he or she is supposed to self-quarantine for two weeks.  Businesses are encouraged to allow workers to telecommute.  Major events have been cancelled, such as SXSW, and business travel -international in particular – has been curtailed.  Some of these moves are precautionary – of course, large groups of people would exacerbate spread of the disease if even one person in the midst tested positive.  Even small-to-middle-sized businesses are downsizing travel plans for fear of liability if the trip led to infection.

The second, and even greater impact is the potential for a world-wide economic recession caused by the collapse of our global interactions – shrinking travel and trade mean that all those businesses who support these industries will suffer greatly.   The person who takes a trip spends money on the airline ticket,  transportation to and from the airport, souvenirs, food, the dog-sitter, clothing for the trip, a new camera … if no one is traveling, the economic impact cascades all the way down to the person who makes the souvenirs.  If the factory should close, the workers aren’t paid, no lunches out or Friday night movies. No demand means no sales means no jobs.  Everyone suffers even if they never contract the virus itself.   CNN reported that cancelling SXSW will cost the city of Austin $350 million in revenue:  it’s impossible to recover from that, and it is the small business owners who depend on this revenue (and stocked inventory in anticipation of the event) who will feel the impact most.

So, we look to our government to help in precarious moments like this – to assure us and provide solutions.  President Trump continues to downplay the size of the problem by denying its existence, while Vice-President Pence is at least trying to address the health-care needs.  The lack of test kits accomplishes one thing: it minimizes the size of the problem for the President, but it is irresponsible because officials don’t know where the virus has spread already.   Amazing incompetence and lack of compassion on the part of our President.  “Problem? What problem?”  He is trying to  snake-charm us.

I am concerned that the virus will lead to a world-side recession.  The good things to come out of this are 1) the U.S. government and citizens are learning about the breaks in the supply chain (albeit, the hard way), and 2) President Trump finally has an enemy he cannot tweet into submission.  Hopefully, this virus will stick to him, put on full display his lack of governing competence, and he will be voted out of office in November.

23 February 2020

So much confusion out there.  The Democratic candidates are trying to knock each other out of the nest, the Russians are meddling in the election, President Trump is performing bestial acts one after the other and the general public is confused about what to believe.  That’s the point, isn’t it?  To confuse the public.

I have not been a Bernie Sanders fan until now.  His candidacy smacked of a replay of the 1972 election where Richard Nixon beat George McGovern by a wide margin.  We didn’t have the Russians meddling in that election – No, it was Richard Nixon himself and the CRP Dirty Tricksters that pared the field down to just George McGovern, who only took S. Dakota (his home state) and Massachusetts in that election.

Now, I’m not so sure.  Donald Trump does one thing after another that make the intelligent public despise him.  Earlier this week, a slew of pardons were given to various con men, most of whom previously donated to Trump’s campaign.  These are considered a prelude to pardoning Roger Stone, Paul Manafort and Mike Flynn.   If Trump goes through with these last three pardons, I think the U.S. – under the next administration – should have grounds to sue Trump in civil court to recover the costs of trying these men.

I’m wondering if there isn’t something to Bernie’s message after all.  If Bernie prevails, I will vote for him.   If Mike Bloomberg wins, I will vote for him.  If  Mickey Mouse prevails, I will vote for him.   Period. Full Stop.

A few weeks ago, the Intelligence Committee was briefed on Russian election meddling.  The clear message was that the meddling favors Trump’s candidacy.  As a result, the president fired the guy who testified plus his second in command and replaced them with 2 guys who have no experience in the intelligence arena!  Loyalty is  the only requirement for a position in the Trump Administration.  Credentials make no difference. He wants no information given to Congress that resembles actual facts.

I heard Tim O’Brien speak on the news this morning.  Love this guy!  He said that Donald Trump is essentially a very insecure man who still has his father rattling around in his head.  The only items in his brain are a putter, a cheeseburger, a porn film and someone else’s credit card.   Must read “Trumpnation”.

12 February 2020

I’m reading Ezra Klein’s new book “Why We’re Polarized” in order to get a better understanding of our shredded political landscape.  It’s a great book – I recommend it to anyone who seeks to make sense of the current context.

The New Hampshire primary – which everyone makes a big deal over – obscured the big story of the day:  President Trump calling  prosecutors’ recommended sentence for Roger Stone  “unfair”, tweeting up a storm about it, followed by the DOJ refiling the recommendation to the court from 7-9 years to parole.  All 4 of the prosecutors quit.   The tragedy is that the New Hampshire primary  was not the top story of the day – not even close.  We all knew what the results would be.  The only good thing to come of the primary is some candidates suspended their campaigns, thus narrowing the field.

Tell me what is “unfair” about the prosecutors’ recommended sentence?  Roger Stone did not cooperate and was found guilty on all 9 counts by a jury of his peers.  The sentencing recommendation was standard fare for these kinds of crimes.  The DOJ’s interference into this matter shows the extent of the President’s control over the levers of government and his disrespect for the rule of law.

When will the pardons happen? Manafort? Flynn? Stone? Political dynamite for Trump, but that has never stopped him.  He will just spin it to show these moves were justified.  I wonder when the Trump bubble will burst?  I’m thinking it won’t until it literally explodes.

8 February 2020

Monday – closing Impeachment arguments; Tuesday – State of the Union address; Wednesday – acquittal by the Senate; Thursday – vengeance warnings by tweet; Friday – executions begin.  It has been a whirlwind week of descent and dissent.

The President’s defense included the argument that, if the President orders anything at all and says it is “in the national interest”, then it is within his powers as the Chief Executive to do it.  Therefore, the Biden inquiry was included in his constitutional purview.  Following this logic, if President Trump says he shot someone on 5th Avenue “in the nation’s interest”,  he could not be arrested for it.   By acquitting the President, the Senate has now given the President unlimited power.  By Thursday morning this week, it was clear that he intended to use this power – first, on those who opposed him “unfairly”.

Senator Mitt Romney made history as the first senator of the impeached President’s own party to vote “guilty”.   Nasty tweets started on Thursday.  It is unclear what form vengeance will take on this senator.  Perhaps an audit?  Legal issues?  Trump will order someone to look hard into Romney’s family.

I found President Trump’s remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast particularly odious.  He dismissed Senator Romney’s Mormon faith and Speaker Pelosi’s prayers for the President – as if Trump has ever prayed except rhetorically.   It is amazing to me that the Evangelicals stick with him in the face of these remarks.  I have a number of Mormon friends who have been Trump supporters up until now.  I wonder if the President’s remarks about the Mormon faith with change any minds?  This group is, by and large, comprised of extreme capitalists who support his pro-business policies.  Insults about their faith might cause some to question their allegiance and vote otherwise.   Sad to say, the Evangelicals believe they are the only ones going to heaven anyway and so will likely overlook the President’s snide remarks.

Speaker Pelosi tore up the transcript of the President’s speech in full view of the cameras.   This act was not only a response to his ignoring her outstretched hand when he rose to the podium to speak, but also at disgust over the made-for-tv “reality show” that followed.   The SOTU speech was a patchwork of syrupy close-ups of minority group individuals intended to show what a caring guy Trump is.  I found myself, as with the Oprah Show,  looking under my chair to discover what gift I would receive for watching – a book? keys to an automobile? free airline tickets?  It was a showman’s spectacle – excellent by marketing standards, but as insincere as it gets.  Some truths mixed with some whoppers and a lot of gas-lighting.  We expect some “gilding the lily” within the State of the Union address, but this speech was beyond measure.

The only option left is to vote Trump out of office in November.   I hope the Democrats are up to the challenge – but that’s another blog entirely. Some predictions on what would follow for the ex-President is yet another.

2 February 2020

DEEP STATE on Ground Hog Day 2020

Upon listening to several Sunday morning newscasts, it occurs to me that all of them miss a key point – what is meant by “Deep State”.  By not noting the difference in how this term is understood by certain groups, the newscasters are confusing their reporting and how the public perceives it.

Merriam Webster defines “Deep State” as: “an alleged secret network of especially non-elected government officials and sometimes private entities (as in the financial services and defense industries*) operating extra-legally to influence and enact government policy”.  The unofficial political term for this group is “the fourth branch of the government” – whose members act outside the bounds of the Constitution and other three branches in order to influence changes.

The Republicans perceive this as professional governmental workers who are working against the changes that this president wants to make in order to maintain the status quo.  The Democrats, on the other hand, either ignore that there is a “Deep State” or don’t point the finger in the right direction.  Most people, including news media, simply assume that “Deep State” means the same thing to everyone.

I suggest that the real “Deep State” is far more dangerous than potentially disgruntled civil service workers:  the “Deep State” is comprised of the lobbyists and corporate and moneyed interests who decidedly have an interest in influencing governmental policy.  Yes, financial services and defense industries* are working to influence governmental policy, but not from inside the government – rather they are working from the outside through well-paid lobbyists.  There is a lot of money at stake for these companies through governmental contracts, reducing tax burden, and pushing environmental restriction policy that will benefit them (for example, allowing federal national park land to be accessed by oil & gas and logging companies).

Lobbyists have been part of the political landscape since the beginning of the republic.  George Washington accurately stated that men will act in their own interests.  This is still a true statement.  In today’s translation, this means: men benefiting as corporate entities.

Lobbyists used to be more numerous at the state level.  With the 17^th Constitutional Amendment directing Senators to be popularly elected rather than appointed by state legislatures, lobbying resettled at the federal level beginning in the 1920’s.  Lobbyists have quietly grown ever since – in numbers and financial backing.  Lobbyists protect corporate entities by influencing legislation from taxation (loopholes) and blocking protective legislation (oil and gas, food inspection, drug regulation, etc.).

Civil Service has also grown exponentially with the introduction of income tax, the New Deal, and Civil Rights and Health Care legislation in the 1960’s. Another layer of civil service was added in the 1970’s with the Environmental Protection Act.  Ever since, a dizzying amount of restrictions and guidelines have provided “job-justification” for many civil servants.  It is easy to not spot the forest from all the trees.

I have long been a proponent of streamlining governmental agencies to trim redundant services and unproductive personnel.  Sure, they want to protect their job, but these people are not strong enough to work against governmental change to any significant degree.  Most are just working folk who do their job without attention to politics. They have worked through several administrations, both Republican and Democratic.  For most, it’s just a job.

The far more dangerous “Deep State” is comprised of the moneyed interests and corporate lobbyists that move about furtively stuffing the coffers of elected officials to influence legislative outcome.  They work outside the government structure in their own interest which – notably – is not accountable to the people through elections, and consequently does not operate in the public’s interest.  Lobbyists are paid handsomely to get results that benefit corporate interests and the men who benefit from it.

It is this “Deep State” that we should be paying keenest attention.  I would like newscasters to understand there is a difference in how this term is perceived by stakeholders.  Like our favorite groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, the public needs to emerge from their hole to see the real shadow and the continuation of winter.

31 January 2020

In the end, only two Republicans voted to have witnesses at the impeachment trial.  A vote of 49-51 – how sad is that?

Everyone is worn out with the arguments on both sides.  I cannot help but believe that President Trump will  market this vote and his inevitable acquittal (by a razor thin margin) as some sort of coronation.   His lawyers argued that the President can do anything he wants if he says it’s in the county’s interest.  We now have a king surrounded by a cult who think he is brilliant and magnificent.  Dear heaven – what has the senate let loose on this country?

More evidence is bound to come out that supports the House case.  Too bad John Bolton didn’t speak up sooner.

Question – is it possible to impeach a president twice?

27 January 2020

Impeachment hearings are now 6 days in process.  Prosecution (the House Managers) have rested their case, Defense (Trump) is currently presenting its case.  New evidence from Lev Parnas and the partial manuscript from John Bolton’s new book are weighing heavily on Republican Senators who would much prefer the final vote to acquit be done as soon as possible.   None of them wants to face the wrath of the President’s tweets or the fury of the Base cascading upon them by voting in opposition of the rest of the Republican caucus.   To paraphrase Adam Schiff, it will require moral courage to vote against the President.   It will take moral courage to vote on asking witnesses to testify.   The more stalwart Trumpers want all this over by the State of the Union address so the President can beat up the Democrats from the podium.   Testimony would delay the final vote by several weeks.

The legal profession is the loser here.  For my part, it proves one thing:  defense attorneys will  take all the money they can get to defend a client they know is not telling the truth.   Perhaps they feel, like William Barr, that centralized Executive power is more important than any fuss over Ukraine Aid.  So what if the President committed a crime by holding the money back?  I wonder who is footing the bill for the President’s lawyers?  Surely not taxpayers – or is it?

The important point missed here is that President Trump doesn’t give a fig about Ukraine’s survival.  He has all but dissolved our European alliances, so who needs a buffer state?  Moreover, Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine – all of Ukraine – back in the Russian fold.  What President Trump is effectively doing is giving Putin exactly what he wants.   This is the dynamic and the interests served.

21 January 2020

The impeachment trial of Donald Trump begins today.

The cult of Donald Trump is most surprising.   He is the ginger-haired Jim Jones.  Second, is the obstructionist behavior of Mitch McConnell.  The Senate Impeachment rules, disclosed to the Republican managers just last night,  block any existing evidence from being submitted for consideration.  How is this a  real trial without the evidence connected to the Articles of Impeachment?  Of course, the President’s lawyers are moving for a complete dismissal of charges.  I find it hard to believe that Chief Justice John Roberts will go along with these ploys.   So many moving parts – fasten your seat belts.

9 January 2020

Almost a war in the Middle East, but not quite.  President Trump ordered the killing of an Iranian official and has managed to get away with it.  So far, the U.S. has managed to dodge the revenge bullet.  The more interesting part of this episode is what caused the Ukrainian airliner to crash?

7 January 2020

The hard truth for Donald Trump is that he has been impeached by the House of Representatives.   There is no erasing that from the history books.  No pardon from himself or successor.  No way to expunge it from his record.  It’s there for all time.  The ensuing drama has been Nancy Pelosi’s skillful withholding the Articles of Impeachment from being delivered to the Senate.  McConnell wants a quick and dirty exoneration, Trumps wants a show trial, and the rest of us just want a fair hearing and vote.  No one really expects Trump to be found guilty and removed from office.  I can’t help, however, being reminded of the downhill weight of earth and water pressing against a stone wall; the more news reporting that is revealed, the more evidence there is to support the Articles of Impeachment.   Thus far, there has been no exculpatory evidence within the reporting – in fact, there is a possibility that a 3rd Article of Impeachment may be added to the first two.  The pressure on some Senators, especially those who are up for election this year, is rising steadily.

President Trump’s principal diversion has been golf and starting a little (or big) war in the Middle East.  It’s “Wag the Dog” all over again.  This time, however, it’s not television-produced – it’s as real as it gets.  The president has managed to change the news cycle with the Middle East issue – away from nothing but “impeachment” – but the president should be careful what he asks for.  He may have a real war on his hands, not just some made-for-TV movie.   The Iranians and Iraqis are both angry and will retaliate.  I understand that, besides nuclear and network options, the Iranians have some really good computer hackers in their midst.

1 December 2019

Impeachment stories have clogged the airwaves for weeks and weeks, and are scheduled to resume on Wednesday.  The President and his lawyers have chosen to not participate.  So, the Trump vs. Washington D.C. Deep State War continues.
An issue that comes up a lot during presidential election cycles is the Electoral College.  The question is: should the Electoral College be abolished in favor of a national majority vote?  Alexander Hamilton addresses this topic in the Federalist Papers 68.  The scenario is that each state would select men to make the final choice of President (at that time, whoever came in second was named Vice-President).
In the context of the time, there were no public schools and illiteracy was fairly common.  Only men who owned property could vote anyway.  The Electoral College was made part of the Constitution to add a safeguard to the popular vote:  “This process of election affords a moral certainty that the office of President will seldom fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.  Talents for low intrigue, and the little arts of popularity, may alone suffice to elevate a man to the first honors in a single State: but it will require other talents, and a different kind of merit, to establish him in the esteem and confidence of the whole Union …”.  The Electoral College acted as a filter through which candidates had to pass for broad approval.
Alexander Hamilton could not have envisioned the influence of mass communication.  Nor could he have foreseen the population migration from country to city.  He was aware of the divergence of opinion which predated the two-party system, but reasonable men – even if their opinions differ – could make compromises over dinner.  After all, that’s how our capital was located where it is.
Times have changed.  Mass media and tribalism are part of our lives.  Worse, it’s a winner-take-all atmosphere, where winning is accompanied by stepping on the opponents’ neck.  Reasonable people are no longer valued – you are either with us or against us.  We have lost the middle road.  So the filter provided by the Electoral College is useful solely as a numerical tool toward the prize of Presidency.  Messaging – both accurate and inaccurate, true and shaded – is laser-focused on the states with the viable Electoral College votes such as Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
So, is the Electoral College obsolete?  If you look at the map of every state, there is a lot less area occupied by cities than by smaller communities, but the population is higher in the cities and suburbs.  So, is it now city vs. country?
More pondering on this topic.

11 November 2019

The Trump impeachment hearings begin on Wednesday.  The case against the president is clear and convincing:  the president pressured the new Ukrainian government to manufacture an investigation into the Bidens and take the blame for the 2016 U.S. election interference in exchange for the Congressionally-approved military aid and a meeting with President Trump.  The Republicans position this as a “quid pro quo” – a barter or routine exchange between governments; the Democrats call it a “shake-down” or extortion, where the President misused his power to apply pressure in order to benefit his 2020 political campaign.   The U.S. government applies pressure on other countries all the time in order to further our foreign policy.  The root of the impeachment is that this pressure was strictly for person gain, not in the national interest.
The “elephant in the room” that underlies the hearings is the matter of Russian influence into our democratic process – something that Trump doesn’t see any problem with (and, in fact, undermines his 2016 win) and something that angers the heck out of many, including me.  If Trump isn’t an actual Russian “operative”, then  he certainly behaves like one.  Every move in our foreign policy with regard to the Middle East and Ukraine benefits Russian interests, not U.S.  Ukraine is right in the middle of all this. With its dependency on the U.S. for aid, Ukraine will do whatever is necessary to protect itself from being swallowed up by Russia.
The impeachment case is clear to me, as is the underlying Russian presence.  As with the political theater – that is constant with the round-the-clock news cycle – anything can happen.    It will be a “show” for the theatrically-inclined.

24 October 2019

Considering the totality of Trump’s actions, I refer to the end goal of this impeachment process as an “excision”, not a removal.

15 September 2019

The third Democratic debate has concluded.  The field is starting to narrow – thank heavens.   The large field is part of an overall problem within the Democratic Party – they don’t message consistently.  Too many people going in different directions feel the need to speak up, only confusing the overall message – “this president is not good for this country and here’s why … Here is the direction we need to go”, etc, etc.  Trump is winning on that front.  Hopefully, narrowing the candidate field will help.
I don’t think “Medicare for All” is a workable idea on either a political or practical level.  Much prefer Pete Buttegeig’s “Medicare for those who want it” – in other words, negotiate for a better deal for medical coverage with the providers, but let the public decide whether they want it or stay with their current plan.  It’s all about choice with the American voter, even if it’s between two bad ones!  Kamala Harris’ plan offers choice, too.  Much better.
In the meantime, any candidate needs to shore up the Medicare that currently exists because it isn’t all that great.  A lot of holes in the coverage and the government is really slow to embrace new treatments.
I was amused by Andrew Yang’s idea of an “American Dividend” – a lump sum payment to American families.  He is also in favor of a minimum annual income.  Also not workable.  Too socialistic for my taste and something that would work against a Democratic candidate.
It occurs to me that there are a lot of very wealthy people (like Yang) who suddenly want to spend their money for the common good.  It reminds me of Andrew Carnegie who stepped on the common man for many years before deciding he wanted his legacy to be libraries and educational institutions.  Seems like these entrepreneurs take what they want, treat people badly on the way, and then attempt to rewrite history by replacing bad memories with good deeds.    The one refreshing side of Donald Trump is that he doesn’t care about his legacy (which will be very bad indeed).  My idle moment wish is to make Trump poor and friendless at some point in his life.  Not sick, not dead, not destroy Mar-A-Lago (I heard this in the wake of Hurricane Dorian) – simply destitute, having to face life with no respect or power.

3 September 2019

I saw the Molly Ivins movie yesterday.  Such a great writer.  Such a dragon-slayer who paved the way for strong, smart, opinionated women to follow.
Two items caught my attention:
First, Molly referenced a percentage that is now drastically out of date.  During the 80’s, she claimed that,  “1% of the people have 40% of the money in the U.S.”  Today, this percentage is 1% have 90% of the wealth in this country.  My, capitalism has worked wonders over the past 30 years.
Second: Molly would be leading the charge politically today.  She claims that the people elect the leaders and they work for us, not the corporations.  She complained about corporate money owning the legislators a generation ago.  Same song from years ago rings true today in clarion, mind-exploding notes.
If you haven’t seen the movie – go.  Even better, read her books.

23 August 2019

On the coexistence of Capitalism and Socialism 
One of the many labels that President Trump assigns to his political opponents is “all Democrats are Radicals and Socialists”.    The connotation for “Radicals” infers that all Democrats are crazy left-wingers with off-the-wall (not sane like his) ideas; for “Socialists”, he means that Democrats want the government to run everything and they will take your hard-earned money to support unproductive poor people, including immigrants.  The message is clear:  don’t vote for the crazy Democratic presidential candidates.
True, all the Democratic candidates are “radicals” in the sense that all want complete change from the current administration’s policies.  For example, Democrats believe that Climate Change is not a “hoax”, and the Russians really did try to hack into our elections in 2016.  The President denies both.  Background checks for gun purchasers is not an “off-the-wall” idea nor is publicly-available health insurance for citizens to purchase a “crazy” idea.   These are reasonable solutions to current problems that the majority of the public agree with.   These ideas are complete departures from the current Trump Republican norm, however, which makes them “Radical”.
“Socialists”?  Not really, but the visions of the Democrats and Republicans differ on how much governmental control there should be.
“Socialism”, to paraphrase several citations, is “an economic and political system of social organization that believes making, moving and trading wealth should be owned or controlled by the government as a whole”.   Our government functions are, to a large degree, “socialistic”.  For example, farm subsidies are “socialistic” in that they take your tax dollars and redistribute the wealth to the farmers to cover market inequities.  Recently, subsidies have covered the shortfalls created by trade policies.  Hurricane relief is, strictly speaking, “socialistic”.  Federal tax money is assigned to a state where it is needed, courtesy of the other 49 states’ tax dollars.
The truth of “socialism” is that some things are best managed centrally for maximum efficiency and for the good of the parts.  Examples of “socialism” in our everyday life are:  military and veterans’ administration, immigration, regulatory agencies (e.g. food and drug inspection), weather forecasting, interstate transportation including air traffic control, prison system, national parks – extending to Medicare and Social Security.   The point here is that many aspects of our everyday life are better handled collectively rather than 50 different state bureaucracies managing the processes.
On the local level, states and municipalities manage police, fire and EMT services, licensing, insurance regulations, water, sewer and electricity, and manage most road repair.  Taxes pay for these services as a shared community enterprise.
In contrast to “Socialism”, “Capitalism is an economic system characterized by private ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market”.  (Merriam-Webster)
The North American colonies were settled by English capitalists who invested in settlement for the purpose of extracting natural resources.  Capitalism is how this country became so robust economically:  investors put up capital, took risks, and developed our nation into the economic powerhouse it is today.
Our government started in 1789 with almost no bureaucracy.  Alexander Hamilton and James Madison’s vision of a strong national government did, however, socialize the monetary system, the postal system and the military.  Why? Because these services are best controlled at a central governmental level because they cross all state lines.   A strong national government over matters of the common good is key to the success of our democracy.
Alexander Hamilton and James Madison’s campaign for assuming the war debt of all the colonies may be considered the first national “bail-out”.  Consolidating the individual state debt loads enabled each of the 13 states to move forward without a sizable burden restricting economic growth, and permitted the national government to negotiate treaties and trade deals on behalf of all the colonies.   This “bail-out” is socialistic policy in action.
Capitalism, however, is the engine that propelled rapid growth.  Individuals taking risk by investing money into businesses and property development – so why should they not reap the reward of their risk?  After all, taking risk sometimes means failure, not reward.
Since 1789 when the Constitution was ratified and the federal government formed, socialism and capitalism have coexisted in our democracy.    As long as they balance each other out, harmony is maintained.  Some things are better run by a governmental entity.  Private enterprise should respect that.  Some activities should be in private hands and the government should nurture and respect that as well.  But private enterprise is greedy – it is always looking for a means to make money – and the governmental entities get bloated and protect themselves by not transforming to match current conditions.  As our democracy has matured, this is the state we find ourselves in.  Bureaucratic bloat and private sector greed.
Healthy capitalism depends on a competitive marketplace.  At present, similar to the late nineteenth century, with so much consolidation of businesses and wealth, competition is stifled and the free enterprise system is no longer running efficiently.  Large corporations can set prices on goods and services, and they are going no where but up.
The U.S. government has expanded greatly over time, and previous administrations have tried to reign in costs by out-sourcing some services.  The private sector has designed business models that make it possible to generate profit from what were previously free governmental services.    Much of the prison system is in private hands, for example.  It’s time to ask the question:  are we getting better value by outsourcing?  Or are we merely making the investors rich at a cost that exceeds what the government could do?  Where there metrics applied to the efficiency of outsourcing?  For example, measure the cost per prisoner and recidivism rates?  There have even been discussions about outsourcing parts of the military.  How would we measure the success of that?  What do we lose by the government no longer having control over these critical national sectors?  Shouldn’t management be the responsibility of the government rather than the profit-seeking sector who will clearly have a different priority than the community they’re supposed to serve?
Take a close look at the growth of lobbyists.  Lobbyists have been around since the beginning, but have grown exponentially since the 1970’s.  Around the same time, the government eliminated paid “experts” who advised legislators on policy implications.  So, the advisory chore has shifted from governmental to private sector who benefits monetarily from laws that Congress passes.  Similarly, lobbyists have influenced the legal and tax codes to benefit corporate interests:  business expenses and losses can be deducted with no responsibility for poor decisions within the corporate framework.  Corporations can tie legal matters up in court for years against a less financially-supported entity or person.
Recall the messaging from a few years ago about how tax laws should favor the “job creators”.  Fast forward to 2017 tax cut – corporate tax rates were greatly reduced in order to free up capital for businesses to invest in the economy – to “create jobs”.  The problem with this theory is that the government cannot make businesses invest their money.  In short, the corporate and individual tax cuts were one-sided – there were no strings attached that required investing the money.  Small wonder, considering jittery markets, that businesses and investors are hanging on to their cash.  Otherwise known as “Trickle-down economics” – once again – here is living proof that this policy is folly.  Without controlling the process, the government is powerless to control the outcome.
In the face of an economic downturn, we are now out of aces:  interest rates are already low, we are almost at full employment, government debt is as high as it’s ever been due largely to tax cuts, international cooperation is nihil, and there are no experts guiding the ship of state to strategize our way out of this mess.
Our economic engine is slowing.  Capitalism only works when the markets are robust and competition is healthy.  With so much consolidation of corporate entities and wealth, competition is stifled and the free enterprise system is no longer efficient.  Prices of goods and services rest in too few hands, so they go up and up (while service goes down – are you pleased with your cable/internet provider?)
So, what would a better balance between capitalism and socialism look like?  Clearly, the government needs a big overhaul and housecleaning.  Just as we separate the stuff we have into three piles:  1) keep, 2) donate, 3) trash.   When a new Democratic administration takes over, it should decide on: 1) necessary service, government-controlled – corresponds to “keep”, 2) necessary service – can be privatized without harm – “donate”, 3) trash – get rid of it.   This alone is a huge job – especially calculating the price tag for human and monetary gains and losses.  This may involve regaining governmental control over segments that have been previously privatized.  It may involve privatizing entirely new functions that are currently run by the government.  (There will be opportunity here for capitalists).  Some things will need to be consolidated or shut down completely.    My hope is that whoever wins the Presidency has the guts to make these decisions and has the courage to see the process through.  Our economy may have to shrink to re-energize and the capitalists won’t like that.
Some election reform is needed.  Some Congressional reform is needed.  Some legal reform is needed.  Some Tax reform is needed.   Who is in favor of a national initiative to aggressively protect our cyber systems?  How about redesigning and protecting the power grid?  Consider infrastructure needs and climate change.  Some of our cities are very vulnerable to sea rise.  All very important issues that can only be tackled on a national scale with local participation, often with international cooperation.
There needs to be changes in the legal system that protects the tax status of passive money.  Great wealth is protected by means of legal wrappers that allow individuals to live comfortably off the earnings from passive wealth, not off work or investment enterprises.  The legal system is a “heads I win, tails you lose” construct now – wealth is absorbed while risk is written off if it fails.  It’s the taxpayers and vendors who lose.  The assets of the person who writes off the debt are protected.  Absolutely no personal responsibility.  Witness the 2008 Wall Street bail-out that saved the financial sector while no one who caused the collapse was held personally responsible.
A strictly socialist system would never work in the United States.  There would be no incentive to invest if you get nothing in return.  But a strictly privatized economy would not work either.  It’s much too easy to avoid considering the community at large in the pursuit of money.  So, where is the balance?  We have a wealth disparity that rivals the late nineteenth century – before income tax became law.  There have always been poor in this country, but, surely, we can tip the scales to help a few more rise out of poverty.  Surely, we can enable educational goals to be reached without saddling our young people with debt.  Surely, we can offer our children a public education that will prepare them for life in a democratic society.  Surely, we can regain manufacturing prowess with tax incentives, moving skilled jobs into places that need them.   Surely, we can retrain idled workers for available jobs.  Surely, we can encourage better cultural understanding within our society.
Surely, we can do better.  We must do better.
27 June 2019
I finally finished reading the Mueller Report.   Although I’ve long been a wordsmith, reading that report convinced me that becoming a lawyer would have been really boring.  The logic of the report is elegant, but the writing is dry and pedantic.  If  the news media and legislators are waiting for the public to read this, hell will certainly freeze over before it happens.
The veracity of the Mueller Report is inescapable.  Volume II’s Obstruction of Justice occurred in public view, over and over again.   Robert Mueller, as a prosecutor, lives by the legal principle that a prosecutor cannot charge someone with a crime if that person cannot have his day in court to defend against the accusation.  So, he declined to accuse President Trump of a crime because a sitting president cannot be tried.  The only recourse is 1) impeachment, and 2) vote the president out of office in 2020 before the statute of limitations runs out so he can be prosecuted as a “former president”.
Volume I covers the conspiracy investigation.  Although this part was “inconclusive”, there was plenty of evidence that points to cozy relationships with Russian government officials.  Where there is smoke, there is fire; and there was (and is) plenty of smoke.  As a result of the Russian liaisons, President Trump has compromised U.S. security and has resisted arming our country against further cyber attacks.  This is all kinds of wrong, but the American public is shockingly accepting!   – Whereas these days, schools rehearse evacuation plans for active shooters, my elementary school days were spent hiding under our desks from Russian attacks and nuclear annihilation.  How soon we forget that we absolutely cannot trust Russia … Sputnik, the Cuban Missile Crisis, their invasion of Afghanistan, the Berlin Air Lift, the Cold War.  How soon we forget!   The Russians can be negotiated with,  traded with and worked with, but they can never be trusted.  For them, the truth is whatever it needs to be – hence, they will lie and subvert to get what they want.
The Mueller Report is a detailed road map for Congress to act.  They need to start the impeachment inquiry in order to get the facts into public view via broadcast media. The American public get their news via digital or broadcast.  That’s where the evidence needs to be presented.

12 May 2019

Always a stickler for original sourcing, I have made it through Volume I of the Mueller Report.  President Trump is right – there really isn’t any conspiracy to see.  There was no need for it.  All the nefarious work was handed to his campaign on a silver platter by the Russian government.  There was plenty of co-operation and conversation, but this, in itself, is not illegal.
There were a lot of ambitious fringe players who were seeking power, influence or money from the campaign and presidency.  They were, for the most part, “resume building”.  I worked with people like that and called them “power mound builders” – people who had connections that could be used to advance agendas and make money by parceling  to others.  Goes to show you that the setting may change, but human behavior doesn’t.  These individuals were so enthralled by the process that they said things they shouldn’t to sound more influential than they really were.  Then they lied about it.  The cover-up is never worth the cost.
Paul Manafort was the exception.  His focus was always on the money and his role as campaign manager was always a means to that end.  I believe that he conspired with the Russians by providing polling data and teaching them how to interpret it.  That information was then provided to the Russian social media groups in order to focus their efforts in key battleground states.  Unfortunately, this is unlikely to ever by proven in a court of law.   Paul Manafort is too smart to ever disclose the truth and is still seeking the magical “pardon”.
The redactions are as interesting as the text.  There is still a lot going on behind the scenes.  Roger Stone may be in a heap of trouble.
I also read Alan Dershowitz’ introduction and he makes some valuable points.  His logic is sound – there should never have been a Special Counsel appointed in the first place because firing Jim Comey was within the constitutional rights of the presidency.  The act itself was not illegal.  Mr. Dershowitz says that the better route would have been to have a bipartisan panel,  like the 9/11 committee, to evaluate Russian interference.  I agree with him.  What he fails to see is that President Trump would never have allowed such a panel to be formed because 1) the President didn’t regard Russian interference as especially “wrong”, and 2) any negative findings would have undermined the legitimacy of his election.  Hence,  the Special Counsel was the best we could get under the circumstances.
On to Volume II.

17 March 2019

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  I believe this is the anniversary of St. Padraig’s death in the 5th Century. Were there ever snakes in Ireland?  Figuratively perhaps.
I have been following the drama of Trump’s campaign staffers’ legal troubles.  The phrase that resonated with me was Judge T. S. Ellis’s phrase that Paul Manafort had led an “otherwise blameless life” – except for the years of deliberate tax evasion and money laundering, except for lying to the Special Counsel for a plea deal he never intended to honor, except for serving as a mole in the Trump campaign for Russian interests, etc.  Judge Ellis showed us the downside of appointing someone to the federal bench for life.  His bias toward white-collar criminals is obvious (corollary is harsh treatment of violent crimes by people of color).  Judge Ellis was openly confrontational with the prosecution all through the trial, as if to say the Special Counsel should not be intruding on his court room.  But to say Paul Manafort deserved a ridiculously light sentence because, in the judge’s opinion, Manafort had led “an otherwise blameless life”, was (and continues to be in the light of several days) evidence of a judge who has been doing his job too long and not well.   It’s time to retire this fellow.

7 February 2019

After five weeks of government shut-down and a truly lame State of the Union address, President Trump’s “worst day ever” will be followed by more “worst day ever”‘s.  There are so many investigations, it’s impossible to keep count.  Robert Mueller has cleverly spread the investigations to several jurisdictions so that even the 20-odd lawyers employed at the White House will have difficulty keeping up with the legal work.
With another government shutdown looming, “the wall” is still the sticking point.  Considering that the US coastline is a lot longer than the US-Mexico border and that the majority of smuggled drugs come in through ports of entry or by water, curbing the drug trade cannot be a sound  rationale for the wall.  Human safety is also given as a reason:  rapes, murders, devious coyotes, etc. etc.  If the entry points worked better at processing asylum-seekers and immigrants, the coyotes would quickly be out of business, along with the violence that accompanies them.  Meanwhile, the government separates families at the border and doesn’t bother to document where the children are sent.  Am I stupid or is there a real difference in the cruelty quotient here?
So “the wall” issue boils down to one thing:  poor brown people entering the country.  Moreover, the powers-that-be don’t want them to vote.
The illegal citizens in this country are a separate and much more complex matter.  I’ve only seen estimates of these numbers.  Once we have the facts about this, I would like Congress to publish the numbers and to hold hearings on possible solutions.
Then there are the categories for new visas.  Many business leaders say these are not sufficient to meet their management needs.  Moreover, it seems silly to educate foreigners only to have them leave for their home country after matriculating.  The “guest worker” program?  Congress needs to explore the issue with hearings and discussions to arrive at some good policy and proposals.
In the near term, we citizens should hope for no further governmental shutdown, no wall and no fake emergency to build it.
In order to prevent this shutdown nonsense from occurring again, we citizens should ask Congress to redefine the category of “non-essential employees”.   For example, the Coast Guard is important to our safety and should be considered as “essential” as the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force.   Get with it, lawmakers!

6 January 2019

We have moved into a new year with a new Congress.  2019 marks the halfway point of the Trump Presidency.
There has been talk of a Constitutional Convention lately because many people would like to see elements of this document changed.  Examples include limiting Executive Powers, redefining the 2nd Amendment and the rights of immigrants, imposing Congressional term limits and eliminating the Electoral College.   Personally, I think it’s too soon to hold this convention.  Interest group agendas are too calcified.  I believe the system has to fall apart more completely before cooler heads will prevail.
The Trump Administration has to be picked apart legally before it will collapse.  The President is under siege on many legal fronts, both politically and personally, which will eventually prevail.  His greatest fear is being poor.  That should be the overall strategy of the legal challenges (aside from addressing fundamental illegalities).  In the meantime, Donald Trump will fight by any means necessary to maintain his strength.  This means that legislators and attorneys and citizenry need to be vigilant and allow the “disrobing” to proceed in steps.
Suggested reading is Eric Hoffer’s “The True Believer”.   Although this book uses examples from the last century, the nationalist movements we are witnessing today step right out of history, as does Trump and his loyalists.
One good to come out of the last two years is that, by breaking existing norms to pieces, more creative solutions are given space to emerge, and we as citizens are called upon to examine what our rights mean to us.  Nothing sounds outrageous any more.  My hope is that the leaders of the new Congress will keep their work on a steady course to develop some creative solutions to problems we face: affordable healthcare, infrastructure replacement, immigration laws.   Meanwhile, the Senators need to prepare for overriding Presidential vetoes.  Some Senators may start to exit the Trump group as they face reelection in 2020.
Meanwhile, the economy is facing Recession.  Examination of the stock market slide after October 1929 shows a gradual slide, not an immediate drop to the bottom.  Unfortunately, this history may also repeat itself.
2019 will be a defining year for our country.

13 December 2018

2019 Personal Renewal Plans are now being formulated.  These are small steps toward self-improvement.  One change will be more reading and less news-gathering via television or social media.  A nice vacuum-sealed existence would be nice, although not realistic.  News of President Trumps legal troubles with all the implications, the yellow jackets in Europe, Chinese and Russian hacking, the widening gap between the wealthy and poor, etc. are capturing too much of the public’s attention.  The 24-hour news cycle is like playing a non-stop video game, and every bit as impersonal and stressful.  Not good for the soul.  So, begone bad spirits!

22 November 2018

Our President is amoral.  He is giving the Saudis a pass on the Khashoggi murder.  So bad.  Now Ivanka has been caught using a personal email server for government business for which her father says she is innocent.   Comparing Ivanka’s behavior to Hillary’s, this a distinction without a difference.  Even worse, it appears Ivanka didn’t learn anything from the Hillary matter.  Where was Ivanka in 2016 during the “Lock Her Up!” chants? She was either not paying attention or had her very long neck in the sand or – worse – just ignored the rules.
Trump is not only a poor negotiator, but he is a lousy politician.  The U.S. holds all the cards with regard to the Saudis.  Fact is, Trump is afraid the Saudi’s won’t do personal business with the Trump family if he presses them on the murder.  Where is this emoluments case anyway?  Such a conflict of interest.  Leaders of the world know that Trump can be bought.
Now Trump is picking a fight with the Supreme Court over a judiciary that is blocking his more egregious requests.   The only relief we have is that the justices have lifetime tenure and Trump does not.
Incidentally, the stock market is tanking.  After the brief upward spike resulting from tax reform, business generally is shrinking.  Layoffs are everywhere.  Tech stocks are starting to recede (I think the Wild West is coming to an end with no new market darling in sight).  We can blame the tariffs as well for upsetting the equilibrium in the markets.  The fact is, we are due for a recession.  I can hear Trump blaming the Democrats for it (“If you’d voted for Republican candidates, business would be so much better!”) Horse poop!
The Mueller investigation is wrapping up.  Matt Whitaker is feeding information to the White House.  The President is spending all his time with his lawyers and not on official business.  Matters are deteriorating in Washington.

12 November 2018

The Blue Wave is getting larger and POTUS is fighting back with the full force of the Executive Branch.  Some elections have not yet been decided.  Interesting to note that Florida is again in the news for its fubar election management.  No ‘hanging chads’ this time – either just plain incompetence or the state hasn’t funded the system adequately.  There is no way for the casual observer to determine the truth.  It’s enough that this is familiar territory for those who remember the 2000 election.

9 November 2018

Mid-term election is over.  Democrats win majority in the House of Representatives, Republicans increase their majority in the Senate, and Donald Trump regards this as a “huge win” for him.  Huh?  Not a win for Trump as he will shortly find out.  As I posted early, the Democrats need to move – in unison – carefully forward to be effective.
Not a surprise that Jess Sessions was sacked as Attorney General.   The President is bucking tradition once again by appointing Matthew Whitaker as Acting Attorney General – an overt step to impede the Mueller investigation.  This is a huge step in Whitaker’s career to be appointed to this post.  He needs to beware of getting embroiled in obstruction accusations by passing information along to the White House.  He’s a young man with a long legal career ahead of him – or not, with poor choices.
Although the President has a right to appoint the person to a post with whom he is most comfortable, I dislike the way he treats the Constitution and “rules of order” like they are mere tax regulations that he can work around.  Mueller is within his rights to ignore anything Whitaker says or does as unconstitutional.   President Trump will certainly pick the fight.  And so it goes.

5 November 2018

The Day Before Election Day.  If you can vote, VOTE!  Mercifully, Texas has early voting so I cast my ballots last week.  My youngest son lives in Pennsylvania where there is no early voting.  His local voting sites there will be clogged beyond recognition.  I hope the non-early-voting states are ready for the crowds.
More so than any election I can remember, the populace is really energized.  As well they should be.  I can remember a lot of elections – national and local – and this one is the most important of all.   This nation is at a tipping point.  This election has everything to do with which direction we tip.
This morning I finished “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood.   Beyond the excellent writing, it is starkly relative to the very decisions we are voting on now.  The Gilead period is one of misogyny, totalitarianism, lack of privacy, white supremacy, insecurity, lies, no freedom of the press – all those wonderful things that we’re talking about today.  I cannot imagine how Offred kept her wits about her in that environment.
If we were to transfer Gilead to today, who in the world would want to be Ofmitch? or Ofdonald?  or Ofjess? One does surprising things to stay alive, but I cannot imagine even playing Scrabble with these guys.   Donald would have difficulty with word choice anyway.  Let the white birth rate plummet!
Nolite te bastardes carborundorum
The only positive choice is to vote Democratic now.  I believe they will win the House majority.  The Senate is a “maybe”.   The pundits all say the results depend on turnout.  Ted Cruz told “60 Minutes” that the big unknown is the number of young voters.  Very hard to predict.  I do believe that Beto will beat Ted Cruz because of young voters.
Note to these new voters – this will be your world soon enough.  Vote for the future you want!  
Note to the Democrats for the day after the election:  get together and decide on priorities quickly.  Establish the agenda and follow the plan.  Select  someone who will define the  talking points for each part of the plan and revise them as needed.  The Republicans have been better organized and more effective communicators in past years.  The Democrats need to unify and plan – then speak with one voice – in order to be most effective.

18 October 2018

Happy Halloween!  On this occasion, if you have the opportunity to vote early – please do so.  Some states don’t offer early voting and I can only imagine the poll crowds on 11/6.  Between now and 11/6, we can look forward to 11 Trump rallies in various states.  Television will be nearly unwatchable, considering the funerals, the sputum from on high, and non-stop political ads.
And so, I will put on a mask tonight and pretend for a few hours that all this nonsense is part of the All Hallow’s Eve merriment.

14 October 2018

As fortune-telling goes, sometimes I’m right on the money and sometimes I am way off.   Years ago, I told my boys that water would be the biggest problem facing their kids’ generation.  I still believe this to be true.  Accelerating climate change is part of this.
I have been way off at times:  one of my predictions earlier this year was that, once the Republicans passed tax reform, they would have no further need of President Trump and would back away from him.  Wrong about that.  Perhaps wishful thinking.  I also believed that foreign terrorists were behind the Oklahoma City bombing.  Wrong here too – these were domestic terrorists.
So, beyond the water prediction, here are a few more:   1) the US economy is on a sugar high right now.  A recession is coming.  I think it will begin soon – likely 2019.  Hopefully, it will be a manageable recession (unlike 2008-2009) Whatever stimulation corporations are receiving from tax relief and renegotiated treaties will be offset by the problems imposed by tariffs;  2) the percentage of women in powerful positions will increase exponentially over the next 10 years; 3) the population will be majority “brown” by 2030.  I believe the Trump era will continue for awhile.  My hope is that this chump doesn’t screw things up so badly that it will be years in recovery mode.
For sure, world populations are running out of places to go.  In past eras, people who disagreed or didn’t like where they were just relocated to empty space.  Now there are no more empty spaces that are habitable.  We have to learn to live together and people don’t do this easily.  Moreover, the livable spaces are shrinking.  Just look at the horrendous mess that Hurricane Michael has left in the Florida Panhandle.  Entire beach front communities are gone.  I doubt they will return as they were.  The risk is too high for lenders to support development there.  We’ve had way too many “100 year floods” and “500 year weather events” in the past 10 years.   It’s looking like we need to re-figure the length between the time horizons.

7 October 2018

I’ll be visiting this site much more often now.  I have resolved to not post anything political on Facebook again.  It seems to bring out the worst in people and there is too much of this nowadays.  On this website I can say what I think and not worry about responses.  My friends know where I stand anyway.
I have never been one to bar the friends with whom I disagree politically from Facebook.  I respect their position.  Maybe I think something in what they say will change my mind.  I listen and sometimes there is a good point in the text.  I think this makes me a “centrist” of sorts, and there is little room for the likes of me these days.
Here is a piece I wrote last week:
We are deep inside the Trump era now and there is no turning back.  Our Founders envisioned a government of checks and balances which would keep any one branch of government from becoming too powerful by using the others to check that power.  The Executive branch steers foreign policy, the Legislative branch designs and passes laws, and the Judicial branch is the ultimate decider on the application of these laws.   Over the years, the Legislative branch has found it easier to yield legislative power to the Executive Branch.  Now we have a President who is placing a partisan judge to the Supreme Court.  So much for the checks and balances. 
The founders designed our government as a “republic” as a foil to the King they defeated in the Revolution.  Now the United States has an Emperor.  Perhaps we should anoint his head with oil and grant his progeny succession to the throne. 
We’re in “1984” with a gilded twist and long red necktie.   
I fault the legislators for, over many years, divesting themselves of their core responsibility; I fault the money in politics that drives the issues and impossibly burdens legislators; I fault Fox News and social media for poisoning the conversation between opposing sides; but mostly I fault the passive public for allowing this situation to happen.  The latter group would include me. 
The upcoming elections will help, but in a limited way.  The President will still control foreign policy. It will take leadership to organize the opposition to produce meaningful domestic legislation which will, of course, be subject to presidential veto.  So far, no opposition leader has emerged with a workable philosophy to unite the various opposers. 
Steve Bannon is right to say – it will get worse before it gets better. 
We can thank the founders of our republic for giving us a great system of government.  Even Ben Franklin defined it as “a republic, if we can keep it”.  Maybe it will work again one day. 
Although the extremists on the right are winning right now, the numbers are not with them.   In future years, our society will look much different.  We can either embrace change and make the transition smooth or we can try to keep things as they are (or were).  In the future, among the diverse faces will be people of color and many more women.  It’s time.

19 August 2018

I consider myself an Independent voter politically, opting to vote for the person and ideology rather than a specific party or platform.  Generally speaking, I am fiscally conservative and socially liberal.  A good friend asked me earlier this week if I believed in “socialism” or “capitalism”.  It’s “capitalism” for sure; that said, many areas need some kind of regulation for the public good or capitalism would run amok.   Regulation does not equate to “socialism”, although there are those who would disagree.
In this political climate, we are forced to take sides.  The middle or “independent” stance doesn’t seem to hold any more.  Steve Bannon said something interesting in an interview recently – to paraphrase, the financial mess of 2008-2009 was never completely sorted out;  in order to stabilize the economy, taking the slow, middle road of growth created the extreme positions that haunt us today such that there is no ‘middle’ left.  The ‘right’ thinks that the government was restraining growth with regulations, and ‘the left’ thinks that government was not being responsive enough to social needs.
For my part, I think the 1% has stripped much of the nation’s wealth and that the 99% are saddled with too much debt.  I see a reckoning ahead for which most are not prepared.

31 May 2018

Donald J. Trump has been President of the United States for 500+ days now.   At times in years past l recall thinking that what this country needs is a “benevolent dictator” that will get things done.   Things are getting done all right, but I’m finding it difficult to label his management as ‘benevolent’, and certainly not especially smart at times.  Since no one in Congress or outside dares to speak up for fear of conservative donor reprisals,  it’s difficult to see where all this ends.   As Trump says, “We’ll see what happens”.  I continue to hope for the best and plan for the worst, minding the parts of life over which I have control.  My best hope is that the crazier Trump moves are minimized and the more sane ones stick around.  And some of his edicts are very timely.

7 September 2015

Regardless of your viewing habits, be sure to tune in to the CNN Republican Debate on September 16th.  Now that Donald Trump has signed an agreement that he will not run as a third party candidate, let the games begin.  If  Donald Trump is such a great negotiator, it makes me wonder what he got in return for signing this agreement.  Fair treatment by the Republican party?  I have as hard a time believing this as I would trusting anything the Iranians guarantee.
I do hope that Jeb Bush can find his voice.  Articulate use of language is a quality missing in both Bush brothers.  I know Jeb’s judgement is solid however.  I just wish he could say it clearly.
Conservative credentials are not as great as many think.  My greatest concern is that all these guys are veering too far to the right, leaving independent folks like me out in the cold.  There is nothing to hang on to that makes sense.

18 August 2015

What is there to say about the Donald Trump phenomenon?  If this phantasmagoria primary season does nothing else, it should convince us of the need to shorten the election cycle to a reasonable time frame – say, 6 months.  It would be nice to think that it will convince a reasonable public that we need to greatly diminish the money in politics.  Alas, it is all about the money and the reasonable public doesn’t seem to mind.
The odd part is that I really like Donald Trump and respect him personally for his success. His brash New York personality doesn’t bother me a bit.  His lack of studiousness and discipline, however, will catch up with him at some point.  He will have to design policies and get politicians to work together as part of the job.  On the present course, Mr. Trump would reach the White House and want to get things done, only to find out that Congress can’t be fired if they don’t comply.  If the Donald is frustrated with the status quo now, I can only imagine his fury in dealing with the federal bureaucracy.  It is amusing to consider, but also chilling to imagine.
The reasonable public surely applauds Donald Trump’s anger at the current state of politics and is enjoying the spectacle of other candidates twisting in the wind, but – here’s the big hope – these folks would not go so far as to actually vote for him to lead our country.

19 April 2015

On Friday I attended a seminar on Senior Housing in Dallas.  There is no shortage of housing for seniors, but everything that is being built is for the upscale senior population. The senior citizen on a limited income has little to choose from.  Government programs favor the poorest, and the developers are chasing the richest.  It is the senior citizens in the broad middle – with a limited income – that are suffering.  The waiting lists for available housing are very long. Urban land is being scooped up, the affordable housing that occupied the land is being torn down, and the new structures have rents outside middle class reach.
Are there additional tax credits available to encourage developers to pursue middle income (especially the lower end of middle) senior housing in areas close to services? Are there any altruistic developers out there who might forego some riches to provide safe, affordable housing for their parents’ generation?