Cash Is King

 Cash is what greases the wheels of a capitalistic economy. That cash must be shared by everyone in the society for financial growth and stability. 

Put cash in Americans pockets and they will spend it. That will create the growth we need to get back to financial strength. 

Government has plenty of Socialistic tendencies that give money back to the people (social security, welfare benefits, medical benefits, etc., etc..) And more is needed during this time of the pandemic. It's corporations who need more Socialistic tendencies towards its workers (profit and benefit increases). 

They can well afford it and claims to the contrary are false. One multi-million dollar salary paid to one of their executives could pay for a pay raise to their whole work force. In order to spur financial growth even the lowest paid worker needs a pay raise. 

The greatest growth period in American history happened when we paid taxes three times higher than we pay now.  At that time only one worker in a household was needed to not only pay the bills, but have a nice lifestyle. That's because people had disposable income and they spent it spurring economic growth. 

Capitalists have a responsibility to the community they do business in and that responsibility goes beyond their stock holders and must include their workers. We have killed off our unions, but if we ignore our workers, our national economy suffers. Prices may go up, but it's all relevant. Everyone can afford the higher prices, if their pay raises are high enough. Twenty five cents an hour won't cut it. 

Walmart (one the nations largest employers) pay their work force so poorly, that they qualify for Federal and State benefits. Why should tax payers subsidize Walmart's workforce? Especially when Walmart is posting outrageous profits. 

Put cash in Americans pockets and there will be a boom in our economy, but everybody must be included in getting more cash.

Calm The Fuck Down

 This country needs to calm the fuck down. We can't seem to calm down the partisanship, so lets just back off politics for a while. MSNBC and FOX continue to ramp up their viewers to their particular viewpoints and continue to beg the 24/7 attention. Lets stop reacting to every little non-important political incident in the country. Let the politicians do their job, if possible. Let it start with what the politicians can agree on, which is very little, but enough to get started with each other. 

We need to kill off this virus, get people vaccinated, and get everyone back to work. Can everyone agree on that? Maybe, after we get used to negotiating with each other we can tackle more partisan issues. 

But the evil still lurks. He's working full time to divide the country. He will be speaking at the CPAK convention next Sunday. Accept the fact that this criminal will be in our national politics until he dies. Lets not give him the attention he seeks. 

Just because FOX admitted Trump lost the election (at the last possible moment) doesn't mean they aren't working hard to fill America full of their lies. Maybe a real investigation into January 6th and the red necks involved will allow America to believe less of their bullshit. 

It amazes me that if you stick a camera in someone's face they are willing to spew the most hate filled garbage, knowing it will be broadcast nationwide. That includes MSNBC who are not happy because the country won't accept Trump as the new Hitler. And FOX is busy condemning Biden for things he hasn't even done yet and probably won't.  

Cruz not being in State when an ice storm hit doesn't deserve 4 days of front page news. Biden doing what he is doing should not be news, he has been saying for 2 years now he would do those things. 

What will be the next thing we make a big deal of, that the Sun rose this mourning? They really know how to push your buttons and you really know how to jump.

Just calm the fuck down.

The Times They Are A Changing

 

 

                                                              Bob Dylan - 1964

President's Day

 I don't honor all presidents the same. 

Trump is not the same as Lincoln. 

Bush was not the same as Washington. 

Clinton was not the same as FDR. 

Nixon was not the same as Eisenhower.

Reagan was not the same as Jefferson.

Even presidents need to earn honor. It should not just be given to them just because they were president. On this day I choose to honor the presidents who deserve honor, which is not all presidents.

Profiles in Courage

 "Profiles in Courage" (by JFK) was one of the first books I ever read. I understood the big words and comprehended the big ideas. I was a very early reader and exposed to the World at an early age. My parents gave me the book. They saw my early interest through my behavior at home. 

My parents had nine kids and they had an early mourning ritual that I copied. Everyday they would get up early, make coffee, and read the paper. It was funny how they would switch newspaper sections, without saying a word, and continue reading and drinking their coffee. I remember it vividly.

I was a nerdy kid. I got up before my parents, got myself dressed, got a glass of milk and grabbed the newspaper from the front door. I would put the newspaper on the coffee table just as my parents came out of their bedroom. Dad sat down and grabbed the front page section. Mom made the coffee. Mom served Dad coffee and both sat and read the paper. I was allowed to sit with them as long as I was quiet. I didn't have to be told to be quiet, I just understood that. Dad would throw me the comics and we all had quiet reading time before the other kids got up. When they were done reading the paper, Mom would go to the kitchen and start making breakfast for eleven. Dad would hit the shower and dress for the day. That was my time. I got to read the rest of the paper before Mom started waking up the rest of the house. 

I took an interest in the front page news. I didn't always understand the deep meanings, but I knew what was going on in the World and was getting to know the leaders of the World. I know my interest in history and current events came from those early days reading the newspaper with my parents. I was six years old then. Eisenhower was president. The space race was just getting underway. We had no manned vehicles, yet, but I was obsessed with all things space. 

"Profiles in Courage" taught me a lot about politics, the men in politics, the power of politics, and why politicians made the decisions they did. What was bravery in politics and what was fear in the face of political power. It also taught me no matter how many times we make the same mistake, we continue to make those same mistakes. Iraq was just as big a folly as Vietnam was and neither was as good a reason to send our young men to die as WW II. Scandals are just as common as they were 50 years ago. All politicians lie to grab power. Demagogues are not rare in politics. War is a beast that needs to be fed. 

Trump was not a surprise to me, just another sad event of history. I've given up on thinking the people will get smarter as they go through these episodes. Impeachment II is no different, we will soon move on to the next outrageous moment and still have Trump in our national politics. 

FDR was involved in some scurrilous events, but he pulled us through the depression and saved the world from fascism.  Ike was a grumpy old warrior, but he did create the International Highway system and oversaw the greatest growth period in American history (with taxes three times higher than we pay today). JFK slept with women, but he did push us to the Moon and all the technology we learned from that project. LBJ lied about Vietnam, but he did pass great legislation. One difference is, we no longer tackle great projects that truly progress the country for the good of all the people. If you think the Keystone pipeline is the greatest thing America has going for it, well, welcome to mediocre America. We are going to the Moon! Wait, we did that over 50 years ago. We did accomplish a 30 trillion dollar debt and a country at each others throats. 

If Biden can have a great two years, we may hold off Republicans regaining majority. But the deck is stacked against Joe for the next two years, so I really don't see some great change that will make things greatly different. It will take a lot more courage as a society than we have shown in the last 40 years to make a great change. After that, the chances that I will be around to see the future, is small. I don't believe in God, and if I did I would be convinced that God created this pandemic to cull the heard. 

Optimism is fleeting. Obama's first two years is proof of that. If you are more optimistic than me, good luck to you. The best thing you can do is fight to make sure Democrats keep majority after the midterms. Don't be looking for messiahs, or miracles, they don't exist. Just keeping the country from sinking lower will be a hard enough task.

It's Winter !

 It's 7 AM and it's 15 below zero. By 4 PM it's supposed to be 25 below zero. The wind is howling and there are wind chill warnings out for 60 below zero. By midnight it will be 35 below zero. Worst of all, this kind of weather is suppose to last at least 5 days. 

The news stations will be out showing how a bucket of water thrown in the air will freeze before it hits the ground. Wherever you live, you will probably hear about our temperatures on your weather forecast. 

This is normal weather for us this time of year. In fact, we have all been saying what a mild Winter it has been until now. 

I wonder if the virus dies at 30 below zero?

We knew this was coming. It had been forecast for days. I went grocery shopping yesterday to stock up. It was 5 below zero then and it just kept falling. I will catch up on old movies, cook hardy foods like chili, watch the Super Bowl, take hot showers, listen to good music, play on the computer, hope the power won't go out, and hibernate inside. 

Hope your team wins. As an old guy, I'm rooting for the old guy.

History and Heroes

 Historians will write about January 6th. Most will wait until more facts are known about how it all started and who the bad actors were. They will also write about the good actors. There are always many good actors in an incident like January 6th, but story tellers usually pick out one good actor and make him the hero. 

I hope 50 years from now they will write about officer Sicknick. He was most certainly a hero, among many others. He should stick out because he died. He put his life on the line to protect the Capitol and the elected Representatives inside. 

My definition of a hero is a person willing to die protecting others. That means police, firemen, and soldiers. That also includes our front line health workers fighting this pandemic. I do not consider musicians, athletes, and other cultural icons heroes. 

It will be interesting to hear the whole story of January 6th, but we already know officer Sicknick was a hero.

UNITY ?

 Given the Decades of Republican obstructionism it's hard to imagine the Republicans are serious about unity in government. I won't go through the past of Republican nasty tactics that have hurt the American people. If you don't know by now then you just don't care. 

Recently the Republican minority leader McConnell came out and denounced A Republican house member calling her statements "loony tunes."  She is more than crazy, she is dangerous crazy. He also praised Rep. Chaney for her strong convictions. 

I wouldn't trust McConnell for a minute. I can't forget the anti-constitutional actions he has taken over the years as Republican leader, and many were before Trump was president. His obstructionist stance is VERY clear. 

At this moment Republicans still sit as chairman of all committees. McConnell refuses to enter into a power sharing agreement with Leader Schumer, even after the new 50/50 Senate has been sworn in. If Democrats don't sit as chairmen of government committees, they can get nothing done. This is McConnell's idea of unity. 

I don't know the Senate rules well enough to know what alternatives Democrats have. Maybe one of you can enlighten me.

Meanwhile, the president has called Republicans in to hear their viewpoints, not that he will submit to their demands. And rightfully so since what they want is in the minority of what Americans want and NEED. The president has offered the olive branch and Republicans have responded with insincere oratory. 

McConnell doesn't look like a wolf in sheep's clothing, but he is.

Democrats and the president need to put Republicans in their place, in the minority, where they belong. Especially after what their president and their party have done to this country.  

IF Republicans show a little concern for the needs of the American people maybe they can be listened to, but they haven't shown ANY concern for the American people for decades. 

To sum it up. Screw the lying Republicans.