The Return of Captain Clean-Up!

Oh, those elementary school days!  They believed in the power of individual motivation, and he was often showered with certificates and awards, enough to earn him the title of ...Captain Clean-Up!

Then came Junior High, and honors grew sparse.  He might get one or two for different academic areas, but frankly, other students dwarfed what he got.

In high school, honorifics, in general, were significantly reduced.  He got one certificate for all A's when he attended the Honors Banquet as a Sophmore.  We did not go to his Freshman or Junior Honors Banquets.

So we had low expectations for this last Honors Banquet.  He did get the certificate we expected - All's Senior Year,  but we were surprised when he also got one for All A's for all of high school!  We knew his grades were good, but we kinda lost track.  Neither  Alison nor  I were all A's in high school, believe me!

That means Benjamin got both of the only certificates offered that night.  There may have been a few for those who weren't there, but he was one of only 12 who publicly received their All A's through high school certificate.

We had entered Benjamin's application for one set of scholarships, and he did not get one of those.  We thought we were done for the night.  Benjamin has had several academic rivals throughout school, and he was finishing behind them. 

Then a new scholarship group, Pierce County Foundation for Excellence in Education, announced their scholarships, and the first one they named was...BENJAMIN STRAIT!

His $500 scholarship was at or around many of the scholarships won, and we were stunned and happy parents!

Benjamin ends his public school career just as he began it in elementary school...as that dynamic academic superhero .....

Captain Clean-Up!!!

Massively Entertaining Monday Musings

It's freaking incredible!

One of the best movies I've ever seen comes out on the same weekend as.......

...one of the best episodes of television ever!

I can't say much about either one due to

Spoiler Alerts!

Suffice it to say, that unless you're of those that hate the mere mention of superheroes...get thee hence to a movie theatre and take in the biggest blockbuster of all time!

Unless you hate fantasy, unless you prefer your entertainment bland and predictable like a Hallmark movie, then you need to see Game of Thrones.  Read the books, see the TV show, and when you catch up to the most recent episode - BE ASTOUNDED!

Even though I am Mr. Story Lover, and can often predict where shows are going, I did not pick up on where the Battle of Winterfell was going.  Alison knew.  She picked up on the clues and knew how the penultimate battle would turn out (and who would be involved). 

It's hard for me to keep quiet on the outcome, but DAMN!  What an ending!  

Three more to go, Game of Thrones!  Who knows where we go from here?  

Maybe I should check with Alison. 

Full Slate Update! Saturday Political Soap Box 210

We have a full slate!  Joe Biden (and 19 others) are now in!  

I don't know how much Joe Biden will take off.  It could be enough to force others out of the race, but even if he's successful, that could take some time.  So, at least until mid Fall, I think the field is about set.

The biggest surprise to me so far is that the female candidates have gotten so little time and attention.  Elizabeth has been a knockout, high energy, and detailed solutions/plans.  Jamala Harris has been an excellent fundraiser with potential appeal to different groups across the cultural and political spectrum of the Democratic Party.  Both Amy Klobuchar and Kristan Gillibrand are successful, competent Senators.  Yet most of the noise and polling have gone to the four male Bs - Biden, Bernie, Beto, and Buttigieg,

This is a ranking of my own preferences.  It is subject to much volatility and change, as more candidates enter and more information is gathered.  I concede that I need to do more research on some of these candidates.  I am reasonably solid on my number one choice, but the rest could change dramatically.

I will keep negative commentary to a minimum, and concentrate on positives.  I invite commentary, but I hope we can center more on why you like a candidate than the negatives of other candidates.

My basic criteria?

1) explicit support for Medicare For All (single payer) 2) understand that climate change is the greatest threat to the planet, and support the Green New Deal 3) fund through small donations rather than corporate PACs 4) generally progressive positions on economic issues and 5) everything else being equal, I would prefer female candidates to men.  It is way past time for a woman to be President of the United States.

#1 - Elizabeth Warren, Senator from Massachusetts.  American workers have not a better defender and supporter for the last decade than this energetic and knowledgable person.  I first saw her on CSPAN as a professor explaining the decline and struggles of the middle class, in an as concise and clear way as I had ever seen.  She inspired and created the Consumer Protection Bureau.  She has led the way on a host of issues that would improve the lives of working families.  On my list of considerations above, she checks the boxes more clearly than anyone else.  The objections I have heard about her are nonsensical and stupid. But I'm not getting into that here.

Everything that has happened since my first ranking has solidified her as my personal choice.  She is not just fluffy and platitudinal about her plans to solve problems - she has been bold and specific, without being too wonky or Rube Goldbergian.  She was also the first candidate to call for Trump's impeachment.  She is not going to be one to sit on the sidelines.  She will fight boldly and clearly.

#2 - Bernie Sanders, Senator from Vermont  - I did not expect him to rank this high.  I thought it was time to move past the Sanders/Clinton rancor (that's not a reflection on either candidate - that's on the extremists in both camps).  He was our Moses leading us out of the wilderness.  But, dammit, he still checks all the boxes, except for preferring a female candidate.  He continues to show that he is the all-time champion at grassroots fundraising and campaigning.

He has taken some minor stumbles recently (voting rights for incarcerated felons, including the Boston Marathon Bomber - politically pure and not politically astute).  He remains the clearest and most decisive candidate for Medicare For All.  And that is of vital importance to me.

#3 -  Kamala Harris, Senator from California.  I know a little bit less about her, so I'm still in discovery mode.  What I know is mostly positive.  She has been dynamite in Senate hearings, her background as a prosecutor serves her and the nation well.  Like many, her alliance with a great midwestern candidate, like Sherrod Brown or Amy Klobuchar, would make a formidable team.

#4 - Peter Buttigieg,  mayor of South Bend, Indiana.  All I know at this point is that he's prominent in Democratic National Committee circles, has some fresh ideas, and is even younger than Julian Castro - 37!    

Mayor Pete is the biggest mover on my list, going from #10 to #4.  His positions are innovative and straddle the gap between Progressive and Corporate Democrats.  He is a great speaker, highly intelligent, and one of the best representatives of Progressive Christianity I have seen on the political front in a long time.

#5 -  Joe Biden.  Undoubtedly, the most qualified person in the country to serve as President of the United States.  Joe is not without his flaws, but being a competent President is not one of them.  He is ready to lead and has the experience to guide us through tough times.

#6 - Kirsten Gillibrand, Senator from New York.  She started as a conservative Democrat in Congress about a decade ago.  She has been moving to the progressive side ever since.  She has the Senate's best record of opposing Trump.  She checks a lot of the boxes I have listed, but with a shorter duration of support than some.  She is another whose list position could change, as I get more information and do further research.

#7- Tulsi Gabbard, Congressperson from Hawaii.  I really like her,  She checks a lot of boxes.  The press, including the liberal media, have a great hostility towards her.  Her consistent position on opposing regime change throws off some, as it's not influenced by traditional political lines.  She is one I'm going to listen to carefully, and research, and accordingly, could move dramatically on this list, either up or down.  Many of you will not know about her, as the press will either exclude her or if they do mention her, it will be negatively.

The most significant drop on my list.  A lot of her positions are excellent, but she was kinda dismissive of the Mueller Report and somewhat tolerant of torture.  I'll continue to monitor her progress.

#8 - Cory Booker, Senator from New York.  He is a great guy, who has been heroic in the past   He is a great leader and speaker, and has had positive relations in the Senate, which has helped in moving forward on legislative agendas.  He has received a good bit of Wall street money in the past, but I think he has decided to raise more small donor money this time. He is generally good on the issues, albeit a little more centrist than some.

#9 - Jay Inslee, Governor of the State of Washington.  A recently announced candidate whose focus will be climate change.  Can't argue with that!  I'll just have to find out more as time goes on.

#10 - Amy Klobuchar, Senator from Minnesota.  A little too moderate to be a top contender for me personally, it is not without value that she is well respected by her colleagues in the Senate, Republican, and Democrat alike.  Although her leadership might not be bold, there is at least a possibility that it could be incrementally positive, or at least in the right general direction,  Because of her popularity in the Midwest, she might also make an excellent Vice-Presidential candidate.

There are other announced candidates that either has no political background and/or yet to be determined credibility.  The most interesting may be Andrew Yang, a businessman who is advocating a basic income for all Americans of $1,000 a month.

Beto O'Rouke has announced but does not make my top ten.  It's possible he could break through, but I'll have to hear a lot more from him.

Expect to disagree with me!

Except I hope we have agreement on one central point - Trump AND the Republican agenda must be defeated in 2020!

The future of the world depends upon it!

Thank You, Marvel Comics!

Thank you, Marvel Comics!

The tiny handful of blog fans that I have who are also comic book fans know that I have obsessed with numbering on the monthly comic book series that come out.  I strongly feel like that they should keep the numbering consistent in their flagship titles, instead of continually rebooting and renumbering back to #1.  These titles should embrace their roots and history instead of abandoning it.

A year or so ago, Marvel listened to me (well, probably not me, but what the heck - I'll take the credit) and began what they called Marvel Legacy.  They restored their numbering on many of their titles, putting Hulk and Thor in the 700s. Avengers in the 600s, Black Panther well over 100, and so on.  It was exciting, and I started to pick up more Marvel titles.  The thread with the past was back!

Then, like so many things in the comic book world, Marvel stopped with the legacy numbering and went back to thinking people could be fooled be jerking back to #1 every couple years.  Sigh.  My little splurge with Marvel was over.

DC has been a little more stubborn.  They have restored the numbering to Action and Detective Comics, with those titles being passed #1,000 now.  Looney Tunes has escaped the renumbering phenomenon, reaching towards #250.  DC does not renumber as often as Marvel, but they still do it.  They renumbered both Superman and Green Lantern simply because they got new creative teams.  I have urged DC  (and Marvel) to put a whole number in the indicia as some magazines do but to no avail. 

Then I noticed something on the newly renumbered Captain America that I was getting ( it has Ta-Nehisi Coates as the new writer - how could I pass that up?).  You can see what I found on the Captain America comic by checking out the similarly identified  Amazing Spider-Man cover at the top of this blog post.

Look at the block in the left-hand corner.  The word at the top is MARVEL.  I've heard of them.  The next item down is 18.  Yeah.  A title that's been running since 1962 has this as issue #18.  Nonsensical, I know, but who knows?  Maybe the rubes buy it. 

The gem is the smaller item at the bottom of the block - LGY#819.  What the heck is that?  I'll tell you what it is - IT'S THE REAL ISSUE NUMBER OF THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN!  LGY is an abbreviation of Legacy, and this is it's 819th issue since the title was started in 1962.

CAN I GET A WOOT-WOOT!

Thank you, Marvel comics, for restoring my faith in the comics world.  And further straining my pocketbook as I get back into more Marvel titles.  It's the perfect compromise, and I love you for it, Marvel Comics!


Hey, DC!  Are you listening?

I know this is a lost blog post for many of you, but you know me - Mr. Blog Variety Pack!  One of the reasons my blog always stands on the verge of taking off but never really does - I can't stick to one theme.

Some of you may not know it, but they have made some of the Marvel characters into movies!  It might be off your radar, but Avengers: Endgame starts this weekend.  These movies might be a little obscure, but trust me, they're worth checking out.

Oh, and by the way, this movie is Avengers #4.

Truth in numbering, baby!

To Impeach or Not to Impeach?

To impeach or not to impeach?

Whether tis nobler to suffer the man who slings arrows against our democratic institutions and has endangered us all be allowed to stay in office or by using constitutionally available means to end his tyrannical reign?

To impeach or not to impeach?

That is no longer the question.

We must impeach.

We have no choice.

I know that it is a political risk and that impeachment, sadly, is often a political calculation.  It could create a martyr.  It could damage Democratic Party chances in 2020.  It will lead to a Pence Presidency, who is almost as incompetent and dangerous as Trump.

But it's no longer optional.

Trump has consistently and continuously violated the emoluments clause, taking considerable sums from foreign powers.

Whether a beyond the doubt provable conspiracy or not,  the Russians clearly involved themselves in our election FOR Trump, and the tolerance and encouragement of this, the exchange of data, the innumerable meetings, the entire involvement of Trump and his team with Putin and other dictators smells to high heaven.

He violated campaign finance law with his trying to hush up his illicit affair with a porn star, something that doesn't seem to bother my Christian right friends whatsoever.

Mueller laid out at least TEN different incidences of obstruction of justice, any one of which should end a Presidency.  Mueller did not indict because he is a straight arrow, and DOJ policy was that a sitting President (well, this one is sitting on the can most of the time tweeting out crap) can't be indicted.  A clear reading of the Mueller report will show he intended for Congress to act.  And act it must.


He repeatedly encourages his subordinates to violate the law on his behalf - most of the time they refused or sidestepped doing the violations.  This is to their benefit - BUT NOT TO HIS.  The fact that they refused to be unlawful for him INNO WAY CLEARS OG HIM ANYTHING!  In fact, it makes him the one true great danger.

If the Democrats leave him place without impeachment, what is to prevent him from further high crimes?  He will be emboldened, and the things he will do to win the 2020 election will make 2016 look like small potatoes.  You cannot stop a bully by giving into him.

Will the Senate convict?  Probably not, although you might be surprised once the public sees the full charges laid out, and backed up with testimony and Trump's own foul defenses.

But the case must be made.  The evidence must be heard.

The rule of law demands it.

The future of our county as a functional democracy of our country requires it.

We cannot let this stand.

We must impeach.

Theater's Big Spring Huzzah!

First Up!

Anne of Green Gables performed by the fine young students at Southside Christian Academy at 7 PM tonight!

Directed by my good friend Kimberly Beck and featuring Emily Beck as Anne!

Also tonight at 7 

the talented young thespians of Ware County High School perform Shrek the Musical!

Next week, don't miss Purlie Production's The Portnoy Trilogy, locally written by the talented  Barbara Griffin.

Also, next week begins this rollicking murder mystery comedy at the Ritz! 

Days of Remembrance

Life comes at you fast.

And it seems like the older you get, the faster it comes.   Days blend together in a hodgepodge of relative sameness.  You might be able to remember what you ate for lunch yesterday, but you would be hard-pressed to remember what you had on January 21, 2019 (unless you eat the same thing for lunch every day).

But we all have days that stand out, sometimes for good memories, sometimes for tragedy.

Many of those days are personal to us as individuals, as family members, as parts of churches, communities, workplaces, or other groups we participate in.

But some days of remembrance are more universally shared, ones that live in the memory of most of a nation or planet.

In my time there have been the assassinations of the 60s (JFK, RFK, MLK), landing on the moon, the Watergate's Saturday Night Massacre, Nixon's resignation, the Challenger explosion, Columbine, 9/11, the first day of the Iraq War, the electoral college victory of a narcissistic white supremacist to the highest office in the land.

Celebrity passings sometimes hit us very hard.  Micheal Jackson, Elvis, Princess Daina, Prince, Robin Williams, just to name a few that impacted a good number of people.

Mass shootings galvanize us for a while and then fade all too quickly.  Why?  They are all too frequent now.

Notre Dame's fire was shocking and temporarily galvanizing, but I don't think it is a day that will stick very high in our memory list or for very long.  It did not entirely burn down, and the very wealthy have swooped in with tons of money to restore it.  Flint should be so lucky.

I believe today will be a day of remembrance.  I believe it will be a day of turning points with attitudes towards Trump and the investigations that have been launched concerning him. It will be a day when either the Trumpeteers wake up, or they hunker down at the cost of our American Republic.  Either the manipulations of Barr and Captain Bone Spurs succeed, lustily assisted by the Goebbels like propaganda machine they have assembled (including but not limited to Fox News), or they wake up, catch the glimmers of truth  beyond the smoke and mirrors, beyond the lies and puffery, and start to save American History.

I remain, as always, a short term pessimist and a long-term optimist.  I don't expect miracles today, but I do pray the turn around starts.  I shudder in fear as to what will happen to the great American experiment if it doesn't.

Rebuilding

It was a horrifying sight, watching an icon like the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris burning.  It's been a part of our world since the 12th century. It's a place every American in Paris visits.  So much in our world is changed, replaced, disintegrated, Notre Dame was a constant that we thought would never change.

As horrible as the fire was, the most recent reports give hope that the basic structure is still there and that it can be rebuilt.  Individual donations are pouring in and will be more than sufficient to restore it to its former glory.

Few stories galvanize us anymore.  This one caught the world's attention like little I've seen since 9/11.  Everyone is appreciative that there was no loss of life (at least that I've heard of), and I have heard nothing credible to indicate that this was a terrorist attack, or anything deliberate.

This is certainly getting a lot more attention than other tragedies that occur right here in America.  Our black churches burn, often at the hands of white supremacists, and it barely makes a blip on our consciousness.  The most heinous of mass shootings are gone from our radar within days of occurring now.  They pass quickly from "It's too soon to talk about gun control" to "Why are you talking about gun control?  We don't have a problem!"

Our civic society has devolved due to constant assault as well.  Our political norms are wearing thin as our autocratic President bulls his way through the china shop of our fragile democracy. But I have faith that this too will be rebuilt.  That enough Trumpeteers will wake up and see the civilization burning down in front of them.  Our march towards democracy is not as old as Notre Dame, but it's almost 250 years old now, and certainly as important to the free world as Notre Dame.

Notre Dame has suffered setbacks before.  Time and war have ravaged her.  But she always perseveres, survives, and is rebuilt to glory.

I pray the same will hold true for Old Glory as well.

Circular Firing Squad?: Saturday Political Soapbox 209

I've lost count.

At the peak, there may be more than two dozen announced credible candidates for the Democratic Party Presidential nomination.

Finding an up-to-date picture is hard.  The one above lists some candidates who have not yet announced, and a few who have ruled it out.  But I think we will have the broadest range of candidates to look at than what we've ever seen.

Although there is a diversity of types of candidates, they do share a lot in common.  All will improve healthcare access in the country, although with different plans and different rates of speed.  All will do something about climate change, although I must say, in this area, speed and decisiveness is vital.  All will strive to decrease the income gap, and increase opportunity for the middle class and working poor.

Some of those running are conservative or moderate Democrats.  I call most of these Corporate Democrats.  Although I do not prefer Corporate Democrats, I do recognize that they believe in government, and its ability to improve our lives and work for us.  Barck Obama is my favorite President of recent times, and he is a Corporate Democrat.  I can work with a Corporate Democrat a whole heck of a lot easier than I can a Corporate Republican, a Christian Reich Republican, and for sure more than the reactionary authoritarian fascism that surrounds the cult of Trump.

That said, Corporate Democrats have serious flaws.  This can be evidenced by the recent bipartisan vote in the House to move forward legislation that would ban the IRS from having a free tax filing site and instead handing it over to private companies like Turbo Tax, whom I am sure are offering "free services" out of the goodness of their hearts.

Some of the Democrats running are Progressive Democrats.  I'm not gonna play verbal games.  These are my people, my allies, my posse, or (God forgive me) my fam.  They represent the goals most important to me - Medicare For All, the Green New Deal, a significantly higher minimum wage, civil rights protections, and more.  Not all Progressive are in equal lockstep - they vary on individual issues or how they present themselves.

I have read and heard a lot of stress among Democrats about how the competition among them may damage individual candidates and cause them to be ineffective against running against Trump.  The Corporate Democrats warn about going too far left and alienating the potential Trump converts.  The Progressive Democrats spend way too much time running purity tests. 

In a field this large, and a media that represents a gamut of political thinking, negative stories are going to be inevitable.  Huffington Post, a supposedly liberal news source, runs negative stories about different candidates every day (except Beto O'Rouke - but that's my own perception).  I urge Democratic primary voters to ignore the mess and stick to what's most important to them.  It won't be easy.

Spoiler Alert!  It don't matter how nice you are, Trump and the Republicans are going to come hard at the Democratic nominee and demonize whoever it is.

Double Spoiler Alert!  Running solely against Trump is a mistake.  He may not even be their nominee (he is treading water fast, and only protected by a temporarily good economy).  You need to be able to run against Republicans as a whole.  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is as significant a threat as Trump (mostly because he is much more effective).

I expect the field to thin dramatically, if not in the Fall, certainly after Iowa and New Hampshire.  And I have faith that the candidate that emerges will be our most effective spokesperson, whether corporate or progressive (or ideally, a mix of both).  Anyone who thinks they know who that person will be, is blowing smoke. 

This year, I am Team Warren.  If not her, I still favor a female candidate.  It's way past time for a female President.  I fear that not enough Democratic primary voters share that feeling.  Most polling shows the male candidates ahead. We are becoming dominated at this time by the Four B's - Biden, Bernie, Beto, and Buttigieg. That might change.  It might not.


Yes, we need to be worried about the circular firing squad - candidates and media ripping everyone to shreds.  Yes, there is an ongoing battle between Corporate and Progressive Democrats (given the younger profile of most Progressives, it's only a matter of time before they take control).  But we all need to keep the primary goal in mind -  the nation will not survive another four years of Republican rule, at least the version of the party that is currently dominant.  I'm not kidding.  I'm not exaggerating.

So, support your choice.  Be enthusiastic and strong.  But be prepared.  Be prepared to switch if you have to and get solidly behind whoever emerges on top.

I did that with Clinton in 2016.  You can do the same in 2020.

Dimming Senses: Flash Fiction Friday

I cannot see the rainbow at the end of the forested gold.

I cannot hear the wind that is spinning the turbines of a new age power.

I cannot smell the drafts of befouled air spewed out by industrial giants.

I cannot touch the crisp sheet on the dreamer's bed.

I cannot taste the swirling spirit of your beautiful soul.

My senses have been dimmed, my being overloaded by the taxation of numbers.

Damn!

When is this tax season gonna end?



Man, that was definitely flashy but I don't know how fictiony.  More like a nonsensical prose poem.

I had to try.  Maybe a little too soon, but I am beginning to see/hear/smell/touch/taste that tax season may actually to move towards the exit. 

Be brave!  Soon I may be able to play a favorite game - CREATE YOUR OWN SPRING BREAK!!!

Thematically Smashed Tuesday Tidbits

They stood patiently waiting for a writing idea to come through the door.

Nope.

Not gonna happen today.

Brutal mind wipe is all that's happening this tax season Tuesday morning.

Got a Writer's Guild meeting tonight.  Supposed to write something using these three words - nest, egg, this.  Sound simple enough?

It is.  It's super simple. Except for the fog I'm in, and the weeping eye - which could be pink eye, or a sty, or just the way it is right now.  I don't know, and I'm too fogged to worry about it.

I thought of a story where a young couple has a meeting with a financial adviser, and the financial adviser keeps trying to suggest ways for the young couple to save and build a nest egg, for retirement, children's colleges, and emergencies.  The young couple is amazed at all the money the financial adviser thinks they have to invest, and they argue back and forth until the man of the young couple throws something on the financial adviser's desk and shouts, "Nest egg THIS, motherducky!"  

But that's as far as I've got.

I stayed up late to see the end of the NCAA Men's Colleg Basketball Championship.  I lost big time in our office pool, and it was my job to get something for the winner.  Congratulations to this year's winner, Chris Arney!

I'd say something political, but I'm lost there too.  We are teetering on the edge of something terrible, an administration unconstrained by law, reason or decency.  Sorry.  tHat's all I got right now.

And that's all I got for this blog right now.

BYe.

It's Time to Give Trump Credit: Saturday Political Soap Box 208

I don't really like to buy into the notion that the media is biased.  Yes, there are certain elements that have a point of view, particularly the prime time shows with partisan hosts, but I like to think that when news is taken as a whole, and you are willing to seek out multiple sources, you still get a fair view of what's going on in the country.

I feel that way until I decide to try to find the current month's jobs report.  Generally speaking, it's either not in the news sources I look at, or it's buried deep in the newspaper or content browser.  I don't know if it's liberal bias, or whether the numbers are so similar from month to month it's no longer considered significant news.

I consider the long recovery we have been on as Obama's recovery.  More than any other administration, his recovery was set on real policy and steady growth.  It was not built on gimmicks or bubbles.  That is why it has lasted so long, as long as any economic recovery we've ever had.

But at some point, you have to recognize that the recovery is occurring under a new administration, and you have to give them credit for its continuation.  And I am now to that point with the Trump administration.   For better or worse, it's now Trump's to claim.

No recovery is universal.  Wage growth has been terribly slow unless you were already a part of the wealthy elite.  There are still many pockets of the country that are not sharing in the general recovery.  But the bottom line is that the numbers we most closely pay attention to...are good.

What has the Trump administration done to continue the recovery?  Well, when he became President, rather than drain the swamp, he basically handed the keys to the economy to Wall Street and its friends.  He has let them pretty much write the rules and have their way, which helped fuel a rise in the stock market (at least for a while - that has started to taper off).

The most significant thing that Trump and the Republicans have done for Wall Street, the wealthy and large corporations, is change the tax code in a way that dramatically favors them.  Some of this has been used to fuel the economy.  Frankly, most of it has been used to enrich shareholders and CEOs, and not to invest in capital projects or improve the lot of their workers, but it has created a temporary boost.  Down the road, this huge tax cut will dramatically increase the nation's debt, and will further increase the country's income gap between the wealthy and everyone else.  This will either be resolved by raising taxes, or by cutting necessary support to the middle class and working poor (slashing Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security).

Another huge problem is the trade wars that the Trump administration has embarked on.  This has caused considerable problems in some sectors of our economy, especially agriculture.  Billions have been given to that industry to help prop it up from the damages our tariffs have caused. Our trade imbalance is greater than ever, as the sledgehammer approach is just resulting in bludgeoning blowback.

There are some signs the economy is slowing.  GDP growth is not what was hoped for.  Some industries and segments of the economy have peaked out and are starting to decline from their previous highs (including residential housing and the auto industry).


But all that may be in the future.  For now, the economy, at least as shown by the jobs report, is good, and we need to acknowledge some credit to President Trump and his team.

I just want to make it clear.  If we're going to give Trump credit for the economic good times, if we are going to begin to assign responsibility to him, then we need to assign him a good portion of the blame should the economy start to head south.

Do we have a deal?
 

Taxing Tuesday Tidbits

Daddy! Get tax season over with and stay home with me!  Or...let me stay on the bed.  Either one.  I'm good either way.

Gouda morning!

All-a my writing goals have gone up-pa in da smoke 'o' tax season!

Well, I do have a few minutes to pretend to blog a bit.  But fiction writing?  You can wave that goodbye for the next two weeks.

Even with a reduced schedule from prior years, my mind is still fogged and scrambled.  

Crap.  I've already run out of stuff to say.  I'm going to get some more coffee.

-------------------------

What was I writing about?

---------------------------

Dang.  Just been staring at a computer screen.  Coffee's gone cold.  Give me a sec to warm it up.

----------------------

Holy cringe sauce!  That cup wasn't microwavable.  Excuse me while I treat this second-degree burn.

-------------------

What was I writing about?

--------------------

Sorry.  Had to step away for a minute.  Ellie wanted to come in, and she was carrying a dead bird in her mouth.  She dropped at my feet and looked up with pride.  What is she?  A cat?  It must have passed away or crashed in the yard somehow.  I highly doubt Ellie leaped into the sky and snatched it.  So I took care of it.  Don't ask how and I won't tell.  

----------------------

Coffee's cold again.

---------------

Damn!  I need to get a different cup! 

--------------------

Ok.  Second second-degree burn treated.

-------------------

What was I writing about?

------------------

Bloody heck,  I see by the clock it's now time to get to work and back into the tax submarine.

-------------------

Anyways...how 'bout them Sparties?

--------------

Sorry.  Gotta go.  

Have a great waking period.

Fox News Changes Formats!

The Disney/Fox merger hits Fox News bigly!  Fox News has spun off into its own entity, and with hosts that advertisers are fleeing, along with a rapidly aging viewer base, Fox News has decided to do a major revamping!

Gone are hosts like Tucker Carlson, Jeanine Pirro and Laura Ingraham.  Also gone are Neil Cavuto,  Lou Dobbs, and all the hosts of Fox & Friends.  In fact, the only significant talents retained by Fox are news anchor Shepard Smith and news interviewer Chris Wallace.

7 AM to 9 AM

Morning Soul

Two hours of news and information anchored by Soledad O'Brien and Melissa Harris-Perry.

9 AM to 11 AM

Morning Joy

News and information coanchored by Joy Reid and Joy Behar.  Joy Reid is one of several talents taken from MSNBC, and Joy Behar is coming over from The View.

11 AM to 6 PM

Straight news will be offered at this time, with a number of different newscasters, including Shepard Smith.  There will be a substantial increase in investigative reporting, utilizing Fox reporters, and the resources of VICE news, Mother Jones, and TYT. Some of the early in-depth  reports will be uncovering the damage left in Puerto Rico and how much federal neglect has been complicit in the harm done to the territory, the real conditions in the Central American countries that are causing so many refugees to flee there, and an expose of what's it like to be uninsured in the health care system of America,

6 PM to 7 PM

The Damage Report

One of several shows brought over in the cooperation agreement with TYT network, The Damage Report with John Iadarola covers many of the most burning topics of the day.

7 PM to 8 PM

Pod Save America

One of the most successful and entertaining of all the podcast shows comes to television! Natasha Bertrand also joins the Pod Saves America team.

8 PM to 10 PM

The Young Turks 

The crown jewel of the new Fox lineup, incisive exploration of the day's headlines, and spirited progressive debate centered on the primary team of Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian, but featuring many other guests and the best of the investigative reporting done from the whole network.

10 to 11 PM

Live with Lawrence O'Donnell

A tremendous get from MSNBC, Lawrence brings his incisive commentary and interview skills to the new Fox Lineup!

11 PM to 12:30 AM

Full Fox with Samantha Bee and Stephanie Miller

Fresh and funny, a humorous take on the news that features some of the most excellent comedic talents in the country.  John Fugelsang will be on every program, and also a great rotating slate of comedians, including Michelle Wolf, Trae Crowder, and Randy Rainbow!

Catch the entire new Fox Lineup starting today.... 

April Fool's Day!