Saturday, 29 August 2020

Ten Observations

1.  Are you better off than you were four years ago?

Most would say 'no', but then talk over Covid-19 issues and the riots/looting.  If these issues existed....would it even matter if you voted for Joe Biden?  No, that's the humorous part of this question. 

Joe's intent is for another 60 to 90 day shutdown, and repeat as often as necessary.  On riots and looting, he can't readily demonstrate he has power over this situation. 

2.  Do you even care about the NBA season or NBA playoffs coming up?

Some might still suggest 'yes', but I suspect a majority of people simply don't care.  The teams are mostly now surviving off a $2.6-billion yearly TV contract with the networks, and merchandise sold to fans.....since you can't sell seats in arenas.

So aren't the networks getting screwed with lower viewers?  Yes, that's the troubling angle to this deal....they are probably selling discounted advertising time, and marginally covering their $2.6-billion obligation.  Profit-wise, there's an issue brewing.  But here's the rest of this story....the deal only goes to the 2024/2025 season.  If the 2021 and 2022 season are crapped out....don't go and expect much on TV deal-chatter and more money in the next contract (I might go and expect the next contract to pay less than $1-billion).

3.  Has the stock market recovered from the disaster of the spring period? 

Shockingly enough....yes.  A lot of people will admit back in March....they lost 20-percent of their portfolio and they were told by the 'experts' on CNBC that it would not be in 2020 or 2021 that their money would come back to a 'norm'.  Yet, here we are....six months later, and the 20-percent lost....is now returned. 

4.  The feeling of getting 'lectured' when watching TV news?

There's not a single element left on any news network....where you don't feel 'lectured'.  Half the time, you reach some level where you realize the hypocritical values being laid out, and the other half....you start to feel the suggestion that you ought to be a guilt trip for something (you just can't figure out what).

5.  Will you miss NCAA football this fall?

Probably.  But then you will discover that hunting, fishing and other recreational activities suddenly become interesting again.  Along the way, you might discover that your wife and niece are interesting in hunting, and you drag them out on a six-hour adventure. 

6.  If you mob and assault a policeman?

Well....in some states, if you are lucky.....they could twist it enough to be a misdemeanor and get you only up to 12 months in a state jail.  If they twist it the other way, into a felony....it could be three years in a state jail. 

On the stupidity scale, this would be near a ten. 

7.  The most stupid political strategy possible?

You line up a quarter-million hooligans across the country and conduct riots/lootings daily, with video fed across social media.  Then you allow the general public to view the video, and attempt to convince them if you just voted against Trump.....it'd come to an end. 

This type of thinking and strategy?  If you hung around real people and engaged in regular conversation, you'd find that working-class people don't buy into this type of stupidity.

8.  One odd aspect of this Jacob Blake character (the black guy shot in the back by the police).  Part of this argument brewing with him and the gal on the front yard (before the cops get the call).....he'd taken the woman's keys and was absolute about not handing them back to her. 

He was more or less....begging to have the police involved in this scene. 

9.  Sarah Palin going into court against the NY Times?

Yes.  And this might be curious to see how far it gets before the Times has to issue an apology and hand over a couple million.

10.  What are you really being offered by Joe Biden and the Democratic Party?

Go out and simply ask a hundred regular people on the street.  The only thing which most can readily say.....the one item offered is a Trumpless White House.  Beyond that....they will not be able to sustain a conversation. 

This is an even worse situation than 2016.