Yeah, About That Mail Service

 I noticed the US Postal Service announcing today....that if you bought first-class service (one stupid 1st class stamp) and expected real delivery to occur....that capability will go away for about one-third of items. 

They aren't clear about what they mean, but if you were mailing a small box that typically took three days to arrive....based on chatter.....I'd now go and expect the box to take about five days now to arrive.  The fact that you could mail three boxes, and only one of them (all three going to the same place) take the extra two days?  Yeah, it'd be funny to discuss that.

So here's my take in 2032 (a decade away).....you live in Portland and mail a box to some cousin in Boise, Idaho (430 miles away) and it'll arrive 17 days later (first-class shipment by the post office).  

You quiz the gal about this service, which she finally admits....they flew the box from Portland to some giant desert airfield in southern California....spending sixteen hours being sorted by three-hundred different people, then shipped onto Denver....where it sat for ten days....then went onto a truck to Jackson, Wyoming....where it sat in a underground bunker facility where unregistered Mexicans sort the mail.  Then went by one single electric-powered van the final 400 miles to Boise....to be sorted by a half-blind-half-crippled-up-half-witted guy who brings it to your cousin's house.

My advice?  We might all need to just get away from mailing boxes and just call up folks to wish them a happy birthday and mention how weather is in our little part of the world.   

Assessing Things For Yourself

 There was a general talent that people had....at least up through the 1980s, and I suspect it became diluted in the 1990s, which centered on assessing an event or situation with your own common sense.

You'd see a riot developing and ask three or four questions, and within five minutes....determine that this was an irrational event, with no attachment to reality, or that some city/state leaders had really screwed up, with no ability to clean up the mess.

I began to notice in the 1990s.....news journalists wanted to explain more and more details.....some worthwhile.....some being red-herrings.  The minute that you had a moderator and three guests....it start to resemble more of a lecture or brain-wash session....than sharing of information.

The past twenty years?  Between MSNBC, NPR, CNN, the WaPo, and NY Times.....I've stepped back a bit and been more careful about what is said or put on the table.  

Yeah, I've become ten times more skeptical of stories now....than in 1998.

Watching video with the sound 'dimmed'?  Oh I probably spend forty minutes each week watching YouTube in this fashion and gauging the facial expression or the reaction of people....than what is said.

It's almost a talent that we need to introduce to 12-year old kids.....getting them to look at what's going on, and to assess their own opinion.  

Screwed-up?  Maybe.  It seems like a whole bunch of folks have work.....that doesn't seem to be productive, and I'm likely to wonder where they end up going....if let go from their CNN job.  

Observations

 1.  President Biden says he intends to hit the campaign trail for the Democratic Party....to help in November.

Personally....I can't see this as a big or bold step.  All it takes is five or six more demonstrations of mental issues....to readily convince the public of his dementia.  

But the other side of this....having Harris go do 'chats'....doesn't work either.  If you are running for anything in November....basically, you are on your own (win or lose).

2. Some odd development for WV's Democratic Senator Manchin.  Apparently, he's got some 'backers' who want him to run for President....as a Republican.  Pretty crazy stuff.  I think the bluff here....run in five states and show some appeal....then if Trump or DeSantos is the guy....maybe Manchin can end up as some VP.  

3.  Air Force says it's working on creating 'safe spaces' for airman to have conversations with their commanders.

I question what they mean by 'conversations' and 'safe spaces'.

I know it's a shock but virtually every single commander (Lt Col/Col) that I served under from 1977 to 1999.....had some policy letter signed on day one which stated the 'open door' policy.  This meant you could ask the commander's secretary for an appointment (usually limited to 15 minutes) and have a chat.  In a whole year?  There might have been two people to go this 'open door' route.  I won't say it was positive or negative....it's just that it always existed.

What's next to occur?  Wouldn't shock me if they create something called 'safe evaluations'....where your yearly eval is guaranteed in some weird way to be absolutely perfect and 'safe'.  

4.  New syndrome?  TDS?  'Truth Derangement Syndrome'?

Yeah, it's about Musk and his attempt to buy Twitter, and people are now fearful that 'truth' will arrive in America and you won't be able to handle it.

5.  Officially, mid-November 2021....Netflix stock hit it's peak (in the $600 per share range).  Today, it's near $323.  

What's happening?  I would say (humble opinion) that the VIP elite running the network went out and hired a number of political folks for shows....paying huge checks, without any real audience for the shows.  

I think the streaming video service is a great idea and still tons of room for improvement.  But if you are wasting half-a-billion a year on political shows.....why?  No one wants the 'lectures'.  

6.  Governor Newsom of California with a new plan?  Well....the plan says if you show serious mental issues or addiction problems....the state would step in and force you to a rehab or clinic.  

I'll admit....they should have gone this way in the 1990s already.

The fact that various groups are lining up to fight this?  They are claiming you have the right to addiction, and the right to be 'crazy'.  

I'll predict this goes to the Supreme Court, and Judge Thomas asks where is the writing on your constitutional right to be 'walking-around-free-and-crazy'?

This might be interesting to watch.