Over the past week, I've noticed the Democratic passionate position of abolishing ICE (the border control folks). I sat and paused over this, and pondered.....coming to four observations.
1. They just want to abolish ICE.....they have no interest in gutting the laws which ICE enforces. This would be interesting to play out but it begs the question....if the laws continue to exist....who would enforce them?
2. Without ICE, who exactly does border control? States by the border?
3. If we reach this stage of absolishment sounding good....wouldn't it sound good to get rid of ATF and FBI also being on the list as well? You might actually find a lot of conservatives all pepped up to agree with you and we could make this one single action.
4. If all of this is done....just to recreate a new ICE, in a different form, with a new name....then what was this abolishment all about?
It just seems to me....silly me for thinking this....that this is all fake in nature. To be rather honest, since Democrats are pepped up for absolishing thing....I'd personally like to get rid of the Senate and 100 Senators.
So I think the new twist or response by people ought to be.....let's abolish the Senate, and just see if things improve.
Saturday 30 June 2018
Poem Four: Epic of Gilgamesh
A continuation of my rendition of the Epic of Gilgamesh.....a story which was told around the camp-fires from 4,000 years ago.
If you remember the basis of the story.....Gilgamesh is a young king, who is two-thirds Godly-like material, and one-third mortal man. No one has ever sat down to explain you can be two-thirds, and I think this is told this way....to infer that the whole story is fake to start with.
Gilgamesh has set off on some epic adventure with his buddy Enkidu. The young men are mostly into 'saving the world' and ass-whooping on folks who need it.
The story in poem four basically starts out with the boys noting that they've traveled twenty leagues or 111 kilometer, or 69 miles. They've reached some point for the day (I assume) where they are pretty tired out and just plain hungry. So they stopped and ate some travel food that they had in their possession. No one says if this were grapes, or peanut butter, but I'd assume it was a hearty dinner. The boys continue on after this....for another ten additional leagues.
Walking-wise, it's well over 80 miles in one day, and I'd tend to question this. If they were riding horseback? It'd a harsh situation to think that you rode Flicker or Lil Smokey eighty miles in one single day. So I think the boys made up this part of the story, and they probably never got more than 20 miles.
At some point on this great adventure, they finally walked into Lebanon. No one ever explained why, but apparently they dug a well that faced off to the west. I have my doubts about the well, but somehow, it fits into the story.
Gilgamesh then hiked up some mountain peak, and made peace with the Lord....laying out some flour. He spoke to the Lord: "Mountain, bring me a dream, a favorable message from Shamash."
At the bottom of this mountain....his associate....Enkidu....was busy building up a straw mattress of sorts (they didn't have proper camping gear) for the night. Just then, a heck of a wind came up. We aren't saying it was a tornado or hurricane, but it was enough that you'd notice it. Enkidu then told Gilgamesh to just rest up and sleep.
The story goes that Gilgamesh just didn't sleep well. In the midst of this evening....he woke up....real restless. He's all hyped up and just can't sleep. He's also chatting away, which I suspect bothers the heck out of Enkidu, but he doesn't say much.
Gilgamesh then chats on about some dream, with mountains all around, then the mountains falling down upon them. There's rain, and some flies in this dram.
Enkidu, who is a Daniel Boone-type figure....born in the woods....tells his associate that all is fine with this dream. Enkidu actually thinks this is a pretty good dream. My guess is that he just wanted Gilgamesh to go back to sleep.
But Enkidu talks here a bit, and says that this mountain is Humbaba (the terrible) and it's all relative in some nature. In the morning, says Enkidu....some message will come and make everything good again.
The boys end up repeating this whole episode again....same hike....same well dug....same climb up a hill, and a slightly different dream for Gilgamesh....this time with some vision that relates to a bull. In this case, Enkidu says that it's still Shamash (the terrible). But this is again a demonstration of them taking on this Shamash guy easily.
So another day passes, and they repeat the same thing again. This is the thing about camp-fire stories....you can get them into a pretty long and drawn out episode.
On the third dream....there's some bolt of lightning, and some fire. Enkidu is supposed to have responded about this dream, but this tablet having the text? Well....it's messed up, so you are missing forty lines of advice.
Enkidu might have gone on about his one long lost girlfriend, or the bull he sold off as a kid, or maybe talked up his adventures with some pirates. You just don't know.
So there is a 4th day of walking, and things all repeat themselves yet again. Same dream stuff, and the same advice by Enkidu to worry much about these stupid dreams.
Enkidu finally gives some real advice....let's just go and pay no attention to the threat of death. Maybe things turn out well.
At that point, they pick up their stuff and start off through the evergreen woods, and Enkidu assures his buddy....he's there to protect and save him.
There, poem four ends. The problem you tend to see is that Gilgamesh is a bit fearful of the mission they've undertaken....to do a ass-beating on this Shamash guy. As each day goes by....it's more and more a problem.
If you remember the basis of the story.....Gilgamesh is a young king, who is two-thirds Godly-like material, and one-third mortal man. No one has ever sat down to explain you can be two-thirds, and I think this is told this way....to infer that the whole story is fake to start with.
Gilgamesh has set off on some epic adventure with his buddy Enkidu. The young men are mostly into 'saving the world' and ass-whooping on folks who need it.
The story in poem four basically starts out with the boys noting that they've traveled twenty leagues or 111 kilometer, or 69 miles. They've reached some point for the day (I assume) where they are pretty tired out and just plain hungry. So they stopped and ate some travel food that they had in their possession. No one says if this were grapes, or peanut butter, but I'd assume it was a hearty dinner. The boys continue on after this....for another ten additional leagues.
Walking-wise, it's well over 80 miles in one day, and I'd tend to question this. If they were riding horseback? It'd a harsh situation to think that you rode Flicker or Lil Smokey eighty miles in one single day. So I think the boys made up this part of the story, and they probably never got more than 20 miles.
At some point on this great adventure, they finally walked into Lebanon. No one ever explained why, but apparently they dug a well that faced off to the west. I have my doubts about the well, but somehow, it fits into the story.
Gilgamesh then hiked up some mountain peak, and made peace with the Lord....laying out some flour. He spoke to the Lord: "Mountain, bring me a dream, a favorable message from Shamash."
At the bottom of this mountain....his associate....Enkidu....was busy building up a straw mattress of sorts (they didn't have proper camping gear) for the night. Just then, a heck of a wind came up. We aren't saying it was a tornado or hurricane, but it was enough that you'd notice it. Enkidu then told Gilgamesh to just rest up and sleep.
The story goes that Gilgamesh just didn't sleep well. In the midst of this evening....he woke up....real restless. He's all hyped up and just can't sleep. He's also chatting away, which I suspect bothers the heck out of Enkidu, but he doesn't say much.
Gilgamesh then chats on about some dream, with mountains all around, then the mountains falling down upon them. There's rain, and some flies in this dram.
Enkidu, who is a Daniel Boone-type figure....born in the woods....tells his associate that all is fine with this dream. Enkidu actually thinks this is a pretty good dream. My guess is that he just wanted Gilgamesh to go back to sleep.
But Enkidu talks here a bit, and says that this mountain is Humbaba (the terrible) and it's all relative in some nature. In the morning, says Enkidu....some message will come and make everything good again.
The boys end up repeating this whole episode again....same hike....same well dug....same climb up a hill, and a slightly different dream for Gilgamesh....this time with some vision that relates to a bull. In this case, Enkidu says that it's still Shamash (the terrible). But this is again a demonstration of them taking on this Shamash guy easily.
So another day passes, and they repeat the same thing again. This is the thing about camp-fire stories....you can get them into a pretty long and drawn out episode.
On the third dream....there's some bolt of lightning, and some fire. Enkidu is supposed to have responded about this dream, but this tablet having the text? Well....it's messed up, so you are missing forty lines of advice.
Enkidu might have gone on about his one long lost girlfriend, or the bull he sold off as a kid, or maybe talked up his adventures with some pirates. You just don't know.
So there is a 4th day of walking, and things all repeat themselves yet again. Same dream stuff, and the same advice by Enkidu to worry much about these stupid dreams.
Enkidu finally gives some real advice....let's just go and pay no attention to the threat of death. Maybe things turn out well.
At that point, they pick up their stuff and start off through the evergreen woods, and Enkidu assures his buddy....he's there to protect and save him.
There, poem four ends. The problem you tend to see is that Gilgamesh is a bit fearful of the mission they've undertaken....to do a ass-beating on this Shamash guy. As each day goes by....it's more and more a problem.
The Huey-Factor
In the mid-1920s....Huey Long found a magical path to becoming the governor of Louisiana. What he basically did was circle himself around a concept of 'Share Our Wealth'....which was the first real Bernie-program in existence within the US. He intended to take the oil money that the state was making and plow this into roads and hospitals. As he got into the mid-1930s, he went onto the next program: 'Every Man a King'. In February of 1934, this program was openly discussed, and what people were promised was: a car, a $5,000 home, and a radio.
I know....here in the midst of the depression....he was offering an awful lot and no one could explain where this would come from.
What was being assembled in the spring of 1935, was a Huey Long presidential election campaign, which would start up in the primary season of 1936, and end with him being the official replacement to FDR with the November 1936 results.
Oddly, history doesn't get a chance to play out.
In the early fall of 1935, Long is working on dumping a long-term hated associate of his....Judge Benjamin Henry Pavy. Few folks ever dig down into this hatred thing or how Pavy got on Long's bad side.
But this led to a conflict which would involve the son-in-law of Pavy.
So on the evening of 8 September 1935....Senator Long showed up at the state capital building and around 9:30 PM....and ran into Carl Weiss (son-in-law of Pavy). Carl is noted as a successful doctor from Baton Rouge.
There are various accounts of the minute involved in this episode. Some folks suggest that Carl just wasn't a gun-carrying kind of guy. Some folks suggest that Carl just wanted to talk to Huey.
There is some type of gun action here, and Huey is shot in the torso (figure four feet away). He's bad off but is quickly carried off to the hospital. Here, folks again have various accounts. Some say that Huey got himself a marginally qualified doctor, and the guy just ended up letting Huey die.
The possibility that one of the bodyguards accidentally shot Long? I suspect it's better than a 50-percent chance that this happened.
Carl? Well....Huey's bodyguards then opened up on him, firing away. Carl was dead on the spot. Huey lived on for two days, before passing.
For most people around Louisiana, it was the end of a 'Huey-saga'. He was a year away from the Presidency and would have changed the whole dynamics to America, and likely avoiding WW II in some fashion.
It's figured that 200,000 folks came to Baton Rouge for the funeral. For years, folks sat around and talked about the deal coming with Huey.....the $5,000 house, the car, and the radio.
Whether folks want to believe it or not....this was the first guy presenting the Bernie-deal and suggesting that the government could give free stuff away.
If Huey hadn't been shot? I'm guessing that you would have gotten Huey in office in 1936, and he would have been there through 1948. We would be a much different world today, (hint: I'm not saying this in the positive).
I know....here in the midst of the depression....he was offering an awful lot and no one could explain where this would come from.
What was being assembled in the spring of 1935, was a Huey Long presidential election campaign, which would start up in the primary season of 1936, and end with him being the official replacement to FDR with the November 1936 results.
Oddly, history doesn't get a chance to play out.
In the early fall of 1935, Long is working on dumping a long-term hated associate of his....Judge Benjamin Henry Pavy. Few folks ever dig down into this hatred thing or how Pavy got on Long's bad side.
But this led to a conflict which would involve the son-in-law of Pavy.
So on the evening of 8 September 1935....Senator Long showed up at the state capital building and around 9:30 PM....and ran into Carl Weiss (son-in-law of Pavy). Carl is noted as a successful doctor from Baton Rouge.
There are various accounts of the minute involved in this episode. Some folks suggest that Carl just wasn't a gun-carrying kind of guy. Some folks suggest that Carl just wanted to talk to Huey.
There is some type of gun action here, and Huey is shot in the torso (figure four feet away). He's bad off but is quickly carried off to the hospital. Here, folks again have various accounts. Some say that Huey got himself a marginally qualified doctor, and the guy just ended up letting Huey die.
The possibility that one of the bodyguards accidentally shot Long? I suspect it's better than a 50-percent chance that this happened.
Carl? Well....Huey's bodyguards then opened up on him, firing away. Carl was dead on the spot. Huey lived on for two days, before passing.
For most people around Louisiana, it was the end of a 'Huey-saga'. He was a year away from the Presidency and would have changed the whole dynamics to America, and likely avoiding WW II in some fashion.
It's figured that 200,000 folks came to Baton Rouge for the funeral. For years, folks sat around and talked about the deal coming with Huey.....the $5,000 house, the car, and the radio.
Whether folks want to believe it or not....this was the first guy presenting the Bernie-deal and suggesting that the government could give free stuff away.
If Huey hadn't been shot? I'm guessing that you would have gotten Huey in office in 1936, and he would have been there through 1948. We would be a much different world today, (hint: I'm not saying this in the positive).
Friday 29 June 2018
What This Shooter Thing Was All About
While most of the news groups are busy trying to tell some anti-gun story.....let's focus on this shooter guy in Annapolis. His basic story:
This guy got something into his head that he wanted to 'kindly' thank one single girl from high school who was polite and nice to him. He explained that he had some 'issues'. She took the email....read it....then said in a blunt way, she said that she didn't remember him (this being five years after high school). Then she suggested that if he did have 'issues'....there were marvelous counselors available.
He apparently didn't take this well, and went into a harassment way. If she had never responded to his email? Well....that might have reset all of these events from happening.
She apparently went through various stages, and eventually went to the cops over the harassment stuff.
The cops didn't have many laws to handle this type of mess....but they found one that labeled his actions to be a misdemeanor.
So they dragged him into a Maryland court, and the judge had his moment with the guy. Basically, this guy was going to get counseling whether he liked it or not, and if he failed in any possible way....they'd go to another charge...which meant real jail-time.
All things considered, it was an appropriate way of handling the mess.
But, the journalists with this newspaper wandered into story, and decided to tell the whole thing....which meant this guy, with a social media problem....got his name in the news and was now publicly recognized for 'bad behavior'.
The guy then tried to sue the newspaper or suggest slander.
Well....no, said a local judge. This is what you did, and it's a public record.
So for about four years, this has been on this guy's mind. I'm guessing that between some type of legit drug use (maybe pain-killers).....and mental stress....he flipped and went to shoot up the journalists.
Drug-testing the guy? I have my doubts that the cops will go and do this. They'd prefer a nice simple case.
Going back to the need of the paper to tell this story? If it's a public record situation....then you should have thought about that before doing some stupid harassment stuff. He'll never walk freely again, and he'll have plenty of time to think about what he did.
As for the folks on social media who can't handle it? I have this opinion that one-third of people on Facebook probably can't handle the situation, and ought to just give up on social media.
This guy got something into his head that he wanted to 'kindly' thank one single girl from high school who was polite and nice to him. He explained that he had some 'issues'. She took the email....read it....then said in a blunt way, she said that she didn't remember him (this being five years after high school). Then she suggested that if he did have 'issues'....there were marvelous counselors available.
He apparently didn't take this well, and went into a harassment way. If she had never responded to his email? Well....that might have reset all of these events from happening.
She apparently went through various stages, and eventually went to the cops over the harassment stuff.
The cops didn't have many laws to handle this type of mess....but they found one that labeled his actions to be a misdemeanor.
So they dragged him into a Maryland court, and the judge had his moment with the guy. Basically, this guy was going to get counseling whether he liked it or not, and if he failed in any possible way....they'd go to another charge...which meant real jail-time.
All things considered, it was an appropriate way of handling the mess.
But, the journalists with this newspaper wandered into story, and decided to tell the whole thing....which meant this guy, with a social media problem....got his name in the news and was now publicly recognized for 'bad behavior'.
The guy then tried to sue the newspaper or suggest slander.
Well....no, said a local judge. This is what you did, and it's a public record.
So for about four years, this has been on this guy's mind. I'm guessing that between some type of legit drug use (maybe pain-killers).....and mental stress....he flipped and went to shoot up the journalists.
Drug-testing the guy? I have my doubts that the cops will go and do this. They'd prefer a nice simple case.
Going back to the need of the paper to tell this story? If it's a public record situation....then you should have thought about that before doing some stupid harassment stuff. He'll never walk freely again, and he'll have plenty of time to think about what he did.
As for the folks on social media who can't handle it? I have this opinion that one-third of people on Facebook probably can't handle the situation, and ought to just give up on social media.
Poem Three: Epic of Gilgamesh
Back in October of last year, I laid out the first two poems of the Epic of Gilgamesh, told in a southern-like story. It's a legend of sorts which has been handed down for four-thousand-plus years, and it's possible that the story has been told around campfires for 10,000 years.
Gilgamesh, to refresh your mind, was two-thirds God, and one-third human. I know it doesn't make sense, but in the campfire way of telling stories....you just have to accept that part of the story.
If you remember the introduction...Gilgamesh was the king of Uruk, and tended to run into trouble. At some point, he was going to get his ass beat by this new guy.....Enkidu. Things got rough but they turned out to be buddy-buddy.
So in the third poem, is the next part of the story:
One night, the elders of the Gilgamesh tribe spoke up, and warned the young king not to put so much trust in his 'vast strength'. They urged him to always keep a sharp eye out and when struck by someone.....always strike back with the same amount of force.
Then they kinda hinted to him that his junior associate....Enkidu....ought to always walk ahead because he's capable of saving the king. They also noted that Enkidu seemed to know roads and trails well....so it just made sense to follow Enkidu.
So they (the elders) turned to Enkidu, and just laid it on pretty heavey.....you gotta bring Gilgamesh (the king) back to us alive. This is no 'pony-farm' operation....you gotta be serious.
It's hard to say if Enkidu was a nutcase or prone to doing stupid things.....of if the elders just felt they needed to say something ahead of time.
After all this elder talk.....Gilgamesh said to Enkidu....something to the effect....we gotta go and visit the Egalmah Temple, where Ninsun the Queen resides. Ninsun, the Queen, was the moma of Gilgamesh.
As the story goes.....folks felt that Ninsun was fairly clever and capable. If she said something was going to pass....it generally occurred.
So the boys arrived at the Temple, and Gilgamesh noted to her that he's got things on his mind. Chiefly, he's going to be out on some trail that he's never traveled. There's apparently some bad folks along this road, and he's a bit worried.
Gilgamesh also notes that he's supposed to whoop up on this guy Humbaba (the Terrible). We are never told how Humbaba got this reputation, and it might be interesting to know how you get labeled as terrible. Maybe he's got some 40 line story to explain his legendary status as 'terrible'.
In this note though.....Gilgamesh is indicating in a straight direct way.....this isn't going to be a plain whooping.....it's to the bitter end. In a way....eradication. And at some point in the poem, Gilgamesh says once all this extreme killing and whooping is done....he intends to put some kind of monument. There around the campfire, it's left for the guy telling the story what this would look like or how tall it'd be.
All this fighting talk worried the Queen. She took a pause and walked around the Temple. Then she washed up with some fairly good scented soap, put on a new fresh robe, tossed on some fine jewels, and put on her crown. Then she took fresh water (not the stuff that'd been sitting there for hours), and sprinkled some on the ground.
Then she went up to the loft of the Temple and did some praying. She has a conversation with the Lord, and says that this is all kinda unfair, and imposed upon the young lad.
So she asked the Lord to send out the Watchmen of the Night, the stars, and at night your father, Sin. She wants all of them to watch over the boy.
It's hard to say who the Watchmen of the Night are, but they might be sword-carrying folks, or just strong guys.
Then the Queen turns to Enkidu. She actually says in some title here....."Enkidu the Mighty", which probably pumped him up a notch or two.
The Queen tells Enkidu in pretty strong words, it's you that will bring my son back in one piece. Don't screw this up.
From the tablet at this point.....that exists with the poem, we are now left with a fair mystery.....because there's around eleven lines of the poem missing at this point.
Yes, you don't get the entire story.
Then you get a bit of the story....talking about a gate made out of cedar, and some comment on Enkidu.
Then the poem kinda ends with a quote to Enkidu.....'protect your friend, and bring him back to his wives.' Note, plural wives, not singular.
Then the lads left on the great adventure.
Gilgamesh, to refresh your mind, was two-thirds God, and one-third human. I know it doesn't make sense, but in the campfire way of telling stories....you just have to accept that part of the story.
If you remember the introduction...Gilgamesh was the king of Uruk, and tended to run into trouble. At some point, he was going to get his ass beat by this new guy.....Enkidu. Things got rough but they turned out to be buddy-buddy.
So in the third poem, is the next part of the story:
One night, the elders of the Gilgamesh tribe spoke up, and warned the young king not to put so much trust in his 'vast strength'. They urged him to always keep a sharp eye out and when struck by someone.....always strike back with the same amount of force.
Then they kinda hinted to him that his junior associate....Enkidu....ought to always walk ahead because he's capable of saving the king. They also noted that Enkidu seemed to know roads and trails well....so it just made sense to follow Enkidu.
So they (the elders) turned to Enkidu, and just laid it on pretty heavey.....you gotta bring Gilgamesh (the king) back to us alive. This is no 'pony-farm' operation....you gotta be serious.
It's hard to say if Enkidu was a nutcase or prone to doing stupid things.....of if the elders just felt they needed to say something ahead of time.
After all this elder talk.....Gilgamesh said to Enkidu....something to the effect....we gotta go and visit the Egalmah Temple, where Ninsun the Queen resides. Ninsun, the Queen, was the moma of Gilgamesh.
As the story goes.....folks felt that Ninsun was fairly clever and capable. If she said something was going to pass....it generally occurred.
So the boys arrived at the Temple, and Gilgamesh noted to her that he's got things on his mind. Chiefly, he's going to be out on some trail that he's never traveled. There's apparently some bad folks along this road, and he's a bit worried.
Gilgamesh also notes that he's supposed to whoop up on this guy Humbaba (the Terrible). We are never told how Humbaba got this reputation, and it might be interesting to know how you get labeled as terrible. Maybe he's got some 40 line story to explain his legendary status as 'terrible'.
In this note though.....Gilgamesh is indicating in a straight direct way.....this isn't going to be a plain whooping.....it's to the bitter end. In a way....eradication. And at some point in the poem, Gilgamesh says once all this extreme killing and whooping is done....he intends to put some kind of monument. There around the campfire, it's left for the guy telling the story what this would look like or how tall it'd be.
All this fighting talk worried the Queen. She took a pause and walked around the Temple. Then she washed up with some fairly good scented soap, put on a new fresh robe, tossed on some fine jewels, and put on her crown. Then she took fresh water (not the stuff that'd been sitting there for hours), and sprinkled some on the ground.
Then she went up to the loft of the Temple and did some praying. She has a conversation with the Lord, and says that this is all kinda unfair, and imposed upon the young lad.
So she asked the Lord to send out the Watchmen of the Night, the stars, and at night your father, Sin. She wants all of them to watch over the boy.
It's hard to say who the Watchmen of the Night are, but they might be sword-carrying folks, or just strong guys.
Then the Queen turns to Enkidu. She actually says in some title here....."Enkidu the Mighty", which probably pumped him up a notch or two.
The Queen tells Enkidu in pretty strong words, it's you that will bring my son back in one piece. Don't screw this up.
From the tablet at this point.....that exists with the poem, we are now left with a fair mystery.....because there's around eleven lines of the poem missing at this point.
Yes, you don't get the entire story.
Then you get a bit of the story....talking about a gate made out of cedar, and some comment on Enkidu.
Then the poem kinda ends with a quote to Enkidu.....'protect your friend, and bring him back to his wives.' Note, plural wives, not singular.
Then the lads left on the great adventure.
Thursday 28 June 2018
The Vacancy Situation
There are three 'games' that likely will come out of this Supreme Court episode:
1. I think the person selected will come from a state that has a serious Democratic versus GOP senator race going on, and will trigger an intense mess for the Democrat to defend his position.
2. The hearings probably won't start until the end of July, and I can't suggest a full-up vote occurring until the last week of August. That means that McCain's chance to vote against the situation....is going to require him to be flown to DC.....pushed into the Senate chamber in a highly weakened state....and the news media won't be able to focus much positive on him as his career drifts out. In other words, the last 'act' of the 'McCain-play' is a pretty sad state of affairs. Might this force McCain to retire now, and give the Governor a chance to play into this? I doubt it, I think McCain wants to hold the seat until his passing.
3. Finally, the next two months are entirely about the court vacancy....NOT about the Trump-Russians business, Stormy, faken news, and the news folks are fairly screwed to tell any other story.
Here, I might add one more slant....I don't believe that Kennedy is the last one for this period to announce retirement. I think within four weeks....a second name will come up. All of this really disturbs the marginal and limited Democratic political strategy for November.
1. I think the person selected will come from a state that has a serious Democratic versus GOP senator race going on, and will trigger an intense mess for the Democrat to defend his position.
2. The hearings probably won't start until the end of July, and I can't suggest a full-up vote occurring until the last week of August. That means that McCain's chance to vote against the situation....is going to require him to be flown to DC.....pushed into the Senate chamber in a highly weakened state....and the news media won't be able to focus much positive on him as his career drifts out. In other words, the last 'act' of the 'McCain-play' is a pretty sad state of affairs. Might this force McCain to retire now, and give the Governor a chance to play into this? I doubt it, I think McCain wants to hold the seat until his passing.
3. Finally, the next two months are entirely about the court vacancy....NOT about the Trump-Russians business, Stormy, faken news, and the news folks are fairly screwed to tell any other story.
Here, I might add one more slant....I don't believe that Kennedy is the last one for this period to announce retirement. I think within four weeks....a second name will come up. All of this really disturbs the marginal and limited Democratic political strategy for November.
Soccer a White-Kid Sport in America?
Some fairly well known female American soccer player suggested that today, and it got front-page coverage in the sports news.
I sat and paused over it. In 1970, around the sixth-grade, we got introduced to soccer at my rural Alabama school.
The PE teacher stood there, and handed the twenty-odd kids in my group (all boys from the 6th and 7th grade) the ball and gave a brief two minutes of explanation. To be honest, I don't think Mr 'G' knew much of anything on the sport, other than having watched it played on TV. The two minutes of explanation really didn't help much.
So we set the ball down....picked up two sides, and tried to play for 35 minutes. It was a total failure.
The two goalies just stood at their ends, and the group of 18 kids kept the ball in a tight 50-foot circle, and just attempting to kick it, but it really never moved more than four feet this way or that way.
We came out the second day, and I volunteered to be a goalie. I observed the lack of movement over the ball for an entire 40-minute period.
Then we came out a third day, and the same results.
By Friday, someone probably put the suggestion to Mr 'G' that this wasn't much of a sport, and that ended the experiment. I think over the whole week....some of the kids didn't move more than 100 feet during the PE period, per day.
We never played it again.
White kids, as this lady puts it.....really just never grasped the game because of the lack of introduction. I think in fifty years.....little has changed. I suspect you could bring this up with Mr G today, and he'd probably tell you that this was the most stupid sport to introduce to Alabama kids. I might agree.
I sat and paused over it. In 1970, around the sixth-grade, we got introduced to soccer at my rural Alabama school.
The PE teacher stood there, and handed the twenty-odd kids in my group (all boys from the 6th and 7th grade) the ball and gave a brief two minutes of explanation. To be honest, I don't think Mr 'G' knew much of anything on the sport, other than having watched it played on TV. The two minutes of explanation really didn't help much.
So we set the ball down....picked up two sides, and tried to play for 35 minutes. It was a total failure.
The two goalies just stood at their ends, and the group of 18 kids kept the ball in a tight 50-foot circle, and just attempting to kick it, but it really never moved more than four feet this way or that way.
We came out the second day, and I volunteered to be a goalie. I observed the lack of movement over the ball for an entire 40-minute period.
Then we came out a third day, and the same results.
By Friday, someone probably put the suggestion to Mr 'G' that this wasn't much of a sport, and that ended the experiment. I think over the whole week....some of the kids didn't move more than 100 feet during the PE period, per day.
We never played it again.
White kids, as this lady puts it.....really just never grasped the game because of the lack of introduction. I think in fifty years.....little has changed. I suspect you could bring this up with Mr G today, and he'd probably tell you that this was the most stupid sport to introduce to Alabama kids. I might agree.
Wednesday 27 June 2018
News Stuff
Republicans thinking the news media is pumping out fake news? 92%
Democrats thinking the news media is pumping out fake news? 53%
Well....that's basically how you got to this point of today, with Trump sitting in the White House.
The question is.....is this beyond the point of no-return? You know.....where it really doesn't matter who CNN brings in, or which hot-lady that ABC hires, or which five-person group that MSNBC presents on Sunday mornings.
The curious thing, if you realize as the VP of news production that no one is watching, and the ad revenue business is marginal.....why would you pay ten-million to some idiot who the public doesn't trust?
For the political folks, if the news guys can't carry your theme or message....what the heck can you do? And the crazy part of this story? Over 50-percent of Democrats agree with Republicans.
Democrats thinking the news media is pumping out fake news? 53%
Well....that's basically how you got to this point of today, with Trump sitting in the White House.
The question is.....is this beyond the point of no-return? You know.....where it really doesn't matter who CNN brings in, or which hot-lady that ABC hires, or which five-person group that MSNBC presents on Sunday mornings.
The curious thing, if you realize as the VP of news production that no one is watching, and the ad revenue business is marginal.....why would you pay ten-million to some idiot who the public doesn't trust?
For the political folks, if the news guys can't carry your theme or message....what the heck can you do? And the crazy part of this story? Over 50-percent of Democrats agree with Republicans.
The Crowley 'Fall'
If you picked up the news today from New York City.....Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez beat the current Democratic Congressman.....Joe Crowley....in the local Democratic primary.
Crowley? He'd been a big-name in DC politics, and was figured to be one of the three people who'd replace Pelosi.
Ocasio-Cortez? She's a 28-year-old local gal, who is basically known as a community organizer. Yes, a community organizer.
Big budget in this campaign? No.
Previous real experience? Marginally....none.
She basically used public appearances and social media to accomplish the act.
Crowley? He's finished. He's 56 years old, and he will walk out of the House in January 2019....having spent roughly 20 years as a politician for the New York public.
So, what really happened here? Some people talk about the front that Ocasio-Cortez used was in some form.....a Bernie Sanders front. There were elements of socialism in the offerings. But another element of this hype is that 27,000 total votes were between the two primary contenders. In the 2016 election.....147,000 total Democratic votes. In the 2014 election, roughly 67,000 total votes.
It really didn't take that many votes to edge Crowley out in the primary. Did Democrats just stay home? My guess is yes. Ocasio-Cortez found some core of voters to persuade in coming out, and Crowley just ran a pretty limited primary situation.
Crowley? He'd been a big-name in DC politics, and was figured to be one of the three people who'd replace Pelosi.
Ocasio-Cortez? She's a 28-year-old local gal, who is basically known as a community organizer. Yes, a community organizer.
Big budget in this campaign? No.
Previous real experience? Marginally....none.
She basically used public appearances and social media to accomplish the act.
Crowley? He's finished. He's 56 years old, and he will walk out of the House in January 2019....having spent roughly 20 years as a politician for the New York public.
So, what really happened here? Some people talk about the front that Ocasio-Cortez used was in some form.....a Bernie Sanders front. There were elements of socialism in the offerings. But another element of this hype is that 27,000 total votes were between the two primary contenders. In the 2016 election.....147,000 total Democratic votes. In the 2014 election, roughly 67,000 total votes.
It really didn't take that many votes to edge Crowley out in the primary. Did Democrats just stay home? My guess is yes. Ocasio-Cortez found some core of voters to persuade in coming out, and Crowley just ran a pretty limited primary situation.
Mob Political 'Subtractions'
In general, once you form up a mob to attend to some political activity, and get all hyped up that you can achieve your end-result by mob threats or mob mentality.....that's the point where your less-than-core members step back and walk away.
You can go and look over various events in history that go badly for mob 'staging'. It looks great for a number of days. People feel some thrilling achievement....mostly all fake in nature. And there's some hope that the mob will fix things.
In this case, I think the fall election (the mid-term) is now in danger for the Democrats. People will view various mob accomplishments and ask questions.....then feel the necessity to step away from them and support the victim group.
Yes, the mob achievements are hurting the Democratic message. I'm not even sure if the Democrats can say that the mob supports their strategy, or if the mob is reading off an entirely different script.
The sad thing here is that it'll reach some stage where the mob members think there's real authority and commit some serious actions....requiring the cops and judges to step in. Then some family will get a call that 'Barney' (their son) has been arrested and charged-up, with the potential of facing six years in prison for mob violence and achievements.
The really sad thing is that as Barney goes off to prison....he can't even vote or help his cause, because of his stupidity.
You can go and look over various events in history that go badly for mob 'staging'. It looks great for a number of days. People feel some thrilling achievement....mostly all fake in nature. And there's some hope that the mob will fix things.
In this case, I think the fall election (the mid-term) is now in danger for the Democrats. People will view various mob accomplishments and ask questions.....then feel the necessity to step away from them and support the victim group.
Yes, the mob achievements are hurting the Democratic message. I'm not even sure if the Democrats can say that the mob supports their strategy, or if the mob is reading off an entirely different script.
The sad thing here is that it'll reach some stage where the mob members think there's real authority and commit some serious actions....requiring the cops and judges to step in. Then some family will get a call that 'Barney' (their son) has been arrested and charged-up, with the potential of facing six years in prison for mob violence and achievements.
The really sad thing is that as Barney goes off to prison....he can't even vote or help his cause, because of his stupidity.
Tuesday 26 June 2018
My View of the Harley Davidson Story
Basically, I could write a 100-line observation over this situation of Harley Davidson departing from the US, and only manufacturing motorcycles in India, Thailand, and Brazil....but after an hour or two of pondering....I'll limit it to 11 lines.
Now, ask yourself....is there anything that you can think of....made in India, Thailand or Brazil, that you'd pay a minimum of $8,500 and perhaps on up to $30,000? I know....that's the odd part of this story.
So, after they move.....would you really go and buy some piece of trashy steel made in some third-world country? And if it already had issues to start with....now you'd make it with folks being paid $5-an-hour at best.....is the $8,500 cheap cycle or the $30,000 grand-cycle....really worth that amount?
Yeah. I don't think any idiot would be willing to pay real money for something like this. Within four years, I think some Chinese guy will buy the company for about half-the-value that they are today. And you will end up with Chang-Davidson cycles.
As for the question....should Trump put up a tariff on importing Harley-Davidsons into the US? No. Just make them put a big label over the gas-tank....where the cycle was manufactured, so it's noticeable from six feet away. That should probably take care of the situation.
Now, ask yourself....is there anything that you can think of....made in India, Thailand or Brazil, that you'd pay a minimum of $8,500 and perhaps on up to $30,000? I know....that's the odd part of this story.
So, after they move.....would you really go and buy some piece of trashy steel made in some third-world country? And if it already had issues to start with....now you'd make it with folks being paid $5-an-hour at best.....is the $8,500 cheap cycle or the $30,000 grand-cycle....really worth that amount?
Yeah. I don't think any idiot would be willing to pay real money for something like this. Within four years, I think some Chinese guy will buy the company for about half-the-value that they are today. And you will end up with Chang-Davidson cycles.
As for the question....should Trump put up a tariff on importing Harley-Davidsons into the US? No. Just make them put a big label over the gas-tank....where the cycle was manufactured, so it's noticeable from six feet away. That should probably take care of the situation.
Sunday 24 June 2018
My Advice to the Red Hen 'Boss'
Looking over the Sanders episode and how this Red Hen 'boss' handled it....I would offer the following advice.
1. Your entire life and future, revolves around that business making money. If you can't preserve profits and ensure a something on the plus-side....then you shouldn't be a manager.
2. Once you declare Sanders to be a non-customer....who else are you willing to proclaim as a non-customer? Would you put me on the list? Would you have a list of 3,000 Washington folks on that list? Would North Korea's Kim be on the list?
3. If you hired a bunch of social justice warriors to be the bulk of manpower.....are they capable of understanding the profit-motive?
4. When you located into the local area, did you notice that folks seemed to be a bit conservative? Maybe more than the typical amount?
5. I could understanding you prioritizing the client list if you were a Hollywood establishment, but this is Lexington, VA.....with a population of 7,000 locals. In general, every single dollar of profit matters.
6. Finally, I'd suggest that you go and reestablish your operation in some fairly different atmosphere....like NY City, or San Francisco.
1. Your entire life and future, revolves around that business making money. If you can't preserve profits and ensure a something on the plus-side....then you shouldn't be a manager.
2. Once you declare Sanders to be a non-customer....who else are you willing to proclaim as a non-customer? Would you put me on the list? Would you have a list of 3,000 Washington folks on that list? Would North Korea's Kim be on the list?
3. If you hired a bunch of social justice warriors to be the bulk of manpower.....are they capable of understanding the profit-motive?
4. When you located into the local area, did you notice that folks seemed to be a bit conservative? Maybe more than the typical amount?
5. I could understanding you prioritizing the client list if you were a Hollywood establishment, but this is Lexington, VA.....with a population of 7,000 locals. In general, every single dollar of profit matters.
6. Finally, I'd suggest that you go and reestablish your operation in some fairly different atmosphere....like NY City, or San Francisco.
The Red Hen Mess
So I sat and reviewed this Sanders/Red Hen episode.
1. It appears this rural but mostly conservative region restaurant has a fair number of junior social justice warriors. How did this occur? No one says much.
2. Red Hen franchise owners throughout the US are probably furious over the attention. My guess is that corporation will have a meeting and consequences will follow.
3. This is an operation in a fairy rural area of Virginia. My guess is they depended on the locals for 60 percent of their business and interstate traffic for the rest. If they lose half of the locals, they fold up by January. No one will take over the operation, and the young social justice warrior hostesses will not find work with this on their resume.
4. All of this just pushes the envelope when the next democratic President comes along.
5. Finally, where is civil behaviour in 2018? Could you sit in a church? Could you buy coffee at a Starbucks? Something weird here has occurred and I have doubts it can be resolved.
1. It appears this rural but mostly conservative region restaurant has a fair number of junior social justice warriors. How did this occur? No one says much.
2. Red Hen franchise owners throughout the US are probably furious over the attention. My guess is that corporation will have a meeting and consequences will follow.
3. This is an operation in a fairy rural area of Virginia. My guess is they depended on the locals for 60 percent of their business and interstate traffic for the rest. If they lose half of the locals, they fold up by January. No one will take over the operation, and the young social justice warrior hostesses will not find work with this on their resume.
4. All of this just pushes the envelope when the next democratic President comes along.
5. Finally, where is civil behaviour in 2018? Could you sit in a church? Could you buy coffee at a Starbucks? Something weird here has occurred and I have doubts it can be resolved.
Thursday 21 June 2018
The End Result for the Week
I spent about an hour this morning, pouring over the bits and pieces of the Trump order on migrants.
So, in the end here (I'll let anyone correct me if I'm wrong).....you have deportee-candidate dad/mom sitting in a deportee center with the deportee-candidate kids....waiting on a status order and 'ticket' to return to the homeland. What really changed? Same centers. Same food. Same guards. Same bunks. Same blankets. Same toilet facilities. Same landscape. Same end-result.
This hype for the past seven days? Over something that really didn't change much of anything? Yes.
And if 'dad' or 'mom' aren't the real parents of the deportee-candidate kids? Well....no one from CNN, or ABC has really said much over that topic. What if deportee-candidate 'Junior' tells the Border Patrol guys that 'Dad' is really NOT the 'Dad'? What if deportee-candidate 'Junior' says that 'Dad' beats him?
You just sense that there's a pretty big mess here, and the best thing to do is get a wall built, and hustle folks (with their kids) back home as quickly as possible. And if Latin American country refuses to take their people back....cut them from grant money.
So, in the end here (I'll let anyone correct me if I'm wrong).....you have deportee-candidate dad/mom sitting in a deportee center with the deportee-candidate kids....waiting on a status order and 'ticket' to return to the homeland. What really changed? Same centers. Same food. Same guards. Same bunks. Same blankets. Same toilet facilities. Same landscape. Same end-result.
This hype for the past seven days? Over something that really didn't change much of anything? Yes.
And if 'dad' or 'mom' aren't the real parents of the deportee-candidate kids? Well....no one from CNN, or ABC has really said much over that topic. What if deportee-candidate 'Junior' tells the Border Patrol guys that 'Dad' is really NOT the 'Dad'? What if deportee-candidate 'Junior' says that 'Dad' beats him?
You just sense that there's a pretty big mess here, and the best thing to do is get a wall built, and hustle folks (with their kids) back home as quickly as possible. And if Latin American country refuses to take their people back....cut them from grant money.
Wednesday 20 June 2018
Family Jails
Last year, I was sitting there and watching a German documentary. It was an interesting 15-minute episode where 'Martin' (the German journalist) had gone off to Peru and was going into a local prison.
So the folks there have this interesting concept. The judge sentences you to a year or three years of prison, and your family basically moves into the prison with you. You get a little one room studio room, with the bare essentials, for you, your wife, and your kids. The government gives them enough food to 'make things right'.
This 'Martin' guy goes around and talks to the wives and kids....trying to get some understanding of how this works. The problem he saw....there's men there in the jail, for rape and violent assault. So it doesn't make any sense to put the family into the middle of this jail business.
Toward the last third of the documentary, 'Martin' is sitting there and discussing this terrible wrong with the jail-house boss. And the manager of the jail can understand 'Martin's' feelings, but he always says....it's better to keep the family together. 'Martin' later leaves the prison....feeling happy that he's out of the facility, and just wanders off with German frustration that you really can't fix this mess.
I sat last night looking at some CNN piece trying to explain the immigration episode and the evil Trump-camp atmosphere. Basically, they were going to help create this mindset with Americans that it was a fine thing to have a family situation in a jail-camp deal, with dangerous people interacting with the kids but it was good for the family to stay together.
I'm guessing in a year....this German journalist....'Martin'....will show up in Texas and try to find the logic in the way this works, and condemn the Democrat's solution as being pretty damn stupid.
So the folks there have this interesting concept. The judge sentences you to a year or three years of prison, and your family basically moves into the prison with you. You get a little one room studio room, with the bare essentials, for you, your wife, and your kids. The government gives them enough food to 'make things right'.
This 'Martin' guy goes around and talks to the wives and kids....trying to get some understanding of how this works. The problem he saw....there's men there in the jail, for rape and violent assault. So it doesn't make any sense to put the family into the middle of this jail business.
Toward the last third of the documentary, 'Martin' is sitting there and discussing this terrible wrong with the jail-house boss. And the manager of the jail can understand 'Martin's' feelings, but he always says....it's better to keep the family together. 'Martin' later leaves the prison....feeling happy that he's out of the facility, and just wanders off with German frustration that you really can't fix this mess.
I sat last night looking at some CNN piece trying to explain the immigration episode and the evil Trump-camp atmosphere. Basically, they were going to help create this mindset with Americans that it was a fine thing to have a family situation in a jail-camp deal, with dangerous people interacting with the kids but it was good for the family to stay together.
I'm guessing in a year....this German journalist....'Martin'....will show up in Texas and try to find the logic in the way this works, and condemn the Democrat's solution as being pretty damn stupid.
The PBR Story
From where I grew up as a kid in rural Alabama, we had a number of folks in the dry county area, who were particular about the beer they drank. A couple were 'addicted' in some way to Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.
I have a list of twenty-odd beers (some even German) which I consider to be sub-standard beers. They lack taste, character or the 'magic' ingredient. I include Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) on that list.
So I noted this morning via a CNBC report....that there is the potential for a worldwide shortage of PBR.
How this would happen? Well....the folks who own PBR had a deal with Miller-Coors to make PBR in bulk. No one talks about the financial side of this or the profits for either company. What they do talk about is that Miller-Coors doesn't want to make the beer any longer (after well over 30 years).
Somewhere on the paperwork agreement, there is an option to continue on, and Miller-Coors does not appear to be willing to move to the option. They just want some type of end-date. Naturally, the PBR folks are talking about some legal course, with half-a-billion mentioned in the news piece.
So you come to the 'end' discussion?
There are basically three problems here.
First, I would have doubts that some judge would go and order Miller-Coors to produce something beyond the contract date.
Second, you would think that PBR would have realized this less-drinking-trend five years ago, and had some plan 'B' in existence already. You could have easily gone and bought some brewery or worked out some deal with a Mexican brewery chain.
Third, is it possible that people just woke up and realized that PBR is just lousy cheap 1-star beer? Is it perhaps time to retire PBR and just admit it was an bad beer?
So here's my suggestion. Typically, when you've fallen this far, you get up and rebrand your item. Why not go out and refreshen the recipe of PBR, make a brewery out of a warehouse in Huntsville, Alabama, and sell it only in bottles. Make it into a decent three-star beer. In one single move, you'd make it into a premium beer, and charge 50 cents more per bottle.
I have a list of twenty-odd beers (some even German) which I consider to be sub-standard beers. They lack taste, character or the 'magic' ingredient. I include Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) on that list.
So I noted this morning via a CNBC report....that there is the potential for a worldwide shortage of PBR.
How this would happen? Well....the folks who own PBR had a deal with Miller-Coors to make PBR in bulk. No one talks about the financial side of this or the profits for either company. What they do talk about is that Miller-Coors doesn't want to make the beer any longer (after well over 30 years).
Somewhere on the paperwork agreement, there is an option to continue on, and Miller-Coors does not appear to be willing to move to the option. They just want some type of end-date. Naturally, the PBR folks are talking about some legal course, with half-a-billion mentioned in the news piece.
So you come to the 'end' discussion?
There are basically three problems here.
First, I would have doubts that some judge would go and order Miller-Coors to produce something beyond the contract date.
Second, you would think that PBR would have realized this less-drinking-trend five years ago, and had some plan 'B' in existence already. You could have easily gone and bought some brewery or worked out some deal with a Mexican brewery chain.
Third, is it possible that people just woke up and realized that PBR is just lousy cheap 1-star beer? Is it perhaps time to retire PBR and just admit it was an bad beer?
So here's my suggestion. Typically, when you've fallen this far, you get up and rebrand your item. Why not go out and refreshen the recipe of PBR, make a brewery out of a warehouse in Huntsville, Alabama, and sell it only in bottles. Make it into a decent three-star beer. In one single move, you'd make it into a premium beer, and charge 50 cents more per bottle.
Ten Questions Over This Hyped-Up Kid-Border Business
For several days, I've pondered upon all this reactionary news media talk, and come to these ten questions:
1. I read today that Sessions wants to force all of these situations into a mandatory DNA test. DNA tests typically require at least three weeks in the lab....so the family will be sitting idle in some center before the results come back. Then you get to the important question...if ‘Juan’ isn’t the father...just how quick do you dump ‘Juan’ into the single men’s center and then hustle the kids back into a kid’s only center?
2. What if ‘Juan’ has been led by his wife to believe both kids are his, for the past twelve years, only to be told by ‘Jerry’ (the US border patrol dude) that no...the kids are not his. Yeah, we could actually make this into a TV show and see some might curious events going on.
3. What if ‘Juan’ refuses to take a DNA test? Can you legally force some foreign guy to take the test? You can’t even do that to an American guy.....so how can you force ‘Juan’ to do this?
4. What if kid number one is 'Juan's' kid but number two is not? Can 'Juan' claim this was his wife's first kid with another guy?
5. All of this relates to a law which President Trump is simply enforcing. This law? It goes back to the 2004 era, under President Bush, and it was mostly passed via the Democrats. Who voted on this method? Did Nancy Pelosi vote for this?
6. Will you use the same method upon finding American runaway kids, and force them to return to their parents, but only after a DNA test resolves if that parent is the real parent of the kid?
7. Where will all this DNA info on foreign folks be kept? Who in the government will have access?
8. If you put 'Juan' and his two kids into a family center which is approved by the Democrats.....and 'Juan' happens to rape some 12-year old girl from another family at the center about ten days into this....will this lead folks to create a man-only center and a kid's only center? You know....like they have now.
9. What if the kids are fearful of 'Juan' and says that he beats them? Will you force the kids back to 'Juan'?
10. If this DNA testing business cost $300....will you force 'Juan' to pay for it?
It just seems to me....the more you think about this....the worse it gets. What if four kids (all age 13) made their way from Panama to Texas, without a 'Juan'? What does that say about security of four different borders and the fact that no one said a word in Mexico or such?
1. I read today that Sessions wants to force all of these situations into a mandatory DNA test. DNA tests typically require at least three weeks in the lab....so the family will be sitting idle in some center before the results come back. Then you get to the important question...if ‘Juan’ isn’t the father...just how quick do you dump ‘Juan’ into the single men’s center and then hustle the kids back into a kid’s only center?
2. What if ‘Juan’ has been led by his wife to believe both kids are his, for the past twelve years, only to be told by ‘Jerry’ (the US border patrol dude) that no...the kids are not his. Yeah, we could actually make this into a TV show and see some might curious events going on.
3. What if ‘Juan’ refuses to take a DNA test? Can you legally force some foreign guy to take the test? You can’t even do that to an American guy.....so how can you force ‘Juan’ to do this?
4. What if kid number one is 'Juan's' kid but number two is not? Can 'Juan' claim this was his wife's first kid with another guy?
5. All of this relates to a law which President Trump is simply enforcing. This law? It goes back to the 2004 era, under President Bush, and it was mostly passed via the Democrats. Who voted on this method? Did Nancy Pelosi vote for this?
6. Will you use the same method upon finding American runaway kids, and force them to return to their parents, but only after a DNA test resolves if that parent is the real parent of the kid?
7. Where will all this DNA info on foreign folks be kept? Who in the government will have access?
8. If you put 'Juan' and his two kids into a family center which is approved by the Democrats.....and 'Juan' happens to rape some 12-year old girl from another family at the center about ten days into this....will this lead folks to create a man-only center and a kid's only center? You know....like they have now.
9. What if the kids are fearful of 'Juan' and says that he beats them? Will you force the kids back to 'Juan'?
10. If this DNA testing business cost $300....will you force 'Juan' to pay for it?
It just seems to me....the more you think about this....the worse it gets. What if four kids (all age 13) made their way from Panama to Texas, without a 'Juan'? What does that say about security of four different borders and the fact that no one said a word in Mexico or such?
Sunday 17 June 2018
Do We Really Care?
Over the past decade, one had to sit and watch various entertainers, singers, comedians, actors, and fake prominent folks turn into social justice 'warriors'.
At some point, the question started to come up....do you really if such-and-such comedian is a social justice warrior? Do you care what hype your favorite entertainer is giving?
As each month went by.....you had more and more folks wanting to share their social justice occupation. At some point, even NFL players got into the act.
The blunt truth is that we are losing interest in these social justice 'campaigns'. We are even approaching the mentality of suggesting that some of these are just plain fake in nature.
The take by some of these comedians and actors? Well...they are doubling down....insisting that they have some legitimate battle going on and they want to share it with you. The general reaction? Turning off the TV, or hitting 'mute'. In the case of the NFL, people are in a mindset to stop watching games, paying $100 for a seat at some game, or to spend $500 on a specially-designed leather jacket with the team logo.
So I think this new era is about to arrive where people just say in simple words....we just don't care about your 'battle' or social justice cause. You aren't really a comedian, an actor, or entertainer. You are something, but we just aren't sure what that something is.
For some folks, it means a career has potentially ended around age forty-five, and their lifestyle will have to be downsized drastically. Maybe there will be some social justice campaign about the unfairness of life. I'm sure we'd all like to hear about that 'battle'.
At some point, the question started to come up....do you really if such-and-such comedian is a social justice warrior? Do you care what hype your favorite entertainer is giving?
As each month went by.....you had more and more folks wanting to share their social justice occupation. At some point, even NFL players got into the act.
The blunt truth is that we are losing interest in these social justice 'campaigns'. We are even approaching the mentality of suggesting that some of these are just plain fake in nature.
The take by some of these comedians and actors? Well...they are doubling down....insisting that they have some legitimate battle going on and they want to share it with you. The general reaction? Turning off the TV, or hitting 'mute'. In the case of the NFL, people are in a mindset to stop watching games, paying $100 for a seat at some game, or to spend $500 on a specially-designed leather jacket with the team logo.
So I think this new era is about to arrive where people just say in simple words....we just don't care about your 'battle' or social justice cause. You aren't really a comedian, an actor, or entertainer. You are something, but we just aren't sure what that something is.
For some folks, it means a career has potentially ended around age forty-five, and their lifestyle will have to be downsized drastically. Maybe there will be some social justice campaign about the unfairness of life. I'm sure we'd all like to hear about that 'battle'.
Saturday 16 June 2018
Lack of Competency
At some point around 2010, while working in the basement of the Pentagon....I worked with an Army guy who had this part-time job on the side. No....he didn't really bring this up to the commander (there's an actual regulation that says 'other' jobs need to be referred to your commander so that he can explain your dedication angle to the Army).
This part-time job? Well....we spent around ten minutes talking over this and I simply had a curious nature how this worked.
You see....he'd get a call around the middle of the week and there would be this 'seminar' that he'd teach on Saturday and Sunday....typically six to eight hours each day. It was a one-on-one seminar, which I felt was awful strange.
So the topic here? Well....email, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
There were these folks getting hired for high and lofty positions in DC (GS15 or above). Basically, they were coming from some location outside of the beltway, and they simply hadn't never used the internet to the degree that this job demanded. So they were paying some guy to teach them everything they needed to know.....over a weekend.
So I asked about the pay here, and for a full-up weekend....this guy would make $700. Taxed of course. He figured the company in question was taking in near $1000 for the service.
The key theme? Being discreet.
So I asked....are there really that many folks who don't know this level of technology? In a full year that he'd been connected to this job.....he'd had roughly thirty weekends occupied by this job, and he figured the company had at least twenty part-time people who were in this service occupation.
His take was that various people in the 1990s had stepped to the side and missed the whole introduction stage of Microsoft. Now these were the people facing 2010, being hired into lofty positions, and unable to perform at expectations.
All of this made sense to me. Maybe they'd pick up enough to solve their problem.
But then he said this odd thing. Being with someone for an entire weekend....one-on-one....you reach a point where you are getting to know the individual, their background, their skills, their knowledge, their common sense level. Most of the people he met (remember, this is an Army NCO)....probably weren't the type that you'd go and hire for leadership positions. In some way, when they stepped to the side in the 1990s and missed the technology 'era'.....they were missing a lot of different trends and eras. Yet here they were....being brought into DC to lead some group or agency.
This part-time job? Well....we spent around ten minutes talking over this and I simply had a curious nature how this worked.
You see....he'd get a call around the middle of the week and there would be this 'seminar' that he'd teach on Saturday and Sunday....typically six to eight hours each day. It was a one-on-one seminar, which I felt was awful strange.
So the topic here? Well....email, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
There were these folks getting hired for high and lofty positions in DC (GS15 or above). Basically, they were coming from some location outside of the beltway, and they simply hadn't never used the internet to the degree that this job demanded. So they were paying some guy to teach them everything they needed to know.....over a weekend.
So I asked about the pay here, and for a full-up weekend....this guy would make $700. Taxed of course. He figured the company in question was taking in near $1000 for the service.
The key theme? Being discreet.
So I asked....are there really that many folks who don't know this level of technology? In a full year that he'd been connected to this job.....he'd had roughly thirty weekends occupied by this job, and he figured the company had at least twenty part-time people who were in this service occupation.
His take was that various people in the 1990s had stepped to the side and missed the whole introduction stage of Microsoft. Now these were the people facing 2010, being hired into lofty positions, and unable to perform at expectations.
All of this made sense to me. Maybe they'd pick up enough to solve their problem.
But then he said this odd thing. Being with someone for an entire weekend....one-on-one....you reach a point where you are getting to know the individual, their background, their skills, their knowledge, their common sense level. Most of the people he met (remember, this is an Army NCO)....probably weren't the type that you'd go and hire for leadership positions. In some way, when they stepped to the side in the 1990s and missed the technology 'era'.....they were missing a lot of different trends and eras. Yet here they were....being brought into DC to lead some group or agency.
My NFL Chat
I sat this morning and read through some sports news piece where some 'angry' NFL players were saying that the NFL-owners are in some fear stage of Trump, and that's why this whole National Anthem thing is brewing 'hotly'.
After about five minutes, I sat and pondered over this. I don't know if the players saying this are hyped up on drugs, or just so stupid that they can't envision what happened here.
So my two analogies to make this point:
1. You know nothing about farming but have heard that raising cattle is profitable and real easy. You go out with your savings, spending $500,000 on a farm, a barn, plenty of hay for the first year, all the equipment necessary, and 250 head of cattle. You envision this being real simple and easy. You sell off a minimum of 80 head of cattle each year, and life is great. On day one of the new life....you walk out into the field to discover that these cattle are 'wild and aggressive'. They chase you, with the intent to stomp you to the ground. Day after day, this goes on. You live in constant fear of the cattle. The money is invested but this is a 'hobby' that is bringing fear into your heart each and every day.
2. You buy a great restaurant which turns $250,000 of profit each and every year. It's a proven money-maker. As you take over, you hire three new cooks, and in the first six months.....wake up to five accusations of food-poisoning. You paid a lot of money for this operation, and the public is coming less and less often.
In this NFL-owner situation. Most bought into their operations back in the 1970s and 1980s. A long term investment. Back three years ago, the Dallas Cowboys were valued at $4.5 billion, and pulling in around $800 million per year (TV deals, sports gear, etc). The Vikings were valued at $2.4 billion, and pulling in around $400 million a year.
With the negative talk going on....lesser sports paraphernalia being sold....fewer tickets being sold....fewer people watching, are the teams making less money? Well....they won't admit this in public. But you have to figure they've lost 10-percent of the yearly income MINIMUM (maybe more). Can you consider the Cowboys to still be valued at $4.5 billion? I question that and would suggest that if they were for sale.....the price would be slightly below $4 billion. By the end of 2020? If nothing resolves this mess? Their value might even be near $3.5 billion.
How would you feel if you owned something of value ($500,000), and woke up three years later to find the same item is now worth $300,000?
The owners aren't afraid of the players, or Trump.....they are afraid that their item of value....doesn't hold the same value, and doesn't make the same amount of yearly profit.
Where this will end? At some point, during the signing period of contracts.....a vast majority of players will be offered contracts at 10-percent less than the previous contract. They will threaten a strike. This strike? Well....it might move the problem onto the next level, and quicken the pace of the sinking.
After about five minutes, I sat and pondered over this. I don't know if the players saying this are hyped up on drugs, or just so stupid that they can't envision what happened here.
So my two analogies to make this point:
1. You know nothing about farming but have heard that raising cattle is profitable and real easy. You go out with your savings, spending $500,000 on a farm, a barn, plenty of hay for the first year, all the equipment necessary, and 250 head of cattle. You envision this being real simple and easy. You sell off a minimum of 80 head of cattle each year, and life is great. On day one of the new life....you walk out into the field to discover that these cattle are 'wild and aggressive'. They chase you, with the intent to stomp you to the ground. Day after day, this goes on. You live in constant fear of the cattle. The money is invested but this is a 'hobby' that is bringing fear into your heart each and every day.
2. You buy a great restaurant which turns $250,000 of profit each and every year. It's a proven money-maker. As you take over, you hire three new cooks, and in the first six months.....wake up to five accusations of food-poisoning. You paid a lot of money for this operation, and the public is coming less and less often.
In this NFL-owner situation. Most bought into their operations back in the 1970s and 1980s. A long term investment. Back three years ago, the Dallas Cowboys were valued at $4.5 billion, and pulling in around $800 million per year (TV deals, sports gear, etc). The Vikings were valued at $2.4 billion, and pulling in around $400 million a year.
With the negative talk going on....lesser sports paraphernalia being sold....fewer tickets being sold....fewer people watching, are the teams making less money? Well....they won't admit this in public. But you have to figure they've lost 10-percent of the yearly income MINIMUM (maybe more). Can you consider the Cowboys to still be valued at $4.5 billion? I question that and would suggest that if they were for sale.....the price would be slightly below $4 billion. By the end of 2020? If nothing resolves this mess? Their value might even be near $3.5 billion.
How would you feel if you owned something of value ($500,000), and woke up three years later to find the same item is now worth $300,000?
The owners aren't afraid of the players, or Trump.....they are afraid that their item of value....doesn't hold the same value, and doesn't make the same amount of yearly profit.
Where this will end? At some point, during the signing period of contracts.....a vast majority of players will be offered contracts at 10-percent less than the previous contract. They will threaten a strike. This strike? Well....it might move the problem onto the next level, and quicken the pace of the sinking.
Joe's Nazi Words
“So why is she lying this much? I know children are being ripped from their mother’s arms, even while they’re being breast-fed. I know children are being marched away to showers, marched away to showers. Being told they are — just like the Nazis — said that they were taking people to the showers and then they never came back. You think they would use another trick like 'Hey, got a slurpee room over there.' 'We’re going to take them to get a slurpee. That would be better than 'We’re marching them to the showers and we’ll be right back' and they never come back.”
-- Joe Scarborough, talking about the talking points of Sarah Sanders and Trump policy over juvenile immigrants
First, you could have used that talk back in the spring of 2000, with that Cuban kid, Elian Gonzalez....was picked up by armed police-thugs and returned to Cuba. But oddly.....no one from MSNBC at that point in time wanted to utter 'Nazi-talk'.....did they?
Second, sooner or later, some American kids are going to watch this handling issue and ask (maybe at age 13).....why stay home? Why not just run off and play some gimmick-act, and just pretend to be Honduran, then get taken off to a Trump-camp?
Third, is a Trump-camp really a bad place? So far, from the video business I've seen....it's more or less like some summer camp deal....a cot and three meals a day. The education part? They get six hours a day, and English is taught.
Fourth, Joe seems to be suggesting that life in the Trump-camp is hell, while life with the parents is like living in a fairly-tale land. If I was thirteen or fourteen.....I might review my options before I fall for any of Joe's fairly-tale stuff. You might be a hundred times better off in the Trump-camp.
Usually, when people start uttering Nazi-talk....that's the moment that I hit 'mute'. That's a signal that the guy has a lost cause on debates, and he can't win. Go and ask yourself.....if President Hillary were there.....what would she do? Well.....Hillary-camps would probably have occurred as well. Would they be Nazi-like as well?
-- Joe Scarborough, talking about the talking points of Sarah Sanders and Trump policy over juvenile immigrants
First, you could have used that talk back in the spring of 2000, with that Cuban kid, Elian Gonzalez....was picked up by armed police-thugs and returned to Cuba. But oddly.....no one from MSNBC at that point in time wanted to utter 'Nazi-talk'.....did they?
Second, sooner or later, some American kids are going to watch this handling issue and ask (maybe at age 13).....why stay home? Why not just run off and play some gimmick-act, and just pretend to be Honduran, then get taken off to a Trump-camp?
Third, is a Trump-camp really a bad place? So far, from the video business I've seen....it's more or less like some summer camp deal....a cot and three meals a day. The education part? They get six hours a day, and English is taught.
Fourth, Joe seems to be suggesting that life in the Trump-camp is hell, while life with the parents is like living in a fairly-tale land. If I was thirteen or fourteen.....I might review my options before I fall for any of Joe's fairly-tale stuff. You might be a hundred times better off in the Trump-camp.
Usually, when people start uttering Nazi-talk....that's the moment that I hit 'mute'. That's a signal that the guy has a lost cause on debates, and he can't win. Go and ask yourself.....if President Hillary were there.....what would she do? Well.....Hillary-camps would probably have occurred as well. Would they be Nazi-like as well?
Friday 15 June 2018
Wrestling in Dubai?
I noticed this in business news the other day....out of Saudi Arabia, and Dubai.....WWE wrestling has arrived. In a shocker, they found that the locals literally fell all over themselves to get tickets. There's a contract signed now, which indicates that WWE is there for a fairly long engagement (maybe to ten years).
What happened?
If you go to any North Carolina city that holds a WWE event....you tend to find a large crowd showing up and hyped up for their 'favorite' characters. As much as you might see it all as fake....people like this type of thrill, and I think the Middle-Eastern crowd is basically the same way.
Oh I agree....they have to realize it's all fake, but it ends up being a fun-filled evening and you see a collection of 'good' guys and 'bad' guys.
Man, if only the 'Iron Sheik' were active and wrestling today.....he'd have a quarter-million fans in Dubai all pumped up.
What happened?
If you go to any North Carolina city that holds a WWE event....you tend to find a large crowd showing up and hyped up for their 'favorite' characters. As much as you might see it all as fake....people like this type of thrill, and I think the Middle-Eastern crowd is basically the same way.
Oh I agree....they have to realize it's all fake, but it ends up being a fun-filled evening and you see a collection of 'good' guys and 'bad' guys.
Man, if only the 'Iron Sheik' were active and wrestling today.....he'd have a quarter-million fans in Dubai all pumped up.
Tuesday 12 June 2018
Just An Observation
About ten days ago, CNN (I still do occasionally review their 'product')....wrote up a fine piece on too much news being bad for you.
I sat and pondered over it for a while.
In the mid-1970s, you basically had 30 minutes of local news and 30 minutes of national news, a brief eight minutes of Paul Harvey news via your radio, and a chance to read one of four regional newspapers. You might have had Time and Newsweek, or perhaps gone overboard with US News and World Report. Then from your front porch in Alabama, you would have engaged conversation on folks about something you read. The conversation might have gone on for ten minutes, and then the other guy would have chatted on some church revival. The stress level of a guy over this type of news and conversation? On a scale of one to ten....it barely ever arose above a 'three'.
Today? You could watch four different morning pieces of local news....then get three hours of C*PAN. Then you'd go to CNN, Fox or MSNBC for four hours of news. Then read through not only the local newspaper, but had access to the London Telegraph, the NY Times, and some Texas business journal. By 10 PM, you probably have poured over 700 bits of news. The stress level? Some folks might be able to limit the intake and still have a 'six' for stress, but I would imagine some folks are moving along with a 'ten' (maxing out).
The question is.....how would you throttle back?
In some way, we need a rehab center where there's just a eight-minute version of the Paul Harvey news. All of this news business is creating heart-attack situations.
I sat and pondered over it for a while.
In the mid-1970s, you basically had 30 minutes of local news and 30 minutes of national news, a brief eight minutes of Paul Harvey news via your radio, and a chance to read one of four regional newspapers. You might have had Time and Newsweek, or perhaps gone overboard with US News and World Report. Then from your front porch in Alabama, you would have engaged conversation on folks about something you read. The conversation might have gone on for ten minutes, and then the other guy would have chatted on some church revival. The stress level of a guy over this type of news and conversation? On a scale of one to ten....it barely ever arose above a 'three'.
Today? You could watch four different morning pieces of local news....then get three hours of C*PAN. Then you'd go to CNN, Fox or MSNBC for four hours of news. Then read through not only the local newspaper, but had access to the London Telegraph, the NY Times, and some Texas business journal. By 10 PM, you probably have poured over 700 bits of news. The stress level? Some folks might be able to limit the intake and still have a 'six' for stress, but I would imagine some folks are moving along with a 'ten' (maxing out).
The question is.....how would you throttle back?
In some way, we need a rehab center where there's just a eight-minute version of the Paul Harvey news. All of this news business is creating heart-attack situations.
Saturday 9 June 2018
The Strategy of Hauling Hay
My brother has brought up the topic today. He intends to be 'hauling'.
High for today? 93 degrees. Humidity? Roughly 90-percent.
As a kid, there were a list of farm job which were on some miserability listing. Hauling hay for me....was about a 95 on a list going up to 100. Maybe if you'd hauled in April or October.....you wouldn't feel so bad about.
The amount liquid replenishment? You could easily go through a gallon of water in four hours.
There were four key elements to work of the day:
1. Stacking on the truck or trailer in a way that it would be stable for five levels. Everyone has a particular method. And the worst pain was to have it up to four levels and the truck hitting some groundhog hole and tossing the load and the two guys off the truck. The guy on the tractor or driving the truck? You wanted this person to be absolutely 'slow' in turns and never stopping.
2. Timing this between rainstorms. You were basically looking for a seven day period where you could cut the hay....have it dry out enough.....then haul it. The doppler image was surveyed hour by hour.
3. Backing a trailer with a tractor into a tight barn area to be unloaded. With very little to see, this would eat up fifteen minutes of attempts.
4. Finally, came the worry of the lightning storm. Nine times out of ten....you could get this done and no rain. But on that 10-percent situation....you were basically observing dark clouds off in the distance and estimating that you had a 90-minute window before it arrived. This pressured you into doing stupid things and doubling up the odds of a screw-up.
Oddly enough....about two years after I left the farm....my dad went to round-bales. The trauma and adventure? Gone. In recent years, for some odd reason....the square bales have returned in some ways and folks seem to desire the suffering side of hauling hay. Guys sit around the general store and talk over the differing strategies of round versus square. Each gives a scientific view and personal suffering from square bail years (usually having fall 20 feet from the back of a truck).
At the end of the day....you walked back into an air conditioned house....then took a shower to wash off the sweat, and you emerged ready for a catfish dinner somewhere. That was the only positive moment of the whole day, in my humble opinion.
High for today? 93 degrees. Humidity? Roughly 90-percent.
As a kid, there were a list of farm job which were on some miserability listing. Hauling hay for me....was about a 95 on a list going up to 100. Maybe if you'd hauled in April or October.....you wouldn't feel so bad about.
The amount liquid replenishment? You could easily go through a gallon of water in four hours.
There were four key elements to work of the day:
1. Stacking on the truck or trailer in a way that it would be stable for five levels. Everyone has a particular method. And the worst pain was to have it up to four levels and the truck hitting some groundhog hole and tossing the load and the two guys off the truck. The guy on the tractor or driving the truck? You wanted this person to be absolutely 'slow' in turns and never stopping.
2. Timing this between rainstorms. You were basically looking for a seven day period where you could cut the hay....have it dry out enough.....then haul it. The doppler image was surveyed hour by hour.
3. Backing a trailer with a tractor into a tight barn area to be unloaded. With very little to see, this would eat up fifteen minutes of attempts.
4. Finally, came the worry of the lightning storm. Nine times out of ten....you could get this done and no rain. But on that 10-percent situation....you were basically observing dark clouds off in the distance and estimating that you had a 90-minute window before it arrived. This pressured you into doing stupid things and doubling up the odds of a screw-up.
Oddly enough....about two years after I left the farm....my dad went to round-bales. The trauma and adventure? Gone. In recent years, for some odd reason....the square bales have returned in some ways and folks seem to desire the suffering side of hauling hay. Guys sit around the general store and talk over the differing strategies of round versus square. Each gives a scientific view and personal suffering from square bail years (usually having fall 20 feet from the back of a truck).
At the end of the day....you walked back into an air conditioned house....then took a shower to wash off the sweat, and you emerged ready for a catfish dinner somewhere. That was the only positive moment of the whole day, in my humble opinion.
Thursday 7 June 2018
Ten Questions
Almost everyday, I sit and go through 250 stories via the internet, newspapers, news media sources, magazines, business channels, and networks. And I typically come to a series of ten-odd questions that fundamentally damage the whole process of news....because journalists just won't ask the questions, and you are left to wonder.
Today?
1. Is there really anything worthwhile to gain out of this weekends G7 meeting in Canada? You know....other than images....fake chatter....hyped-up bits of nothing....is there anything worth the fantastic cost of running this fake gimmick?
2. Did the Canadians set the White House on fire in 1812? Well, the news media will say absolutely NO. Here's the thing that you have to ask. Where exactly did the Brits come from? Well....yeah....they basically came from Canada....across the border, and set the grounds on fire. Oddly enough (some say caused by God)....a magnificent storm occurred and rain put out the fire.
3. Is there anything left for Stormy Daniels to gain? No. In fact, job-wise, other than pole-dancing....there's not much of a career left.
4. Does anyone really care if NFL championship teams get invited to the White House? On a list of 500 things that might matter....most Americans would rate this near 2,555 on their list of important things to worry about.
5. Will anyone remember Paul Ryan after he leaves office and the House 'boss' job? Well....no.
6. Can the American general public even name the Chancellor of Germany (Merkel)? My humble guess is that less than 8-percent can name her. In fact....more can name the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, than the Chancellor of Germany.
7. There are 30,000 teachers in Illinois who make 6-figure salaries (100,000 or greater), which adds up to 3.7-billion dollars. When does the bubble burst? At some point, between five and ten years from now....massive financial failure will come....cuts will arrive...teachers will strike....and a whole year will disappear with kids unable to complete requirements.
8. Sports reports indicate that out-of-work Kaepernick (the knee-on-the-turf guy) intends to drag President Trump into his legal case against the NFL. Really? A subpoena? So you really want to bring the President in and let him say in some statement that he thinks your social justice gimmick is stupid, and when you try to play this game out....he'll lay down the public card and tell you that you aren't fighting some social justice 'war'....you were hired for a sport and apparently can't grasp who or what your customer is.
9. If the Democrats don't win big in the House this fall....what exactly is their strategy for 2020? Oh....well...yeah, there isn't one.
10. Are there any cuss words left, that CNN hasn't dramaticized?
Today?
1. Is there really anything worthwhile to gain out of this weekends G7 meeting in Canada? You know....other than images....fake chatter....hyped-up bits of nothing....is there anything worth the fantastic cost of running this fake gimmick?
2. Did the Canadians set the White House on fire in 1812? Well, the news media will say absolutely NO. Here's the thing that you have to ask. Where exactly did the Brits come from? Well....yeah....they basically came from Canada....across the border, and set the grounds on fire. Oddly enough (some say caused by God)....a magnificent storm occurred and rain put out the fire.
3. Is there anything left for Stormy Daniels to gain? No. In fact, job-wise, other than pole-dancing....there's not much of a career left.
4. Does anyone really care if NFL championship teams get invited to the White House? On a list of 500 things that might matter....most Americans would rate this near 2,555 on their list of important things to worry about.
5. Will anyone remember Paul Ryan after he leaves office and the House 'boss' job? Well....no.
6. Can the American general public even name the Chancellor of Germany (Merkel)? My humble guess is that less than 8-percent can name her. In fact....more can name the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, than the Chancellor of Germany.
7. There are 30,000 teachers in Illinois who make 6-figure salaries (100,000 or greater), which adds up to 3.7-billion dollars. When does the bubble burst? At some point, between five and ten years from now....massive financial failure will come....cuts will arrive...teachers will strike....and a whole year will disappear with kids unable to complete requirements.
8. Sports reports indicate that out-of-work Kaepernick (the knee-on-the-turf guy) intends to drag President Trump into his legal case against the NFL. Really? A subpoena? So you really want to bring the President in and let him say in some statement that he thinks your social justice gimmick is stupid, and when you try to play this game out....he'll lay down the public card and tell you that you aren't fighting some social justice 'war'....you were hired for a sport and apparently can't grasp who or what your customer is.
9. If the Democrats don't win big in the House this fall....what exactly is their strategy for 2020? Oh....well...yeah, there isn't one.
10. Are there any cuss words left, that CNN hasn't dramaticized?
Saturday 2 June 2018
The 4.8 Percent Story
It's a small note but kinda interesting....GDP forecast now for 2018? 4.8-percent.
The last time that this number was exceeded? 1984. You remember that period....Alf, Reagan, etc.
Oh, we did come close in 2000 (4.6-percent) and 4.5-percent in both 1997/1998).
And that period with Bush and Obama? Mostly around 2-percent. The year that Obama worked up the Iran nuke deal and release of the money....well, we did bump up to 2.9-percent.
What if we match or exceed 4.8-percent in 2019? More jobs.....more black kids hired up....more folks paying taxes....more folks happy with life.
The last time that this number was exceeded? 1984. You remember that period....Alf, Reagan, etc.
Oh, we did come close in 2000 (4.6-percent) and 4.5-percent in both 1997/1998).
And that period with Bush and Obama? Mostly around 2-percent. The year that Obama worked up the Iran nuke deal and release of the money....well, we did bump up to 2.9-percent.
What if we match or exceed 4.8-percent in 2019? More jobs.....more black kids hired up....more folks paying taxes....more folks happy with life.
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