Saturday, November 11, 2017

A Few Thoughts On Veteran's Day

Good Day World!

Today many Americans will honor veterans for their service.
And, rightly so.

Anyone who gives up years of their life to serve our country should be recognized for that selfless act. 

Not everyone in our military went voluntarily. Once there was a draft. The new all volunteer military needs more volunteers, or we may see that draft again.

Regardless of why men and women went into the military over the years, if they served honorably they deserve the benefits they get in civilian life.

This country does love it's veterans.

Sometimes it doesn't seem that way with all of the glitches the Veterans Administration has. Even so, imagine if there weren't any benefits and pensions when veterans left the service?

This country isn't perfect, and I know there's too many homeless veterans wandering around not getting help.

I'm a combat Vietnam veteran with PTSD. I wouldn't be alive right now if not for the help I got from the VA and my wonderful wife.

Life is a challenge for us all. As a veteran, I'm thanking all the people in my life and those strangers who support veterans. We couldn't do it without you!

Time for me to walk on down the road... 






Friday, November 10, 2017

The 'Death' of Obamacare Has been Highly Exaggerated

Good Day World!

Mark Twain once texted a cable from London to America and said, "the reports of my death have been highly exaggerated," after his obituary had been mistakenly published in an American newspaper.

Which leads me to Trump's exaggerated claim that Obamacare is dead.

Despite doing his best to dismantle Obamacare, Trump has failed to repeal or replace it. In one of his blustering mindless tweets he claimed everyone hated it.

I suppose that's why there was a record 600,000 Americans who signed up for Obamacare in the first four days when enrollment opened. 

All the efforts to sabotage the health care system, like cutting back on the enrollment period from 60 to 45 days, are open defiance against the law of the land.

But Trump hasn't seen a law he'll follow if he doesn't like it.

Not funding insurance subsidies was another trick Trump pulled. He's given Congress a timeline that they can't possibly meet, to come up with new legislation to address the deficit he's causing.

Even if they did miraculously pass something, Trump won't sign it. His goal is to erase President Obama's legacy. By now we know he'll go to his little bag of dirty tricks and bullying to achieve it.

Oh yeah! It doesn't matter how many millions - including his own supporters - of people who will lose health care if Trump succeeds in his goal.

It is, after all, all about Trump. He's made that clear with the "I'm the only one who matters speech," recently. 

Here's the good news. People are signing up for Obamacare today in spite of Trump's best efforts.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Why I Don't Mind 'Eating Crow' This Time

Good Day World!

Generally when I'm wrong about something, I grudgingly admit it.

Grudgingly being the operative word.

Today, I'm happily reporting that my predictions for the two key gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, were wrong. Flat-out wrong.

I wrote a post a couple of days ago (see column on right side of recent posts) bemoaning how fractured the Democratic party is (and I still stand by some of that post). I didn't think they could win an election for dog catcher in Puerto Rico.

My takeaway from Phil Murphy and Ralph Northam's victories is Trump's influence appears to be waning among voters.

By simply fielding the only two sane candidates in the races the Democrats scored strategy wins.

Maybe it's not going to be as hard as I thought in the 2018 elections. By this time next year Trump may not have half of his core (crazed minions) left. 

Trump may have to step down before that happens. Okay, I'm dreaming here. 

If Trump and his spineless supporters in Congress don't pass any major legislation by then, I predict a massive GOP defeat at the polls next November.

That's even with the gerrymandering factor that the GOP brings into play. There was a great Democratic voter turn-out in these two important elections.

That's what it'll take to win further elections. That and going back to the party's grass roots foundation of helping everyone have a shot at the American Dream.

Oh yeah! Having a sane candidate will count for something!

The Dems have a long way to go when it comes to dynamic leadership, but hopefully they'll come up with some in the next year.

Time for me to walk on down the road... 

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

The Great White Dope: 'I'm The Only One Who Matters'

Good Day World!

Hey! What happened? 

I thought America came first?

Isn't that what America's Great White Dope was preaching throughout his campaign, and now during his presidency?

It sure doesn't sound like that to me. He recently told reporters, "My attitude is the only one that matters," when it comes to dealing with North Korea.

Fox News recently hired a new Trump minion, Laura Ingraham, who recently asked Trump when he planned to fill appointments at the State department?

Here's what he said:

"Let me tell you, the one that matters is me. I'm the only one that matters, because when it comes to it, that's what the policy is going to be."

I think that's pretty clear. Democracy shudders every time Trump speaks, or tweets. 

Trump may actually believe he has the unilateral power to lift any regulation he wants to, and he unquestionably wishes that were true.

If it wasn't for the checks and balances in our government, Trump would have already achieved his dream of being a dictator, and openly hobnobbing around with his hero Putin.

To sum up our Liar-In-Chief, he has no respect for the laws of the land. He's doing his best to insert far right lunatics and cronies into key government positions.

His pretense of representing struggling middle class Americans in the hinterlands, has dropped and now he's busy taking away people's health care, and putting together a Tax bill that will benefit the wealthiest of Americans.

There's only one thing that has been consistent in Trump's life; that's his love for himself.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Americans Can't Live Without Guns, Even Though Gun Deaths Are Increasing

Good Day World!

Just because there's been two massacres using guns in the last 35 days, don't think that's going to move the cowards in Congressman to enact any gun laws.

It was too soon to take about gun laws after the Las Vegas massacre according to the spineless legislators and Trump.

Before anyone even said anything about gun control after the church shooting massacre in Texas, Trump was doing the NRA's job and calling for more help for mentally ill people.

That doesn't help the fact that when the Air Force dishonorably discharged the Texas shooter for assaulting his wife and child, they didn't call civilian authorities and make sure he was put on a no-gun buy list.

When a man walked into a Colorado Walmart and killed three people recently there were several people in the store packing weapons. They pulled them out when they heard gunfire.

Not one of them shot at the shooter, who just calmly walked out the front door. Then, when the police got there the investigation was hampered by the fact the police had to spend time checking out all the gun-toting shoppers. 

Meanwhile the shooter drove away.

Please note this you ass-holes that keep saying the only thing that can stop a bad guy, is a good guy with a gun. Obviously that's bullshit.

Things are just getting worse as the mental cripples in Congress continue to crawl for the NRA lobby. 

The U.S. rate for gun deaths has increased for the second straight year, following 15 years of no real change, a government report shows.

Overall, there were more than 38,000 gun deaths last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Legislators aren't kicking the can down the street, they picked it up and put it in the trash heap while Americans are dying in record numbers.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Monday, November 6, 2017

Democratic Party Unity Is Nothing More Than a Liberal Wet Dream

Good Day World!

News alert...

The Democratic Party stands a good chance of not even winning one of the eight state elections being held tomorrow.
I sure hope I'm wrong, however.

My concern is the Dems have no core message. Hating Trump is not going to get them votes. Pretending their unified is a farce everyone can see through.

Watching the latest fireworks in the Democratic Party after former Party Chairman, Donna Brazile, accused the Clinton campaign of collusion with the DNC, reinforced how rudderless the party is. 

That was like tearing off a scab for the Bernie Sanders supporters who are still feeling like he was robbed by the DNC's corrupt politics.

Tom Perez, current DNC party chairman, is living in a bubble when he claims the Dems are appealing to populist voters who want jobs and better working conditions.

It's just the opposite. In reality, the Dems have no strong leaders sending out a core message of unity and progressive agendas.

The Republicans have gotten a lot of negative press, and rightly so, about being a fractured party. Especially since they're in power and haven't passed any major legislation.

But the Democrats haven't begun to take advantage of the "do-nothing" Congress or a nationally unpopular president.

It's like watching a close baseball game. The team behind by one run in the 9th inning strands two men on base after three strikeouts.

As long as there's a "Berniecrat" and Clinton wing in the DNC, the Democratic Party will flounder around in it's own shit.

The Republicans,even though they're divided, are still in the "cat bird" seat.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Sunday, November 5, 2017

Who Cares If There's Less News and More Trash in the Media?


                                     Good Day World!


Who cares if Sarah Hyland's character on Modern Family is bisexual? 

Who cares if a mother goes from size 22 to 2 to inspire her daughter?

Who cares if Luke revisits the Millennium Falcon in a Star Wars ad?

Who cares if when Pope Francis prays he sometimes falls asleep?

Someone must, or the media wouldn't run these stupid stories. That, or they're just page fillers designed for millennials whose famous lack of focus and love of graphics is well known.

It's bad enough that we are in the age of fake stories, but watching the growing emergence of nonsensical stories in the mainstream media that should only be run in rags like The National Inquirer, is like witnessing the execution of good journalism.

I don't go to The Washington Post political section to read about what Oprah Winfrey's latest good deed was. Yet, there it is, sharing stories like, Republicans manage to make the tax code more complicated.

The publishers answer to the decline in readership in newspapers is to run less actual news stories, and more pablum for the masses.

I guess retired old newspapermen, like myself, are the only one's who give a damn these days. It's not easy watching an American institution sink into the swamp without a whimper.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Universal Music Power

In a delightful description of the power of music William Congreve wrote "Music hath charms to sooth a savage beast..." in his 16...