Yearly Archives: 2018

Trump’s 4 Loopholes

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This just in:  The guy who wrote Art of the Deal is a fraud.  Very few people dispute this nowadays.   Trump has yet to negotiate breakfast, much less some international trade deal.

And yet…he seems to be doing quite a bit when it comes ruining our country by nearly every measurable standard.

How can he be doing this…when he can’t negotiate his way out of a paper bag?

Loopholes.

These are legal means for accomplishing something when the normal route is blocked.

Let’s look at 4 of them.

The Executive Order: A rule or order issued by the president to an executive branch of the government and having the force of law.

Trump is signing 4.27 executive orders per month (Obama: 2.9/mos; Bush: 2.91/mos).  While most of his don’t get much notice, he is signing a lot of orders that open up the environment for exploitation along with some racism and islamophobia issues.  He seems to be using them to turn back Obama executive orders.

National Security.  The president can do just about anything if he claims it is a national security issue.  This is how he can impose tariffs when no economist in the world thinks it makes sound economic reasoning.  He is allowed to impose tariffs up to 25%.  So…Canada won’t give him free maple syrup so he claims “national security” and taxes their exports.

Pardons.  The president can pardon anyone he wants for whatever reason.  We often judge presidents by who they choose to bestoy this on.  Trump is threatening to pardon himself.  He’s been giving hints for months that anyone that stays loyal to him through the Mueller investigation may get a pardon.

Supreme Court Appointment.  Out of the entire country filled with qualified candidates, Trump’s pick for a Supreme Court position is a late entry.  Kavanaugh was added to Trump’s short list once it became clear that the Mueller probe was going to send Trump to jail for the rest of his life.  Why Kavanaugh?  This is a guy that has written that a president should not be bothered with legal proceedings against him while he is in office.   In short, Trump is trying to hire his own lawyer, one that will dismiss any charges the Mueller investigation may bring against him.

Now, there are those that will say, “These are not loopholes!  These are legal and every president uses them.”

I would agree.  But…let me give you an example of “abuse” vs. “use.”

In California, cars must stop for people in crosswalks.  This is intended to not kill people crossing the street.  However, I can stop traffic for a brief protest by walking out into the crosswalk and forcing cars to stop as I stand there holding up a sign.  This is an “abuse” of the crosswalk rule.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

My Ideal Candidate

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This just in:  Election season is officially here.  There is probably no single candidate that agrees with me on everything.  However, I thought I would put down those campaign issues that get my support…in order of priority.

Get money out of politics.  This is the root cause of nearly every problem in D.C.  Politicians are spending half their time raising money and, in the end, vote in accordance with what their largest donors want.  Jon Stewart, yesterday, said that politics is no longer about governing; its about getting re-elected.  I agree.

Education.  We are not even in the top 15 when looking at global achievement in all areas of basic education.  We have a system designed in the early 1900’s that was intended to crank out people that would work within the framework of the industrial revolution.  Now we are in the digital age.  We’ve been here for some time.  We need to innovate.  We need to look at countries that are doing it right and learn what we should do.  We need to make education available and affordable to everyone.  We need a system that allows our citizens to achieve the highest level to which they aspire.  We don’t need to do this because we are benevolent.  We need to do this so we can remain on the top of the hill.

Healthcare.  If you tell me we can’t get this done, you don’t get my vote.  Obamacare was a baby step but it was better than nothing.  Universal healthcare works.  My view is that we not only provide healthcare, but we fund research.  So long as companies can maximize their profits by “treating” rather than “curing”, that is what they will do.

Income Inequality.  There is an abundance of evidence that says “The greater the inequality, the greater the social strife.”  I don’t begrudge anyone’s ability to make a ton of money.  I don’t want “their” money because of some Atlas Shrugged plot line.  We need to redistribute income because it makes us a stronger country overall.  We need high speed transportation.  We need education.  We need healthcare.  We need innovation.  We need so much.  Instead, we funnel money to they very rich in hopes that they will maybe create a new job; perhaps we can mow their lawn.

Taxation.  We need to have a progressive tax system that funds our national needs.  Cutting taxes does not create long-term growth and raising taxes will not create long-term stagnation.  Trickle-down economics is a scam created by those that would take advantage of the intellectually lazy.  The rich need to pay much, much more.  Stuff is not free.

Civil Rights.  We should treat all people equally.  I don’t care about your religion.  I don’t care about the color of your skin.  I don’t care about your social status.  I don’t care about where you came from.  I don’t care about your level of education. I don’t care about your sexual orientation.  I care about the content of your character.  That’s it.

Climate Change.  This appears to be real.  I’m not a scientist so I rely on scientists to tell me what’s going on.  They are saying, “This is real.  This is man-made and this is a problem that is getting worse.”  We can not only address this, but we can do it in ways that are extremely economically beneficial.  Fighting climate change is not a burden; it’s an opportunity.

Then there are a ton of other issues: Corruption in politics.  Immigration.  Gun Control.  Worker benefits and minimum wage. Abortion/Choice.  The truth. The military.  International relations.   These are all important.

So, if you find a candidate that fits all of these, point them out.  Those are the people that I want to follow.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

 

 

 

Fried Chicken and Navy Football

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This just in:  I think I’ll try to stay away from politics today.  Trump and the Republican Party are so visibly inept that I don’t feel compelled to point that out in detail.

What’s really important was my dinner last night.

Trying to be helpful in the kitchen, I asked me wife, “Is there anything I can do?”

Before she answers, I’m already settling into my favorite chair to watch some television.

Surprisingly, she said, “Yes, you can start the chicken.”

I get up and lumber over to the counter where I find about 20 pieces of chicken.

My first thought is, “This woman really gets me.”  Then I start trying to get this all into a single frying pan.  I eventually succeed by standing pieces on end.  It’s not pretty but I’m going to eat like a king once this is all cooked.

So, the wife walks in and I hear, “Are you insane?!”

Surprised, I get back up from my throne and go in to take my punishment for whatever “kitchen crime” I may have committed.

Turns out, that chicken was supposed to last for the better part of a week.  She removed 16 of the 20 pieces and said, “We’ll have a salad with this and you will be fine.”

Now for some Navy football.

Yesterday, the Navy team beat last year’s AAC champion by a score of 22-21.  This is the Memphis team who scored 66 points the week before.

What is great about this is not how Navy managed to win the game.  What’s great is possibly only someone that went to the Naval Academy can understand.

These guy practice twice a day, like most college teams.  Last week they played in Hawaii in an evening game that was 6 time zones away.  It was like playing at midnight.  No big deal.

Here is the big deal…

When I went to the Academy, my first day of classes went like this…

Welcome to The History of Sea Power.  This 25lb book will cover the semester.  We will cover about 50 pages a day.  The first 50 were due today but since you just got the book, you now have to read 100 pages tonight.  There will probably be a test to make sure you studied.

Welcome to Chemistry.  Here are your two text books.  Each is meant to cover 1 year of Chemistry.  We will be completing both books this semester.  By the way, you are now 100 pages behind.  There will probably be a test to make sure you studied.

Welcome to Calculus.  You are behind.

Welcome to Thermodynamics….behind.

Welcome to Leadership…behind.

Welcome to Basic Programing…behind.

Attendance is mandatory for every single class.

Add 2 to 3 hours of sports a day to this scheduled.  Then add 3 formations a day.  Then add a few hours a week of watch (kind of like guard duty but really just standing and looking alert)

After the first 10 week grading period, I had 5 F’s and a D.  I had never studied in high school so you might say I was caught off guard.

This is what the football team returns to after practice.  In high school, they were their team captains with straight A’s.  At the academy…they are the norm.  In fact, when I went, I spent the first week thinking I was smarter than everyone else and then the next 4 years knowing they were all smarter than me.

Navy Football is the true home of Student Athletes.  Notice that “student” comes first.

There are other schools that hold their athletes to high standards as well.  I can’t speak to those.  I can only tell you that I would never have made it if I had the schedule that our football team has all year long.

If you watch a Navy football game this year, pick out a player and think…I bet that guy has an exam on Electrical Engineering on Monday morning.  You will probably be not to far off from being right.

Those guys will be the next generation to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

Movie Memories

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This just in:  As Trump continues to lie daily, he complains about fake news.  With an ongoing and decades old relationship with Russian mobs, Trump calls the Mueller investigation “illegal.”  And the world continues to turn.

This morning, for some reason, I was thinking back on movies that have stuck with me over the years.  Here are some of them.  I invite you to add some of your own.

I remember going to the Fox Theater in Bakersfield to watch The Sound of Music.  I loved it then and I still watch it from time to time.  I’ve had a crush on Julie Andrews ever since.

In high school, I watched Jaws with my best friend Kimmy.  It was at the Stockdale 6 theater.  I remember walking out knowing that I would never again step foot in the ocean.

When I was in college, I went into D.C. and watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I’d never seen anything like that; especially the audience participation.  If it rained in the movie, people would spray water into the air.  The got up to dance the Time Warp.  Anything that happened in the movie, happened in the aisles in real life.  It was surreal.

When The Terminator came out and was released on DVD, I was on a ship somewhere in the Indian Ocean.  We showed the movie on the ship.  I remember thinking “How come all movies can’t be as great as this?”

Around that same time, my friend, Mando, introduced me to Dr. Strangelove.  This was a movie that originally was meant to be a serious statement about nuclear war.  Stanley Kubrick, realizing that it was too real and too scary, decided to make it into a comedy.  It’s one of my very favorites.

I think the most fun I’ve ever had watching a movie was with Back to the Future.  I’m a big fan of Michael J. Fox.

Easily, the movie I have seen the most, and continue to watch whenever I can, is Groundhog Day.  Bill Murray at his very best.  I have probably seen this one at least 10 times.  I’m not sure why but this one never gets old.

And as for my very favorite movie…Well…that has to be One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest with Jack Nicholson.

These are not my only favorite movies.  I’m sure there are lots of movie memories rolling around in my mind fighting for their turn to rise to the top.  Movies like DeadPool or Fight Club are right up there.  I like them when they are bold and break from the standard fare (as Fight Club clearly does).

I like James Bond and Mission Impossible but they all become the same movie in my mind as time goes by.

Bring me something new and creative.  Sneak in bits of humor.  Don’t go for the cheap scare by jumping out and saying “Boo!”

So there you have it.  A peek into my entertainment psyche.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

Quotables

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This just in: Trump has gaslighted me to the point where he can threaten violence if you don’t vote like he wants you to…and I just don’t care.

So how about something else for a change…

“He who will not risk, cannot win.” – John Paul Jones

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer

“The amount of energy necessary to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it.” – Alberto Brandolini

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank

“Coincidences are God’s way of remaining anonymous.” – Albert Einstein

“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” – Winston Churchill

“Only the dead have seen the end of war.” – Plato

“The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping the old ones.” – John Maynard Keynes

“I’ve lived through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.” – Mark Twain

“Be the change that you want the world to see.” – Gandhi

“I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela

“The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.” – Vince Lombardi

“For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?” – Jesus

“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.” – Richard Feynman

“Grief is the price we pay for love.” Queen Elizabeth II

“The difference between genius and stupidity is: genius has its limits.” – Alexander Dumas

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.  We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

“If you wish to make a pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” – Carl Sagan

“You’re never too old to be young.” – Snow White

“Folks are usually about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” – Abraham Lincoln

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” – Anais Nin

“North Dakota is so flat you can watch your dog run away for two weeks.” – Anonymous

“Study the past if you would divine the future.” – Confucius

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” – Charles Schultz

“My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants.  We were strangers once, too.” – Obama

“In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life – It Goes On.” – Robert Frost

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” – Mark Twain

“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

“For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Feel free to send me some of your favorites.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

 

 

 

And the Walls…came tumbling down

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This just in:  I have to start with John McCain.  He was a great man.  I disagreed with him on a lot of issues but I always respected that disagreement.  I knew he was taking a position that he felt was right and what was best for the country and those that elected him to office.  He fought hard when he felt he was in the right and apologized when he felt he’d made a mistake.  My greatest sadness, however, is that he leaves no one behind to fill his shoes.

As for the latest in a long list of Trump failures…

Trump is now boasting about a trade agreement with Mexico.  I haven’t heard a lot about the details but it sounds like China has been somehow cut out of automobile manufacturing trade between us and Mexico.  I think I’m fine with that.  On the other hand, the Wall Street Journal says this deal may actually be worse than the original.  This is not hard to believe.  Recall that Trump wanted to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with the “Best Healthcare Ever”.  In the end, all he, and the Republican Party wanted to do was eliminate an achievement by the opposing party at the expense of the American People.

Also….

The deal maker that thought he might get the Nobel Peace Prize is watching an agreement with North Korea slip away.  In fact, it could be worse than before Trump touched it (Everything Trump Touches Dies).  We gave up an exercise with South Korea to get this deal rolling.  In the meantime, Russia and China are stepping in to support North Korea, belittling any “sanction” type efforts we may make to put pressure on Kim Jung Bowling Ball.

And as for the crumbling…

  1. Trump’s campaign manager is found guilty on 8 felony counts.
  2. Trump’s “fixer/lawyer” is found guilty on 8 felony counts and implicates Trump in one of them.
  3. Trump confesses to breaking campaign finance laws on Fox and doesn’t even know it.
  4. Trump family Chief Financial Officer has agreed to testify against Trump for immunity.
  5. National Enquirer owner has agreed to testify against Trump for immunity.  This is a biggie as this guy gets dirt on powerful people and then keeps it in a safe where he can use it later if needed.
  6. Trump Chief Political Advisor, Roger Stone, has agreed to testify against Trump for immunity.
  7. Trump’s son is in trouble for lying to Congress.
  8. Trump’s son-in-law was just fined for lying on documents related to real estate deals.
  9. New York is after Trump for financial misdealings with regards to his foundation.

And these are just the issues from the last 2 weeks.

But don’t forget.  Obama had scandals as well.  He once wore a brown suit.  That was Yuge!

I would bring up how Trump treated John McCain’s death but if you support Trump, I’m sure you found a way to make this okay in your mind.  Good for you.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

 

The Tip of the Iceburg

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This just in:  Yesterday, Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for Stormy Daniels, tweeted to Giuliani, “Buckle Up Buttercup.”  Basically, the ride has only just started to get good.

The “Trump Witch Hunt” handed in 16 more guilty felony counts yesterday; 8 from his long-time lawyer/fixer and 8 from his campaign manager.  Of these 16 felonies, only one really pointed at Trump.  Cohen said he violated campaign laws at the direction of a Republican presidential candidate in an effort to help that candidate’s campaign.

Small stuff, really.

Isn’t that strange?  The president is accused of being a co-conspirator to commit a felony crime and it’s really the least important and least illegal thing he has likely participated in for decades.

I predict Trump is going to face many, many more problems in the very near future.  I think he’ll be charged with money laundering, bank fraud, tax evasion and treason.

All of this illegal stuff, in my humble opinion, is really not why I dislike him so much.  I think he is a scumbag whose twisted personality is so foul it has reached out and affected the lives of every American.

He has made racism okay.  He’s set back civil rights and discourse back to the 1960’s.  He has damaged NATO which has been able to keep all of us safe for nearly 4 generations.  He’s aligned our country with the lowest of dictators and withdrawn our standing as the Moral Authority in the world.  He’s damaged international trade agreements that will lower the economic wellbeing of the entire world.  He’s actively worked to enable  exploitation of the planet; making it acceptable and even profitable.

And worst of all, he’s pulled back the curtain and exposed something I was in complete denial about – the fact that millions of Americans are completely okay with his behavior and even support it.  Nearly the entire Republican Party, that I was once a member of, has been exposed as enablers of Trump.  As he takes one swing after another at the world order pinata, Republicans gather around to scoop up their share of the ill-gotten candy that bleeds out.  So long as there is candy, they will help him do whatever he wants to do.

Why do I say this?  Watch the news today.  Count how few Republicans step forward to wash their hands of this clown.  Right now Fox News is talking about the 70 new jobs in Met Coal (used to make steel) in PA.  This coal mine has nothing to do with Trump but Fox acts like he just saved the world…while failing to notice Cohen or Manafort.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

 

The Great Moderation

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This just in:  Among Trump’s many, many problems, the fact that he is an uneducated child is one of the biggest.

I suspect that a lot of presidents have not been good at economics.  I don’t know this for a fact because they could appear knowledgeable by leaning on the expertise of others.

Trump has shrugged off this idea.  “He speaks his mind” is somehow seen as a strength even if what he says is babble.

For example, trade agreements are often seen as a good deal.  Sure, there is some give and take but in the end, we lock in a trading partner instead of losing them to say…China.  Trump, doesn’t agree with this.  He thinks agreements need to be one-sided where he gets all of the gains and the other gets the “privilege” of trading with us.  He is alone in this as country after country turns away from us in search of other partners.

Another example is the Executive use of tariffs.  Tariffs are a tax on ourselves.  Because Trump is trying to bully China or Canada or the EU, we will pay much more for products from those countries.  He’s pretending that if we make Chinese steel more expensive, we will buy steel from the United States.  It’s as if he thinks there are steel mills that are currently idle and just waiting for prices to change in their favor.  Of course, this is pure nonsense.  But, there is a “being a bully” component that seems to give Trump a woodie.

Now he is picking on the Fed.  To talk about this, I need to clarify a couple of terms.

Fiscal Policy is that policy that covers government expenditures. The government can choose to put more money into the economy, or take it out, based on what they want to do.  A tax cut is a fiscal policy.  It puts more money into the economy and thus stokes the fires of growth.

Monetary Policy is controlled by the Federal Reserve.  This is the policy of raising and lowering interest rates to control how much money is in the economy.  The Fed acts to “cool down” an overheated economy or to keep inflation in check.

From the late 1980’s to the mid-2000’s, the U.S. economy didn’t experience huge swings between growth and recession.  This period, known as the Great Moderation, is in large part due to the active role the Federal Reserve played using Monetary Policy.  They raised interest rates when inflation started to rise and they lowered interest rates if a recession started to look likely.

The tax break is causing inflation.  The Fed is controlling this inflation by raising the interest rates.  Higher interest rates increase savings and decreases borrowing and thus…takes money out of the economy.  Money is more scarce so it is more valuable therefore, the buying power of a dollar is greater and thus…inflation is stopped.

Now, if you read and understand everything I just wrote, you know ten times more about economics than Trump.

Today, Trump is trying to pick a fight with the Fed.  This is like a beaver arguing with NASA about the design of a rocket.

Vote in 2018.  Pick a candidate that knows how to use the talent around him or her to make sound choices.  Or, vote Republican and support the uneducated child that is running our country.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

Hodgepodge

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This just in:  I woke up this morning…inspired and yet mired.  There is just so much I want to get on the table that I find myself lacking direction.  So, I’ll throw stuff out there in no particular order.

Let’s start with a video of me doing my morning exercise…

Now a couple of political points…

Trump cancelled the security clearance of former CIA director Brennan.  Now, Brennan doesn’t need this clearance but the rationale is what concerns me.  Trump is doing this because Brennan is a political enemy.  Trump also listed several others that he was threatening.  In short, Trump is using his position to attack those that speak out against him.  What’s next?  IRS audits if you speak out against him?

A Republican Congressman this morning criticised Trump’s tariffs and the Brennan issue.  He then went on to say how happy he was about the great economy and rise in wages caused by the tax cut.  So, when it comes to something he had a hand in…nothing but good news…except the tax cut is doing nothing for wages.

For some reason, Trump calling Omarosa a “Dog” is still bothering me.  If my neighbor referred to anyone that way, I’d be disappointed in that person.  For the president to do this, knowing he is under fire for being a misogynistic racist shows a complete lack of understanding his place in the world.

Trump’s need to strike back at anyone that opposes him (instead of doing his job) reminds me of this…

And finally, I like good news and I like Reddit.  Here is a subreddit called “good news.”  People go here to post news that is actually good.  Check it out.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

 

 

 

 

 

 

A world without Trump

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This just in:  Trump just posted a tweet calling a black woman, “A dog.”

I’m sorry, but if you are okay with this…then I’m just going to walk away.  I’m not going to try and change your mind.  I’ll leave you to yourself.

And when I turn away…what do I find?

 
Time to save the world.
Up, up and away…
Jim