trump

It’s Been A Bad Year…Thanks, Mr. Wright!

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2025 has not been kind. Yet. It might be though, right? Eventually?

It began well with a great lead in from December: hip replacement surgery ended years of pain, cancer is in remission, and AMD is stopped in its tracks. Great end to 2024 and lead in to “The Next Year.”

Hip recovery went swimmingly but New York’s 2025 weather prohibited a normal “scale-up” of activities. Venturing into winter weather with a new hip was compounded by the worst winter weather in upstate NY in 60 years. Outdoor recreational mobility/recovery was DENIED, even as the maintenance gurus of the apartment complex–the salters, shovelers, skid-steer operators who, bless their hearts—did yeoman’s work scraping out a few minutes a day for safe walking. What exactly is a “yeoman”? Be right back.

Yeoman: “a man holding and cultivating a small, landed, estate” among other things listed in the Oxford Dictionary.  Lots more, too.

Shortened story: stuck inside for months with a good hip and nowhere to go. But I did find an antidote to the malaise 2025 is intent on dropping me into: The wise words of Dr. Steven Wright. (I awarded him an honorary degree.) Dr. Wright told me through the printed collection of his sayings “Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.”

Hm.

Then Trump took office. I made a new year’s resolution not to write about him, but he does so much…how did he get elected? Maybe, per the good doc, “The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese”.  Think about it…

Dr. Wright: “Half the people you know are below average.” What? And an explanation: “82.47% of statistics are made up on the spot.” A concisely contemporary, pure propagation of punditry.

It’s concerning to me that our current political shenanigans don’t make me laugh, anymore. There must have been a very sad, recent shift in my attitude towards our political class. Un-humorous worry is a constant companion. Dr. Wright, help please?

““My mechanic told me, “I can’t repair you brakes so I made your horn louder.”” Note: Double quotation marks are grammatical, not ironic.

Perfect.

As a sidebar, he reminded me: “The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.”

Dr. Wright also helped me understand most of our current politicians, and how they can live with themselves: “A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.”

And for all of loyal, fanatical, know—it—all online Demoncrats and Repugnicans, “A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.”

No more politics. Back to me. New advice?

“The sooner you fall behind, the more time you have to catch up”, he offers.

Okay. I’m better. You?

Remember this, too, “Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.”

And if any of this did not make your day better, here’s consolation in Dr. Wright’s words: “If at first you don’t succeed, destroy all evidence you tried.”

Full disclosure: Steven Wright is not really a doctor, but he should play one on TV.

Next posting we will attempt to answer the age-old Wright question: “What is the speed of dark?”

Contributions and comments welcomed.

A Big Sigh For Something

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It’s been a while. Winter doldrums? Probably. That’s what I’m telling everyone. It’s been so long since snow and cold affected my mood. (Note: I spent a few minutes looking up if the winter weather “effected” me or “affected” me. Learn something new every day. Freshly fallen snow is a beautiful thing unless it won’t go away and more falls the next day, and states of emergency are called for and no one can go ANYWHERE AND NO ONE CAN DO ANYTHING AND YOU HAVE TO JUST SIT THERE IN The Chair and wait…

Sorry. There is only so much (or so many feet) a person can handle…

Now that that** is off my chest, maybe it wasn’t all the snowflake’s fault. When confronted with the need to entertain yourself, there is only so much philosophy you can knead before your mind wanders back into the real world. The Real Trump World. Actually, it might not be Trump’s world which is really bothering me. It’s The Billionaires’ World.  There’s the problem. Often wonder what you would do if you had enough money to do anything you want? And do it over and over again? Elon’s 14 “reported” kids show what he is interested in when not designing cars, spaceships, satellites, and our government’s destruction. But what would YOU do?       

Really. How did we get to a place where nothing has value since we have enough to pay the cost of anything. Is there anything money can’t buy, these days?

Of all the shortcomings made obvious by mankind’s history, the ability to be callous and indifferent to a poorer, weaker population is the most egregious, the most revealing of basic human nature. The amount of money estimated to raise every United States Citizen out of poverty (for one year) is about $175 billion. I have trouble with a figure so easily obtained, but let’s use it for now. If $175 billion dollars is doled out to raise the income of everyone under the poverty line to make their income go over the poverty line, it would take $175 billion. AI on google says Musk is estimated to be worth $433 billion. At the end of 2024. The Richest Man In The World.

If (not when) I were worth $433 billion, I’d try the experiment of giving away $175 billion to poor people and see what happens. Keep in mind Mush (sic. It’s a cute typo so it stays.) would still have $258 billion left to play…anything he wants. Or do it again, next year.

As for me, with my remaining $258 billion (yes, I am repeating it as often as possible), I’d build a big dome over my apartment complex and have my building be the only building in upstate New York not needing a snow plow. We’d have restaurants, gyms, pools, and…

Largesse and Noblis Oblige. Don’t read, here, anymore. Google those two terms. Homework.

A second contribution to the mood so dark I’ve named it “The Other Side of The Moon”, is how hard it is to understand people on the right. MAGAns are working tirelessly to make their brave, new world sound like a nice place to live, like the world is “just the way they want it”, and “Trump is doing exactly what he said he’d do.” Perfection. These are neighbors. Old friends. Fellow citizens who—for some reason—cannot fathom the destruction TRUSK (copywrite pending) is causing to the world, the country, to states, to cities, to towns, and to people who only wanted to have a good job for the rest of their lives. Federal workers are NOT Deep State Moles and conspirators. Really, they are not.

Aw, screw it. Daylight Savings Time is coming Sunday. Spring. Hope. Rebirth.

But, of what?

** Double that’s. My work here is done.

Trump, no more

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Yep, it’s true. These are the last, few sentences I’ll write about Felon47. It isn’t because he’s stopped lying, whining, and doing bad things, but everyone is starting to take notice. Finally. You’ll hear all about it in the coming months. My words aren’t needed, anymore.

So…what do we talk about, now?

My little town in upstate New York was thrust into the “Lake Effect Snowbelt” these past few weeks. It is a phenomenon unique to the states east of The Great Lakes (google them). Cold winds coming from the west, northwest flow over the still warm lakes and suck up huge amounts of water, which gets deposited over land as the wind sweeps off last lake. It doesn’t get deposited as water, but as snow. It snows so much and for so long it’s hard to believe each snowflake is different. AI says each flake is different because “each snowflake follows a different path through the air, experiencing different conditions.” I call bull$%^& and need to see some proof: they all look the same when you’re shoveling.

Historically, the Lake Effect drops snow bombs farther north of my city, dumping as much as 30 feet of snow, annually, on small towns and farms whose denizens are veterans of the flaky onslaught. They relish it. Local parking lots are not filled with cars but snowmobiles. The Tug Hill Plateau region holds the (unofficial) New York State record of 77 inches of snowfall in 24 hours. Each flake unique, beautiful, and fragile. Right. How many unique flakes in 77 inches spread over acres and acres? Bull%$#@. Imagine someone looking at each flake…

How many flakes? I finally understand the concept of “infinity”.

The last two weeks a wind shift has pushed the lake effect south…to me… and I’ve been in The Chair watching it from the warmth and comfort of my second-floor apartment. (And sharing it with my friends in the south, garnering immense pity.) Most days there has been some form of legal restriction on travel: states of emergency, weather advisories, warnings, and often things are just closed so there is no reason to venture out. But some do, with hilarious consequence. Maybe they’re checking the uniqueness of flakes? Or just like to move snow around.

As noted in an earlier “complaint” about snowfall in upstate New York, humans are the best entertainment in bad conditions. We are fun to watch.

The complex I live in has a sense of humor, too. Imagine trying to clear a parking lot full of snow when the parking lot is full of cars. And the snow never stops. Management tried to get us to move our cars in concert during the first snow blast last month. About 50 per cent of us did, which you can imagine, made it worse. So when the next management notice came about moving cars to clear an area no one moved. Now that’s progress.

It’s the end of February so the big lake effect snows may be over, but after a strange, 10 months of unusual weather highlighted by a rare summer tornado and rare lake effect snow, it can only mean I owe the lifetime residents an apology for moving here last April.

For more than that reason, I am truly sorry.

But: Spring is coming! And MAGAns are turning against…oops…almost said that name.

Is it Really what we’re told it is?

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Trump and DOGGIE(sic) seem inordinately concerned with staging events, showing off fraud and waste. Wonder why?

A recent event was Musk Trumpeting the Social Security Administration (SSA) has over 18,000 listed citizens over 110 years old. Several over 150 years old.

“Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting social security,” he joked, reports the New York Post and Fox News.

Huh. Must be a real, true fraud if Fox is repeating it, right?

First, the database Musk was displaying as proof of fraud, is a list of all SSA numbers ever given out. It is NOT a list of everyone receiving SSA benefits. And numbers are only removed when SSA gets a certified death certificate. SSA knew about missing death certificates in 2015, by the way, and still has not cleaned the data base after Obama, Trump, and Biden presidencies. See? Republican tax cuts and attempts to hinder SSA activities worked!

Second, Musk used the standard “no-news” trick of not actually SAYING they were receiving benefits, but “suggesting” and then joking about it. Neat, right? Great Public relations trick.

But why do they need to do it?

Insecurity is the driving force in the MAGA movement. They are worried about EVERYTHING and lies help them cope. Since there are so many lies from the Insecure-In-Chief, it has to be made apparent to the rest of us that the lies are not lies. (See The Big Election Lie and how hard MAGA worked to support it. Specifically, Google “2000 Mules” and its legal history for an education in how far you need to bend over to support a Big Lie.) Oval Office events, with pomp and a captive press corps, are the best ways to look truthful when you lie, so we’ll see more of them.

But, again, why? The 77 million who voted for Trump are 22% of the American Population. That means Conservatives are a minority of Americans. The 75 million who voted for Harris are 21% of the population, another minority. My long-stated belief is that America is 30% Conservative, 30% Liberal, and 40% Independent. Both of our political parties represent a minority of the population. Independents have historically skewed to a liberal bias in presidential elections, however. That bias led to conservative crying and hand-wringing after Obama won a second term conservatives were sure he would lose decisively. The conservative lack of message and backbone was noticed by Trump and he seized the opening to become the Messiah of The Right.

But conservative insecurity still existed and they saw conspiracy everywhere, cranking up Q-anon, and building the Modern Republican Party Grievance Machine (MRPGM).

Trump and the MRPGM leaned into the heavy message of insecurity, and its partner, mistrust. Both Trump and MRPGM realized a message filled with anger and resentment has a greater impact than truth. Fox News got on board and the rest is history.

But conservatives are still insecure. Why does every employee in American government who does not kiss Trump’s large buttocks have to be fired? Even kitchen table psychiatrists know why. Same with MAGA. Their talk is about A Great America, but building it involves destruction, chaos, and pain. A true American Carnage, as Trump called it in his First Term Inauguration speech. Why?

The old, white American Male is threatened. I have never understood why males are so frantically against homosexuality, for example. One can guess.

And same sex marriage hurts who? And transgender life? You’d think those people were carrying monkeypox. So much was made of NCAA sports, when the truth is 40, 40, athletes out of 500,000, 500,000 were “estimated” to be trans athletes. 0.008 percent. But what a story for MRPGM, Trump, and Fox. And Nancy Mace. Wonder if there are any transgender MAGAns? If there are 77 million MAGA voters, times 0.008 equals 616,000 transgender Republicans.

Few American presidents worked well with the opposition party. But most American presidents have done the best they could for ALL Americans, while staying as true as they could to their own party ideals.

Except Number 47. Chaos and uncertainty for all!

The rush to action is another bow to insecurity. MAGA needs to get a lot done before the midterms when people (may) come to their senses. If Trump was so sure of 2026 Republican re-elections, he and Musk would take things slower, thinks things out, and install their new regime in phases instead of firing people willy-nilly. (Google “willy-nilly” for a laugh.)

2025 is proof insecurity does not lead to good decisions. AI says: “Insecurity and fear are the culprits behind five of the most common workplace missteps and missed opportunities.”

That AI is so smart. Must have been the Chinese one.

Why MAGA gets a bad rap

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It’s hard for non-MAGA citizens to understand how MAGA citizens think. Here are some reasons why.

The new MAGA government bans Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, and strives for a “merit based” approach to hiring and promotions. So, Donald Trump’s daughter in-law becomes head of the Republican Party. Trump’s largest donor becomes Co-President Musk. A Fox News Host becomes Secretary Of Defense. All government departments and agencies are ordered to find and remove any employees who will not be favorable to Trump. And Trump fires anyone who did their jobs and investigated him. Who will be the replacements for these employees? Merit, my ass.

Trump was a Democrat until he realized his style was better suited to the whiny Republican Party. All establishment Republicans naturally took offense and whined about Trump as inexperienced, and ill-suited for the Presidency. Until he won. Then they got on the gravy train.

Trump felt he was going to lose in 2016, so he pre-emptively campaigned about election integrity as an excuse for losing. When he won with the electoral the college trick, he had no choice but to continue the election lie and set up a commission, The Presidential Advisory Committee on Election Integrity. It met for 11 months and disbanded with no report or findings. In 2020, Trump ran again, and resumed his claims of voter fraud, amplified to crescendo when he actually lost. In over 60 court cases looking for voter fraud, brought to court by Trump’s legal team, the courts found none. But it had now become “The Big Lie”, and its repetition led to the insurrection of January 6, 2021. In 2024, however, MAGA supporters brought Trump back for another election and Trump won. With very few reports or claims of election fraud. It’s a miracle, right? Must be they found all that invisible voter fraud. Oh, and no insurrection.

Co-President Musk and his DOGGIE (sic) unilaterally tear apart departments funding medical research. The Republican Senator from Alabama, a staunch Trump supporter, complains: her state is losing funding and now whines the cuts should be more discriminatory. The Co-President and President don’t respond. Or did they?

In the last 20 years, and more so in the last 12, MAGA and Trump attacked the “liberal bias” of Main/Lame Stream Media. Meanwhile, the media specifically set up to spread CONSERVATIVE bias is never mentioned. One bias is better than another? In fact, being a member of Faux News appears to be a sure-fire way to get a job in the new MAGA government. Merit?

Last, my most often repeated bugaboo: The Mandate. Trump brought it up in 2016 when he lost the general election. He loves to repeat it. America’s population was 341 million people as of December 30, 2024. 77 million of those citizens voted for Trump. Mandate? Another Big Lie. Less than one quarter (22%) of the population voted for Trump/MAGA. And nearly as many (75 million) voted AGAINST it. The message? Screw everyone but MAGA.

Last one: Why do MAGA and The Modern Republican Party complain so much? Trump has never made a positive, uplifting speech about ALL of America. It’s always doom, gloom, and Biden/Obama’s fault. Who wants to live with a man constantly complaining about others? MAGA does.

And don’t forget the “grab ‘em by the pussy” remark from 2016. It’s mentioned because it is exactly what Trump is doing to America.

America Great, Again? No. America Gone.

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In 2024, 77 million people voted for Trump. 75 million voted for Harris. 90 million did not vote. 2024 might have been the last chance for those 90 million to vote in a presidential election.

The long game of Trump and the Modern Republican Party (MRP) is to turn America into Russia, with Trump the New Putin and MRP members lining up–and butt kissing– to be Trump’s/Putin’s successor.

From the early 1800’s on, America’s Federal Government—our government–has been designed and built to protect the American Citizen. The normal, AVERAGE American citizen. It’s easy to see this defense in terms of war: The United States, for example saved the world during a war fought an foreign ground in the 1940s.

But the biggest government “wars” have been fought against American Businesses. Once America settled on Capitalism as our new religion, innovative intelligent entrepreneurs began to find ways to make money. Lots of money. Slavery was an important part of many entrepreneurs business plans. The “free” and “low-priced” labor of slaves, immigrants, and poor whites made many an American Businessman rich.

And the lack of regulation or rules benefited new American companies, as well. The leather industry, for example, dumped used tanning chemicals into the nearest river since there was no cost and the free water carried the chemicals away, to be someone else’s problem. The Acid rain of the 1970’s is a perfect example of unregulated pollution from a specific industry. (Young people, you’ll have to research that since I’ve little space, here.)

It became apparent to intelligent people unregulated commerce and industry was not beneficial for America—or it’s citizen–in the long run. The newly forming financial institutions needed to be monitored, as well, as most Americans were completely ignorant of loans, mortgages, and banking “stuff”. Think Henry Potter in “It’s A Wonderful Life.” (Again, google it.)

At the prodding of angry citizens, the Government of the United States proceeded to design and implement regulatory systems to protect the citizens from capitalist profit seeking. Regulations eventually banned slavery, 7-day work weeks, 20 hour work days, and other unfair labor practices. In addition, regulations enforced pollution controls to stop, for instance, a chemical plant from disposing of its waste in the clean rivers, lakes, and streams of America.

And the Government funded the armies, navies, and air forces to defend America.

It’s easy to see why the Capitalist Businesses of America began to see government as a “problem”, while the “Government” began to see Businesses as problem creators. A natural adversarial relationship developed and a “balance” blossomed, a symbiotic relationship between Government and Business lasting for hundreds of years. I’m not sure what “Make America Great Again” means but modern actions by Trump indicate MAGA wants to go back to the era of NO REGULATION. Republicans have historically been anti-government/probusiness in the last two centuries, so the sentiment is not new. Democrats assumed the roll of pro-government, understanding government regulations mainly benefitted the poor, average, and middle class sections of America as citizens needed a powerful entity to protect them against the rich, powerful businesses. The relationship has never been perfect, but it worked.

Until the last 20-30 years. When Republicans get political power, they dismantle regulations as fast as they can. Why? To increase business profits. And once a regulation is gone, it takes a convoluted process to get it back. The Reagan and both Bush Presidents were regulatory purge-fests, orchestrated and instituted within the framework of a constitutional government…mostly..

But now we have Trump. And two other problems.

  1. Fox News. In their zeal to be Number 1 in cable news in the 1990s, they broadcast their version of the truth. We now have two generations raised on Fox News.
  2. The Internet. In the days before the internet, a crazy conspiracy or nut-job character, were isolated to their region or community. Now, a flat earther in Iowa (no Offense) can connect with a flat earther in China. (again, no offense.)

If we mix in Trump’s ego, we end up with the volatile mix threatening our nation. Trump was born into money and has no concept of anything remotely “normal” about America. He is a billionaire with the usual hunger for more billions and regulations get in his way. His response is Shakespearean: “Out, out damn regulations.”

In our modern world millionaires grow on trees, and all the millionaires want to BE billionaires, so there is a large segment of American Business caring about nothing but profits.

Trump now sees the opportunity to dismantle the “regulatory state” and guarantee unfettered profit-seeking for all millionaires, billionaires, and soon to be trillionaires. Screw the environment. And screw the people.

Even worse, Trump is following the Putin Model (google it) for tearing down a democracy and setting himself up, Trump, to be America’s Putin. He is purging the remaining parts of the government of anyone who doesn’t support him, and if we let it happen, 2022 may be the last time we ever have free and fair elections.

America will finally be great, again?

PS Trump wants to dismantle the Education Department? A statement attributed to Thomas Jefferson explains why: “An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.”

Some Funny things from 2025. Too soon?

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Trump wants to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Cool, but why is he ignoring the state of New Mexico?

He also wants to rename Mt. Denali, and–you have to think– any other name he doesn’t like. Real important stuff is it, for you Trump supporters?

Jordan Klepper of The Daily Show accidentally cost Trump one supporter. Klepper was asking MAGA patriots if they believed in the pardons and they all said yes. One MAGA man said “They didn’t do anything wrong.” Klepper showed the man photos from J6 day. Guess what? The man had never seen them, and didn’t know there had been that kind of activity. Where did he get his news from? “Conservative sources”, the man said. That’s not funny.

Now is a good time to point out all the Modern Republican Party Grievance Machine’s (MRPGM) pious complaints about “bias” in the liberal media being hypocritical. Fox News–and others–were set up to specifically to give the news a conservative bias. And then they used their tag line: “Fair and Balanced” If you read this and have any brain, you see the only way Fox News consumers would get “Fair and Balanced” news is if they watched both Fox News and then the liberal biased Lame Street news organizations. Watching Fox alone is watching a “biased” News Organizations. Any conservatives, besides the man Klepper interviewed, ready to admit their bias? No? Ha, see, that’s funny. PS same goes for liberals, too. Not so funny, now, is it, Karen? You must watch at least one hour of Fox for “balance”.

Trump has a chance in this second term to do remarkable things. To even become the Greatest President Ever. Seriously. But he has reverted to the lapse of logic which failed him the first time and led to Joe Biden setting a record for Presidential votes in 2020. Trump doesn’t know math. In 2016 Trump ballyhooed his skinny Electoral College win into a “Mandate”, even though he lost the popular vote by over 3 million votes. “Mandate” in Trump World means “do what I want. It’s what the American people want.” Kellyanne was so good about reminding us all of “The Mandate.” Only in MAGA world do you get a mandate from a minority.

In 2024, now, Trump won only 49.7% of the votes cast. Nearly 70 million votes were cast for his opponent, and nearly 90 million “Voter Eligible Voters” never even voted. Mandate? Only if you don’t understand math. Or need to make yourself feel better. A mandate is determined by the voters, but not just who voted for the president, unless someone needs to justify some actions that the 170 million who did NOT vote for him might not like. In MAGA world who cares about the losers? We’ll see. Might be hilarious 2026 midterms.

In all presidential elections there have always been large groups of “Voter Eligible Voters” who do not participate. Some do register and do not vote, while some never even register. Why? My guess is a lot of voters who do vote are not casting votes FOR one candidate, but voting AGAINST another, but others just don’t want to waste their time. Funny, right?

The two party system is too blame and it might be time for a more “Parliamentary” type of election. Modern America has no place, anymore, for decent human beings who want to do what’s best for the country. The style of the day is do what you’re told. It’s why the Majority and Minority Leaders in the House and Senate, have helpers called “Whips.” That is really funny if you think about it.

There is no place for Independents. Imagine, if you will, that Biden or Trump or Obama or Bush wins the Presidency with 30% of the vote, forcing the new President to accept another party(s) in to the new government.

Might be funny. We’ll never know.

Resolutions? Ah, maybe…

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Time for New Years Resolutions. Look away. Do not read. At least, don’t remind me of this post next year.

  1. No more mention of Trump after January 1st. He’ll keep doing things but noone needs me to point it out. And if I need to talk about something Trumpy, I won’t use the T–word. Yes, I already have other names selected and ready to go.
  2. Watch what I eat/lose weight. First, who doesn’t? And second, no resolution list of mine for over 40 years has not included the word “weight”. It’s a ritual, now, and can’t be stopped. Knock on wood.
  3. No more shouting at other drivers. Might turn those moments into periods of quite contemplation and reflection. PS your laughter is not appreciated. Wait, what if I shouted encouragement?
  4. Less Pizza in the New Year. Which means I have to eat a lot these next few days. Yes!
  5. No more whining about getting old. Set the bar high on that one, but we’ll see.
  6. Will not replace left hip. This is medical humor since it already happened three weeks ago. Finally, a resolution I can keep!
  7. Will be better prepared for the winter of 2025. Local upstate NY winter snuck up on me after 20 years in the south. It won’t get me next year, dammit.
  8. I hereby vow to stop thinking 30 per cent of the US population is stupid, ignorant, or both. If you think about it, this is another guaranteed successful resolution. Unless you are…Hm. Am I part of that 30 percent? Nah…
  9. I resolve to no longer NOT believe in Santa. Grandkid’s questions getting harder and harder each year, so…damn internet.
  10. Will not disparage the Yankees. Or the Mets. Or the Giants. Or the Jets. Or Dr. Seuss. All hail the Bills!
  11. Lastly, I will give the medical establishment the benefit of the doubt. I promise to understand their “one size fits all” approach to medical issues works for a majority of the people and is not meant to punish those of us on either end of the Bell Curve. It will take time and research and conversation, but what else does an old, dying man have but time? Crap, scratch Number 5.

Resolutions can be fun, but at least should be introspective. If you don’t sit down and think about them, especially at this time of year…make a resolution to do it. Now.

As pointed out many times, life will go on whether you do or don’t and thinking about it helps much more than not thinking about it. Try it.

Christmas. Bah, humbug?

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The time of year, the day of the year, when we are supposed to love and care for someone other than ourselves has passed. A Facebook post (yes, I’m there once a week) says this is the time of year to not be wanting more, but be grateful for what we have.

Scrooge that.

A sad side effect of the Trump Era (oh, God, not him, again) is people have lost the ability to be grateful. As Mr. Trump points out almost every day, the modern world is a mess, America is a cesspool of crime and liberal degenerates, and almost any issue at any level of government or humanity, is worth his time and nuanced criticisms. Please, it is NOT Trump’s fault he is this way. It is his supporters who encourage him, making it so hard to enjoy even the most universally respected time of the year.

Letters to the editor (at least in my hometown) are being submitted by the tubful from writers of all stripes but it’s easy to identify MAGA authors: everything is wrong and we need to “FIGHT” for change. One of the key MAGA points, as headlined by the Modern Republican Party Grievance Machine (MRPGM), is the “flight”, the “exodus”, the abandonment of liberal cities and states. Rather than accept as fact this whine, I googled (US Census Bureau) population levels for each decade all the way back to 1970. Please google it to see for yourself, but population “transfer” has not only been cyclical, but racial. The entire Northeast Region has lost about 2 million residents per decade since 2000. But so has the Midwest Region. The South Region has gained the most, 26 million (Florida 6 million alone, with 4.5 million new residents identified as Latino). What do these figures mean?

Facts are no longer the currency in social conversation. Pronouncements are. I hate to pick on Trump but he makes it so easy. In a mid-December 2024 interview about his new presidency, Trump promised to “drill, baby, drill” for more oil and energy independence. He must not know America is already the leading supplier of crude oil to the world and the Oil People do not WANT to drill, baby drill, but keep supply–and profit/pricing–right where it is. In fact, Big Oils are merging with each other to take advantage of “super” profits. So who is “drill, baby, drill” meant for?

Trump is not the first (or only) politician (or news organization) to lead voters around by the nose, but his public and strident mis-truths have nurtured a whole generation of American Citizens who believe what the MRPGM says, without thinking or reasoning. I seldom meet a Trump supporter who, in debate, offers facts. They parrot the MRPGM.

The facts are ignored not only because they are so complex, but because segments of the American population now want to believe, want to trust, want to live with out question. Just tell me what to think.

The sad, complex, nuanced fact is all modern politicians are bad for us, bad for the average citizen. Politicians (rare exceptions who prove the rule excluded) are out for themselves. How else to explain a proposed pay raise for Congress in the latest “Government Shutdown Crisis” negotiations?

I’ve said many times, it isn’t that Trump or any politician is bad. We have to elect someone and we almost always have to choose the “least worst” candidate. But that doesn’t mean we should adore him or her, and believe every word out of their mouths.

The blind adoration for a politician was always a danger but it has reached new heights with Trump. Much like the McCarthy Era.

Let’s hope Trump doesn’t grab our country by the you-know-what (REf: Access Hollywood Tape), because that’s exactly what it looks like he’s intending to do.

Let’s start a third party, The Collectively Skeptical, and see what happens.

Repair and Recovery

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The removal of natural bone and replacing it with titanium made a vast improvement in my quality of life. The surgery inspired a reassessment of a past, the re-measure of the present, and realignment of goals for the future. Doesn’t that sound nifty?

Before anyone asks me to write a self-help book, it should be noted the biggest driver of the self-examination has been the “down time” associated with recovery. The operation removing years of pain came with a requirement to sit and not move, not do anything, really, for “several” weeks as the incision heals, bruised tissues return to their original color, and the therapeutic drugs work their magic preventing clots and excessive bleeding.

There’s nothing to do but reflect, and it’s been fun to sit in The Chair and watch and read and think.

But the world didn’t stop and wait for me to get better. The world didn’t know I was recovering. It went on without me, all the while shoving its onward motion in my face with news and stories I couldn’t help but read. Some scientists want to “inject” diamond dust into the atmosphere to reflect sunlight and lower the Earth’s temperature. Trump wants to take The Panama Canal Back and annex Greenland. An 81 year old politician not named Biden stopped legislating and entered a nursing home, or “memory center”, without telling anyone. Soto signed with the Mets for a salary higher than some countries GDP. Musk…well, Musk is busy being Musk, an easily distracted, bored, multi-billionaire who knows how to fix America. BTW, if he gave $3 Billion to each state to do with what they want, it might make a difference.

All in all, the month of December has been an example of how important we think we are, followed by the sharp, direct, reminder of how important we aren’t. Sprinkled in this life lesson is some exceptions. For example, how important is toilet paper? Don’t answer, but I now know the man who invented one of the most important things in EVERYONE’S life was Joseph Gayetty, in 1857. His “invention” was “sold in flat sheets watermarked with his name.” It was also medicated to prevent hemorrhoids. His contribution to life is celebrated every minute of every day all over the world, and I’ll bet no one knows his name. For some really good reading about how the cleaning of our butts has changed through the ages, google it. If you have time…like I do.

So is this essay a lament or what? A celebration? A reveal of anything most of us don’t know already?

It is nothing. It is simply a grown man, sitting in a recliner, with nothing to do but ponder.

James Thurber would be proud. (Google him, too.)