May God save us, said the agnostic…
Ten Commandments for Politicians – Revisited
Ten Commandments for Politicians
Nearly a dozen years I started working on a ten commands for politicians. At that time I came up seven, and I had hoped someone would have helped me round the list out. But I am truly “The Little Known Blogger”. So now I am revisiting that list, especially in light of the corrupt administration driving this nation into 3rd world status.
- First, do ye no harm
- The majority rules, not the dollars
- Ye live in a glass house, act accordingly
- Thou shall avoid in all ways the trough of the lobbyist
- If it looks like pork, if it oinks like pork, if it sizzles like pork, vote ye not on it
- Remember ye that Squealor was not right, “All animals ARE equal, but some and no animals are more equal than others.” This includes politicians, government officials, politically connected business people, and wealthy donors.
- Usufruct – Remember ye that we are but Stewards for those that come after us, as those who came before were Stewards for us.
- Take ye responsibility for thine actions, good or bad. Acknowledge thy mistakes, and better yet, learn from thy mistakes.
- Govern ye by facts, not dogma or “gut instincts”.
- Be thou a leader for all the people, not just thy party or thy supporters. There is but one life boat. We all need to be rowing together.
Coronavirus, are we overreacting?
I worked in Information Technology for 30 years. I was actually on call December 31, 1999. Remember Y2K? Lots of folks felt like there had been a tremendous overreaction to this potential problem. What most people did not see was the 3 years before the change from 1999 to 2000. There was an immense amount of work that went on changing the date routines of uncountable computer programs on mainframe systems. This is when Indian programmers first started coming to this country in large numbers, to work on the Y2K issue. The work was done, and there were very few glitches across the computer world. People then had the luxury of making fun of the whole Y2K phenomenon.
What I am trying to figure out is, are we overreacting to the coronavirus pandemic? The truth is we will not really know until Continue reading “Coronavirus, are we overreacting?”
“The Day Democracy Died” Sung by The Founding Fathers
Religious Folks and Donald J. Trump
I am going to preface this article by saying I truly want to know that the answer is.
It is something I have pondered on, and I have a few theories. However, not being a religious person I am truly perplexed by the religious rights and evangelicals in particular support of the Donald J. Trump. It is something that I just cannot get my mind around.
I don’t want to poison the well too much Continue reading “Religious Folks and Donald J. Trump”
Robert Reich: Trump’s Stock Buyback Bamboozle
Smarter than the whole bunch…
I just finished 3 days of backpacking with my son and one of my brothers, Mike, in Arkansas. One of the things I have been doing for years after a hike in Arkansas, if I am anywhere near Jasper, Arkansas, is to treat myself to a meal at the Ozark Café. This particular café is more than a hundred years old, seems to be a favorite with the locals, and is written up frequently in the Arkansas Times. The food is almost invariably very good or better, the coffee is even more so, and the service is in the same category.
Jasper is not very big, the population is 440 souls. It is however, right on the Buffalo National River. In season the area is very popular for canoeing, backpacking, trout fishing, hunting and many types of outdoor activities. They reintroduced elk into the area a few decades ago and they are thriving there. While we only heard of a report of black bears from other hikers, we did see bear sign more than once. It is a fun area to hike with the scenery and wildlife.
I am eating my meal at the Ozark Café, and catty-corner from me is a table where there is sitting Continue reading “Smarter than the whole bunch…”
Freakonomics podcast with Andrew Yang
The only thing I know for sure is that this country will not remain this country if we have 4 more years of Gospodin Trump. I would vote for a decaying slug over him.
As an aside — I abandoned my faith long ago for many good reasons. If you are interested in why and how here is a link to another blog article: Rev. Joe stumbles. The Christian right’s support of this abomination of a POTUS has nailed that coffin permanently shut. Trump is without a doubt the most unethical, least Christian President in the history of the nation. IMHO, he is a criminal on multiple fronts and should be behind bars. If the Christian rights argument is the ends justify the means, then add yet another nail to the coffin. If you are using unethical means to achieve what you consider justifiable ends, then perhaps the ends are not so ethical also.
Having said all that I am having trouble getting excited about any of the Democratic candidates left in the field. Biden who seems to be nice guy, also seems to tied to all the old bullshit. Last election cycle I was a Bernie supporter, but I really feel his age is a strike against him. I like Elizabeth Warren, but I do not believe she is electable. She is female, and she is being painted as a socialist along with Bernie. An atheist probably has a better chance of being elected in this country than a “socialist”.
Billionaires such as Steyer and Bloomberg running for President just leave me cold. My wife likes Amy Klobuchar, so maybe I should look at her more. Pete Buttigieg is the opposite of Bernie, way too young and inexperienced. How does running a small city like South Bend translate into running the United States of America? It does not IMHO.
I know there are more running, but these are the key names that pop to mind…AND one more Andrew Yang, who again probably does not have proverbial snowball’s chance. However, he is well spoken and has some good ideas. It strikes me that he would approach governing with an analytic/scientific sensibility that is so missing in politics.
If you have time this podcast is very interesting to listen to. It is Andrew Yang being interviewed by Freakonomics host Stephen Dubner (who spells Stephen the right way).
Below is the link:
One Small Rebellion Against Trump
This is just one example of many possible examples of how petty and low we have sank as a nation under the disaster masquerading as a human being, Gospodin Trump.
I needed some new light bulbs, but I required ones with a candelabra base for a ceiling fan 
light. This POS, this so called POTUS, for some unknown reason has rolled back the regulations mandating the use of energy saving light bulbs. When asked why, he had no explanation, but said a report was forthcoming. I am assuming some crony of his will benefit from the sale of old style light bulbs.
The only other reason that makes sense is that he is doing all he can to destroy the planet. I am clueless as to why anyone in this day and age will deny the reality of climate change. I believe the scientist on this one, but even if they are wrong, we still need to be hedging our bets just in case they are right.
I made damn sure I found the energy saving style of light bulb, and as I picked them up I thought, “Fuck you, Donald Trump!”
Rolling Stone Article: U.S. Fossil Fuel Subsidies Exceed Pentagon Spending
From the article:
“The United States has spent more subsidizing fossil fuels in recent years than it has on defense spending, according to a new report from the International Monetary Fund.
The IMF found that direct and indirect subsidies for coal, oil and gas in the U.S. reached $649 billion in 2015. Pentagon spending that same year was $599 billion.”
We do so many things wrong headed. And why are the Republicans NOT willing to trust market forces on this one?
Click link below for full Rolling Stone article.