Tariffs are Complicated

Tariffs are Complicated 

Co-Pilot:   "To offset higher import costs, retailers often increase prices, passing the burden on to consumers. As a result, consumers effectively pay for the tariff."

Economists who study this stuff can disagree on how to implement Tariff policy.  I certainly am not claiming superior knowledge, but it seems pretty clear that Trump's ham-handed tariff threats are going to end up costing the American consumer higher prices for imported products .  The governments of countries where the tariffs are imposed does not pay the US one cent.

The ideal of "made in America" is a worthy one.  We shouldn't be dependent on others to produce our weaponry or essential needs.  

But you can't offset the effects of decades of off-shoring in a few months.  It seems that Trump is too lazy to take a measured, time-consuming approach.  Its easier to blow things up than creating something brick by brick.   

And remember this inconvenient fact:  American made goods almost always cost more than imported goods, due to the higher labor costs. So, the poor, embattled consumer again ends-up footing the bill so the virtuous can say "It was made in America."  (Probably by Asian or Hispanic immigrants.) 

A few words about Gaza

  

Israel is being accused of genocide because of its scorched-earth retaliation for the OCT 7 attacks by Hamas.  Israeli leadership says it will continue hunting down Hamas until they no longer exist as a threat.  Hamas hides behind civilian infrastructure, building tunnels, command centers and weapons caches under hospitals and schools -- using civilians as shields.    

No one with a shred of empathy would deny that the level of human suffering in Gaza is appalling.  Civilians are starving because much the aid sits in trucks and cannot be safely delivered to the needy.  

Such a complicated situation, with the civilian population being squeezed by two sides that care less about the people than they do staying in power.  Many world leaders have called on Israel to stop the bombing and allow aid to be delivered to the the starving populace.  

But I seldom hear any mention of the Gazans' equally uncaring enemy -- HAMAS.  

If they had released the OCT 7 hostages as Israel and others have demanded, many lives could have been saved and the incentive to bomb Gaza into a pile of rubble would have been removed.

And so perhaps the real tragedy of Gaza is that HAMAS still hides behind the skirts of civilians. Until they release the remaining hostages, Israel will not stop bombing.  

So while you are condemning Israel for siege tactics, please consider condemning HAMAS as an equal enemy of the Palestinian civilians who lived  in what used to be Gaza.

Shooting The Messenger

Trump just fired an administrator for the government Bureau of Labor Statistics for publishing numbers that he didn't like.  Offering no evidence for his rejection of the numbers, he did the usual Trump thing with information that he doesn't like:  He said the reports from that dept are  "rigged"  by democrats.  "We are doing great!" 

It's troubling for sensible citizens to watch Republican representatives in Congress stand by or even applaud such blatant abuse of presidential power.  Like the courtiers in the folktale "The Emperor's New Clothes,"  they seem to be afraid to speak out.  Soon, no one will tell this president the truth, fearing his  wrath and his utter disdain for facts.  

When truth becomes subordinate to loyalty, and administrators are punished for reporting "inconvenient" facts, the consequences for America will be profound.   

"Do Your Job" (Attributed to former N.E. Patriot coach, Bill Belichick)

I hate extortion in any form.  

Consequently,  I've never been a fan of workers going on Strike.  This is especially true for people who work in government or other public service jobs.   Refusing to do the job should result in termination.  Period.

Strikes cause  the wrong people to suffer. The  people who are hurt most by strikes are usually innocent victims:  travelers, students, patients, etc.   Ironically, those who suffer the effects of the strike will have such enmity for the strikers that they are more likely to blame the (non)workers rather than the company.  The long term effect of strikes is counterproductive.  I don't travel to France anymore; one reason is that I cannot count of a vacation that won't be ruined by striking workers.  

Currently, sanitation workers who should be cleaning-up 14 communities in Massachusetts  are on the umpteenth day of a strike against Republic Services.  A messy situation indeed.   If I were running the company, I would tell the workers, "Show up tomorrow, ready to work or you will be fired."    Let the workers go somewhere where they can get a better deal.  

The competition for good workers should be enough incentive for the company to offer a decent deal to its workforce.   A company has no inherent obligation to its workers other than to pay them the agreed upon wage for their labor.  Benefits were invented to make a company more competitive to the labor market; they do not add to profits (which, after all, is the fundamental reason for a company to exist)

Let me be clear that I am not complaining about the union trying to obtain equity for workers to earn a decent wage in a safe environment with reasonable benefits.  But I believe in free markets too!

Ronald Regan handled a very dicey situation when air traffic controllers went on strike,  He fired the strikers and forbade them being rehired.  Yes, there was some brief interruption in service, but the planes did not fall from the sky.

So, like Regan, my solution is to fire the workers who don't show up.  Then the company can hire people who do want to work for that level of compensation.  

Yes, that could allow for some of the abuses that greedy bosses have always been prone to.  That is the province of laws, enacted by elected representatives, rather than self-serving union management.  Most high level union executives make more than $500K per year).  Maybe they could let the union members save a little on dues?  

At Fenway Park in Boston last week, concession workers decided to go on strike  -- to force the company  (Aramark) to give-in to union demands.  They say the minimum wage ($15 in Mass) is not competitive with contracts in other cities where the cost of living is lower than Boston..  They also complained that automation (in the form of self service) was eliminating jobs.  The strike lasted 3 days.  The company easily recruited replacement workers who were glad to get the per hour wages (for a non-skilled job, mind you).  I'm not sure how many baseball fans stayed away from concessions, but I'm sure that many of them were "fed-up" with the inconvenience and distraction of picket lines. That strike ended after three days, without a new contract.  The union is threatening yet another strike this week.  We'll see how that works out for the workers.  

These workers are facing an increasingly rougher road ahead.  Higher wages force business owners to automate, to control labor costs.  Demands by workers to halt progress on automation is a losing argument.  No company exists with the goal of employing people.  The value of a worker to an enterprise is based on contribution, skill, judgement, --things that cannot be done by a machine.  As machines get smarter, more workers will be made superfluous.   The rising presence of AI in the workplace promises to yield more value to companies -- and as a result there will be less of a demand for interchangeable people, which has been the mainstay of retail and low-skilled jobs.  

Rather than walking off jobs and alienating customers, workers need to start thinking about how they can increase their value.  AI will not go on strike or demand benefits.  Robots will work 7X24 for a few occasional squirts of oil.   

The future seems bleak for those who believe that someone owes them a job.    I don't have a solution, but I would hope that smarter people than me are working on the problem.  Meanwhile, those who have a job, should, show up and "Do your job."  

edited 7-28-25, updated 8/5

Cuts in Medical Research

 I'm sure there are some wasteful practices and efficiencies that the current administration could be investigating in the awarding of grants for medical research.  But what we are seeing is a spiteful chainsaw approach to a vital science that has resulted in numerous discoveries that have led to  treatment and prevention of deadly diseases. 

Instead of  doing the hard work of investigating  government spending with rigor and method, the current stance looks for  quick results that it can crow  about  (dollars allegedly saved).  The mindless hacking away has been disastrous,

Look at some recent events:

    -All but 28 of the 350 Nuclear scientists responsible for keeping track of weapons had to be rehired after it became clear that their work is vital to national interests.

    -Hundreds s of FAA employees in support and safety-critical roles were fired in early 2025.  Already understaffed, Air Traffic Controllers are stressed even more, leading to a noticeable uptick in  incidents at airports, especially for small craft.

    - FEMA didn't answer calls for help following  the Texas floods because Christy Noem did not approve of contract renewals.  

Ask your AI about other decisions by Trump's loyal but inexperienced staff that have had unintended consequences.

Now the Trump claque is going after medical research grants with bazookas and flame throwers.

The Boston Sunday Globe highlights this in an article* that ran today:  Miracle drugs like OPDIVO and Keytruda wouldn’t exist without government-funded research. These immunotherapies have transformed cancer treatment, offering hope and extended life to patients with previously untreatable conditions.   These breakthroughs have been lifesaving—for me and so many others who rely on Cancer therapy. That’s why I take personal offense at attacks on legitimate medical research. Science saves lives. Undermining research puts us all at risk.  You included, gentle reader.  

It's pretty obvious that the Big Ugly Bill that the Republicans just passed will benefit the richest donors with tax cuts, at the expense of important programs and services for the poor and middles and "others".  

We've come to expect that typical Conservative indifference to the suffering of lazy, stupid  poor people, but when it comes to cutting medical research, we are not just talking about unfortunate, sick indigents. The 2% also get Cancer and other deadly diseases.  No amount of money can buy a cure that doesn't exist.  

See you in Hell, everyone who voted for that Bill -- and for Trump.   You voted for people to die, instead of helping them.  By the way, What's that thing on your face? 

*Boston Sunday Globe Ideas 7-13-25

Lying Under Oath

 At  his confirmation hearing to become Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged not to remove the existing members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Kennedy assured Senator Bill Cassidy that he would maintain the ACIP “without changes”

However, that promise was broken when he dismissed all 17 sitting members of the committee and appointed a new panel, many of whom have histories of vaccine skepticism.

For me, this raises a question:

If it turns out that a nominee lied at their confirmation hearing, shouldn't they be un-confirmed and resubmitted for a vote to that subcommittee?

If so, perhaps we need to look at some recent Supreme Court appointees as well.

If not, what is the point of the confirmation hearings?

It Gets Worse Every Day

 

I have a nagging feeling that the USA is morphing into an post apocalyptic state,  inspired by  a sci fi novel.    I cannot help thinking "Lord of the Flies"  

"Lord of the Flies is a haunting novel by William Golding that explores what happens when a group of British schoolboys becomes stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. With no adults to guide them, they attempt to govern themselves, but their efforts spiral into savagery and chaos."* 

The USA of my formative years was guided by the principles of democracy -- freedom, equality and opportunity.  Merit counted.  People who worked hard got ahead. Slackers were doomed to live less glamorous lives. But there was always an undercurrent of caring for the less-fortunate -- meaning those who were born into poverty, ignorance, or disease.  

Over the years, we Americans  became less indifferent to people who did not fit-in to what we think of as "normal", who were a different color, or who had handicaps.  We provided aid to poor countries.  Developed programs that assisted needy people.  We thought of ourselves as the "Good guys."

I have,  as an adult,  thought of myself as a liberal, by which I mean: one amenable to change.  Today people think of that as "Leftist."   I don't see myself of the left or right since I am of normal intelligence and can keep more than one thought in my head.   I think I am conservative about financial matters.  I'm constantly appalled that there is not more stringent oversight of social programs to prevent fraud.

So, I have admired efforts to promote inclusion  I have accepted changes that improve peoples' lives (improving handicapped access, gay marriage, school lunch programs, etc.)  - although I wonder why they need 4 handicapped parking spaces at a small liquor store.  

Yes, the progressives went too far, too fast.  I understand the impatience to gain full equality, but I feel that social democrats badly underestimated the reaction of conservatives.  My shorthand definition of a conservative as one who wants America to look like it did in the 50's.  Looking at the transformation of society and "social justice" from their eyes, it is not hard to understand that they were horrified at the radical changes espoused by self-styled progressives.    The loudest among them saw a deep conspiracy to change things, and change was not what they wanted.

Trump and his ilk (most of them smarter than he)  latched onto this dissatisfaction and to feed the flames of discontent by mislabeling the opposition as Commies.   Because everyone hates and fears commies.  So despite the difference between social democracy and communism , the ignorant and indifferent were drawn into the conspiracy theories -- stolen election,  deep state, weaponization of government, global cabal, and beyond.

One result has been to add to the (already growing) mistrust in the government on both sides.  It was not helpful that President Biden's obviously increasing dementia was denied by his admin until the disastrous debate when everyone saw on live TV a struggling weak and uncertain president.   The flap about Hunter Biden's misbegotten exploits did not help.  The Right had a field day with the alleged information on the famous laptop,  The meme of the "Biden Crime family" went viral among the Trump loyalists, eager to turn the spotlight away from the billions  that the Trump family members were profiting from sketchy deals with Saudi Arabia.    The investigation into President Biden's involvement in shady deals involving Ukraine fizzled due to lack of credible evidence.   But that did not matter; the seed of doubt had already sprouted into "alternative facts."

During the last election, the Democrats lost the faith of many traditional D voters.  The last-minute substitution of Kamala Harris as the candidate did not resonate with many.  She had baggage and no new agenda to talk about.  Former loyal blue collar voters could not see a brighter future with Kamala at the helm, while Trump promised to end illegal immigration, end inflation, slim down government waste, keep the USA out of foreign conflicts, yada yada.   

Now Trump dominates the news headlines on a daily basis with one cockamamie  assertion after another.  We are befuddled by the level of chaos that he has brought into politics, his self aggrandizement and obvious misuse of his powers.  

As Marc Antony says in the funeral speech: "Oh Judgement!  thou art fled to brutish beasts, and men have lost their reason."

    * Microsoft Co-Pilot was consulted in the composition of this post

Friendship in the Age of Disconnect

 We enjoy the company of others with whom we share:

• A sense of humor
• A Willingness to listen
• Interests
• Purpose
• Ethical values
• Respect
• Experience

It seems to me that you have to check at least 3 of these boxes to qualify as a friend.  Perhaps this explains why we are drifting apart from those whose company is no longer sought.

To argue enjoyably is to (at least)  agree on the ground rules, source of Truth, definitions of words.  These traditional standards have been abandoned in this highly charged atmosphere of moral outrage.  

Some Liberals are just as thick as their opponents.  They do not present an argument; they preach at you, and tell you what to think.     People don't like to be told what to think, especially when the new idea contradicts long-held beliefs and values. 

"Political Correctness" has long gripped the "mainstream media" and their followers.   The unrealistic goal of never offending any individual or group has driven the Thought Police to shame and ridicule anyone with a sense of humor or who ignores the new rules.  Is it any wonder that half the population (the un-woke) think PC is a pile of steaming offal.

On the Conservative side, it is hard to encounter a moderate these days.  MAGA (and worse) have no empathy beyond the boundaries of their tribes.  Absurd and debunked conspiracy theories are freely shared as if they are proven facts.  They dismiss any attempt to point-out the moronic policies of their autocratic leader as "Trump Derangement Syndrome." It never occurs to them that for years, they constantly disparaged Biden, Harris, Senator Warren and others with the same mindless denial they accuse you of.  

  When we belittle and show disdain for others' beliefs, they cling more tightly to them.  Facts have no effect on beliefs, so we just waste our time trying to prove that our friend's misinformed opinions are flat wrong.   

Theoretically, real friends can argue a point of view without making it personal.   But I have trouble connecting with those who will not acknowledge the humanity of others who are struggling.  It is too easy to label strangers as negative caricatures and villains.       

So, one is left with the famous quote from Rodney King: "Why can't we all just get along?"

The easy answer is:  We are unable to put ourselves in others' shoes.

The hard answer is:   We are nasty, brutish and short (of human decency).

Fooling Half of The People

The rock band "The Who" prayed that we wont be fooled again.  But honey, we have remained a nation of fools.

Take Donald J Trump (Please).  Here is a grifter of average intelligence who has refined his art to such a degree that he fooled half the voters in America into believing that he would make America great again.  (By the way, how's that working out for ya, farmers, small businesses, traders, government workers, ...?  How about you dockworkers in ports that are near idle because of idiotic tariffs?  And you egg lovers who are still paying inflationary prices for breakfast?  So long you poor shlubs who will be losing your health insurance....) 

If Trump has any shard of genius it was figuring-out that many white Americans feel indifference towards the plight of others.  He has tapped into that lack of empathy and has seemingly convinced the MAGA crowd that they need an authoritarian leader (perhaps a king) to get America back on track.  Somehow the MAGA faithful do not realize where that track is leading to:  rich and privileged running things for their own benefit.  

Whether your bete noir is Communists, Muslims, LGBTQ, wokeness, or just uppity minorities, there is a place for you in Trump's America.  Never mind that his fiscal policies mainly benefit the top 2% of wealthy elites, he has convinced the hoi polloi that they will better-off under an oligarchy than a democracy.  

I am continually amazed that more people cannot see through this charlatan.  It's obvious to sensible observers that he does not put in the work of being presidential, or diplomatic or serious.  The details are unimportant to him.  He always thinks he is the smartest guy in the room.  More amazing yet are the enablers who protect him from scrutiny.  Did they not learn anything from watching their predecessors being tossed under the bus.  (Remember: most of the witnesses at the Jan 6th impeachment hearing  were former staffers, and most of them who were close to him and who respected the Constitution have declared him unfit for office.  Whether the current batch of courtiers are driven by adulation, self-interest, fear, or evil hearts, I am not sure.

 Call me cynical, but after listening to political interviewees of both sides, I have come to believe that nearly every word out of their mouths contains a known untruth, and therefore is not worth my attention.

Much like interviews with sports figures, whether they be players or managers or former players and managers now doing play-by-play and analysis.  It's all a bunch of bullshit gibberish. The so-called journalists are no better.  In their haste to "bring you the exclusive breaking news" they offer up fragments of half baked accounts that "something has happened and we will bring you more extensive information to you as soon as we find out what it is."  Stay tuned.  

They take us for fools. They are not wrong.

Things Trump Should be Doing Instead of Cutting Essential Programs

I'm hearing a lot of disturbing things about cuts that the Trump administration is making with a machete instead of a scalpel. 

Thousands of workers have been terminated from their positions, without any serious analysis of their impact.  I do not see how hollowing-out government services is going to benefit the average American, since the savings will be passed along to corporate billionaires in the form of tax cuts.  Remember the last time Trump cut corporate taxes, many of the companies took bigger profits, rebought stock, but did not lower prices, or help customers in any way. 

 So I think the current administration should focus on real problems that citizens have.

Colonoscopy prep. In all the years since medical science has been taking pictures of our bowels, there has been one constant: bad-tasting prep. Most patients consider the days'- long ordeal of prep worse than the actual procedure. So I would say, let's stop spending money on stuff that isn't bothering us, like interstellar space travel, and get some scientists working on a decent-flavored prep. Hire more food scientists and fire the telescope analysts.

Other ways to help everyday citizens

Make packages easier to open - 

Check engine light – what's wrong? Just say it!

Noisy lawn mowers - does anyone benefit from loud noise?

Unwanted phone calls - just make them stop!

Usury - it's illegal when the Mafia does it but its ok for Visa and Master Card

ID theft destroys the lives of countless thousands

Porch Pirates - the punishment is too light.  Return to the days when people who steal went to jail.

Gangs - the cops know where they hide, let's go raid those places, take away their guns and get rid of the violent ones who are here illegally

Drugs - it all starts with poppy fields, go back to Afghanistan and burn them

Labor Strikes especially government workers, teachers and civil servants  should be fired if they don't come to work.

Traffic-stopping demonstrations it should be illegal to impede the flow of traffic.  Your pet cause is not more than my mom's ambulance ride to the hospital.

Delays in law courts, investigations, punishment, trials, appeals. Make it speedy.

Why?

 Questions for Our Time

1. Why can't the phone company block spam and phishing calls automatically?

2. Why do the microwave popcorn manufacturers tell you NOT to use the "popcorn" setting on your microwave?

3. Why can't the stores sell tomatoes that taste like tomatoes?

4.  Why do men, as they age, start growing thicker eyebrow and ear hair?

5, Why do fools fall in love?

Found this in my desk

A Vignette  (May 2023)

I am constantly telling my wife:
"I'm going to work outside. Please don't lock me out."  
Typically, I go out to the garage where I keep my work boots and gloves.
through the den door then I go out to the yard. through the outer door

Inevitably. she decides to clean the cat litter box
or take out the trash, or perhaps
searches for something stored on the garage, 
then, out of habit, turns the deadbolt to the locked position. 

This occurred again for the hundredth time just yesterday.  
I had come into the garage after working in the garden, 
 taken off my boots, and ... surprise!
found the door to the den locked. 

I knocked petulantly, then pounded a bit harder,  But no answer. 
Standing in the darkened garage in my stocking feet 
I had no choice but to keep pounding on the door 
or put the boots back on, go back out the outer door 
and walk around to the screen porch to enter 
through the (hopefully) unlocked back door slider.  

55 years of marriage  has taught me to take the easy road.  
So I stopped pounding and put my boots back on.  
Went into the porch and took the boots off 
and made it into the kitchen through the slider.

Inside, at the other end of the house, 
Judy was on the computer playing Mah Jong. 
 "You locked me out!" I complained.  
"Oh, sorry, I wasn't thinking." she answered,  
for the hundredth time.  
And that was that.   

Cutting Revenue to save money.

I read an news article today in the NYT  that likens Trump/Musk firing 6,700 IRS employees in the middle of Tax season to a business CFO deciding to cut the size the accounts receivable dept., in the middle of a successful sales campaign.  Cutting-off revenue is the last thing a competent businessman would do.
The CFO, however, would likely be fired for such a stupid move. 

What shall we do with Trumsk?

STFU if You Don't Agree

A drinking buddy of mine who has clearly imbibed too much Trump Kool-aid recently remarked that the Progressive Democrat Commies want to censor free speech. He cites Europe as an egregious offender, enacting laws against hate speech and even prohibiting criticism of government leaders, and even denying the Holocaust.    

I did some fact checking: In Europe, it looks like they are jailing offenders of "Hate Speech" when there is a threat attached. That seems reasonable to me.  

In general I'm not a fan of political correctness, especially when it inhibits normal expression of feelings or opinions.  Some of the recent censorship laws do seem Draconian to me: e.g., laws against Disparaging a public figure, without fear,  is a capstone of a free press. 

 Just calling someone a midget or an Indian should not be a crime by itself. I'm not certain, but I think that that it's legally okay (though morally wrong) to call someone a "dirty Jew" or a "Fag," even when there is no threat, but I would not support a general law against name-calling.

During the time when the people who were running Facebook and Twitter were censoring obvious misinformation and what was generally considered hate or threatening speech, I thought those platforms were more balanced and more pleasant places to exchange thoughts. 

Why they stopped monitoring is mysterious to me. (I don't log in  anymore to either site, in protest)

I am a fan of censorship when it comes to suppressing disinformation. The problem is in the execution. Who decides what is a fact? To me this is the existential crisis that we have today: People don't trust "trusted" sources anymore.

So it is that we cannot intelligently argue, because neither side will accept the other's source of any "fact". I blame Trump and his ilk. They have sown the seeds of distrust --with unsubstantiated claims -- in our legal system, election integrity, and any person or organization that disagrees with them. Trump makes claims with no evidence, and none of his claque dares to say him nay.

Funny that most of the witnesses during the Jan 6 hearings were Republicans who worked in government. And the majority of his first administration staffers said publicly that he was "unfit" to be president again. These weren't Dems, mind you. The only reason the 2nd impeachment didn't stick is that the Republican senate majority simply ignored the facts revealed by Jan 6 witnesses.

But of course, no self-respecting MAGA would believe any of that. They say, "The First Amendment guarantees free speech, so shut the fuck up!"

Phony Christians

 I don't disagree that the government is bloated and ineffective.  But the phrase "Throwing the baby out with the bathwater" comes to mind,  when you look at what the Trump team is doing.  Instead of taking a considered approach and cutting stupid and wasteful programs, they want to eliminate USAID, which in fact keeps a lot of people in the world from starving to death.

Where are the so-called Christians who think every glob of protoplasm is sacred?  Or, does that only apply to the unborn? 

How can they sleep at night -- knowing that they helped to elect a would-be Emperor  who refuses to take the time to do his homework,  and now is letting people in Sudan and other countries die as a result?  

Did Jesus limit his vision of the responsibilities of his followers to the boundaries of the United States.  I did not see that in my copy of the New Testament.   

When judgment day comes, if there is any justice, I expect to see them in hell.

How to Fix a seized Impeller

 Today I fixed my snowblower.  It had been out-of-commission during the recent snowstorm.  Oh, the engine started-up okay, and the axel drive gears worked just fine.  But the impeller (the part that throws the snow) was seized-up.  Every time I tried to engage the mechanism the belt would screech like a banshee and, if I forced it, the engine would quit under the strain.  

Hmm what to do?  Like any halfway intelligent modern man, I went to YouTube and typed-in "Craftsman snow thrower."   As expected, there were dozens of videos covering various problems with Craftsman snowblowers and how to fix them.  After watching one that seemed to be my problem, I deduced that the problem was either A) something (like a stone) got stuck in the impeller mechanism, or B) it was frozen.

I immediately decided that my problem was B, a frozen drive.  This is where the wisdom of old age guides the problem-solving process.  I reasoned, that it was unlikely to be that something got stuck in the mechanism because the last time I used it, I had no problems with that mechanism working.  Since the temps had been well below freezing since the last use, icing-up was a more probable cause.  Until today.

Noting that the forecast for today was an unseasonable warm-up (mid forty degrees) I decided to go out and crank 'er up.  Voila, everything works perfectly!

Not to brag, but a more impetuous soul might have rushed to call someone to fix the machine.  But, by waiting for a natural thaw, I did not waste any physical effort or money.

I must admit that I was forced to face the reality that "Old Trusty" might not be repairable for a reasonable expense.    At our age, we can't count on living in this (or any) house for enough years to make the investment in a new machine make sense. An existential crisis indeed!  The plows do a shitty job.  There are no neighborhood young people interested in making $20 bucks.  (These kids probably have more walking around money than I do)

In the end, procrastination once-again  saved the day!   I'm thinking of making my own YouTube video showing me literally doing nothing but looking at a thermometer and cranking-up the now perfectly working snowblower.

 

Sound Familiar?

Historian Lawrence Britt studied the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile) and found they had 14 elements in common. He calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. (Thanks to my friend Bruce G. for finding this)

Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of “need.” The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, and long incarcerations of prisoners.
Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists…
Supremacy of the Military
Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
Rampant Sexism
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation.
Controlled Mass Media
Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation or by sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Government censorship and secrecy, especially in war time, are very common.
Obsession with National Security
Fear of hostile foreign powers is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
Religion and Government are Intertwined
Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies or actions.
Protection of Corporate Power
The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
Suppression of Labor Power
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .
Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
Obsession with Crime and Punishment
Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
Fraudulent Elections
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

Sound familiar? Fact: Historically, things did not turn out well either for the citizens or the Fascists.

Tuning Out, Again

 

I have deleted my social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter and have stopped wasting my time watching the talking head shows on cable.  My plan is to hide my head in the sand (like an insurance ad  emu), to avoid having to deal with further unpleasant political realities.  

I’m chagrined to see that both Biden and Trump have further eroded our trust in the justice system with their blanket commutations and pardons for violent criminals.  That makes a mockery out of the judicial system of costly investigations, courts, juries and sentences that put the felons behind bars.   

Trump threatened to slap a 25% tariff on Colombian goods because they refused to let the Deportation Plane land (probably because it was filled with a bunch of Illegal murderers and drug dealers.)  This is awful because now we will have to pay more for Starbucks.  Such short-term thinking worries me.  I would just drop them by parachute into the jungle. (If they can pay for the chute)   

How’s that for genius thinking?  Maybe I should apply for a government job?

Zen and the Art of Snowblowing

 

It’s been a cold winter hereabouts, as it has been everywhere else, even the Florida contingent is experiencing a bit of unseasonable frigidity.  So, where the heck is global warming when you need it?  

We had about 6 inches of snow last week – a good excuse to get my trusty Craftsman 5HP Snowblower out of the shed and cranked-up.  I find clearing the driveway a most satisfying activity, displaying my mastery of machinery as well as the psychic reward of seeing the results of my efforts.  

After a long career as a corporate minion, most of the companies where I was employed have gone away, and none of the systems that I helped build are still in use.  I sometimes wish I had taken up carpentry or masonry, so I could go and look at my work and perhaps get a feeling of fulfillment and pride.    

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not feeling that I wasted my career, or into philosophical musings about the meaning of life.  I’m just saying that I get a warm sense of satisfaction when I can see the results of my labors.   

Narcissism

 Narcissism is prevalent in politics, public celebrities, teen agers, and especially in the performance and creative arts.

I believe every famous artist I've met or read about is a narcissist to some extent. How else can one justify excluding the rest of the world from one's proximity when in the act of creation? Creation of art (painting sculpture, writing, composing) is the act of mental masturbation -- is it not?

I define a narcissist as someone who wishes the world revolved around them. Most of the sane ones know that it doesn't, but they secretly believe that to be a flaw in the system. It should be all about them.

Many artists are not totally sane, as we define normalcy. We like to describe them with positive tinged adjectives like, quirky or eccentric, but at the heart of it, they tend to march to the beat of a selfish drum.

We find a lot of these types on a college campus. Businesses and governments do not tolerate quirky behavior, but academia has a high tolerance for abnormal behavior. So the campus is the last bastion for the less-sane among us.

In a writing group, the alpha narcissist will usually start their analysis of the piece you just read about oversalted french fries at McDonalds.   "That reminds me of the last time I was in Paris …" they will intone.  Then, they will hijack the conversation to those fond Paris memories.  

As a hack writer, I am probably a bit of a closet narcissist myself. But I am also highly social, and, recognizing that most people find narcissists irritating, I try to hide the fact that I am primarily interested in discussing my favorite topics. 

 If I were more successful and famous, I most certainly would have a higher sense of self importance, and would let my inner narcissist roam free. But I am in touch with reality so I keep my delusions of grandeur under wraps.