Author: publius911

A NY Times article by-lined by Adam Goldman and Katie Brenner reprinted in the Hartford Courant (“DOJ drops criminal case vs. Flynn” 5/8/20) is the epitome of most journalism today. In it, the authors use the most tenuous strands to make their point. It goes like this.

Attempting to show that no one involved in the case against General Flynn, up to this point, was supporting the move to exonerate him, they said this. “Prosecutor’s in Shea’s office [prosecutors’ manager] were stunned by the decision to drop the case according to a person who spoke to several lawyers in the office.” So, readers are led to believe that “stunned” means they didn’t agree with the decision and this, based on a third hand statement from further unnamed sources.

Later they say if Trump was briefed by [Attorney General] Barr, he didn’t let anyone know, and again, according to those “familiar with the discussions”; no one named. Well, Trump said he had no early knowledge of the recommendation. Why not report the actual statement of Trump? Also, left out of the article that puts lead prosecutor Van Grack in the “higher moral authority” category for begging off the case, is he may himself be up criminal or at least, ethical violations of how he handled the prosecution.

Were Adam and Katie too busy to even talk to the lawyers in Shea’s office directly? Did the “the person” actually use the word “stunned” and if so, why didn’t they determine what they meant by it? What about using Trump’s actual statement instead of an, “if he said it”?

It’s a journalism echo chamber as we are now relegated to having the Associated Press, NY Times, and the Washington Post for nearly all our national news and they all follow the same shoddy practices. It’s “throw it up against the wall and see if it sticks” journalism and we are all suffering from it.

States cannot run a printing press when they need money. Their only source of revenue is us taxpayers (and the various forms taxes take). So, what do they do when presented with a crisis of not having enough money for a program they are obliged to operate? Ask the federal government to print some up for them.

New York is the first, but certainly not the last, to ask the federal government for a no interest “loan” to fill their unemployment compensation coffer that is being depleted. The federal government has already put out $300,000,000,000 or so for the “Payroll Protection Program” which is giving businesses money to pay their employees. Congress is looking to restock that program as I type, with another $250,000,000,000. Instead of New York, one of the highest taxing states in the union, looking to cut spending in other areas, they want the rest of the country to subsidize their reckless spending. Any hesitancy on the part of the feds will no doubt be met with hysterics on New York’s part and the piling on from the rest of the Democrats and media.

For those of us in fiscally reckless states (Illinois, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York), this crisis is a great time to press elected officials to start putting our houses in order. It is time to Insist that non-essential government expenditures are given sunset provisions. Zero based budgeting should be employed, and money devoted to those programs that make the essential list, locked down so as to not bleed over to other non-worthy efforts. Leaving these kinds of actions up to the wind won’t cut it. Only demand from taxpayers can override the entrenched interest groups that ride the coattails of career politicians.

Never let a crisis go to waste. There is no time better to get rid of waste. More of us are realizing what is really important. The only thing government is supposed to do is keep us safe. All the rest has creeped in over time and to our detriment. It’s time we redirect our government at every level back to the basic reason for governance in our country.

While the “Green New Deal” calls for killing the current economic system, impact from the Covid – 19 pandemic may move the greening of our country quicker. The most dramatic change has been the ability of businesses to continue to operate with many of their employees home bound. New and improved technologies including video conferencing and faster internet facilitate work including collaboration. The onset of 5G internet and eventually other phases will further the ability of workers to be efficient from a home base.

Working from home means there is less traffic. Coupled with on-demand rides and autonomous vehicles, home workers may in fact eschew owning a vehicle all together. Fewer owned vehicles means fewer spaces to house these vehicles. New homes will not need garages. Streets, office complexes and shopping centers will not need (as much) parking freeing up space.

With more workers no longer going into the office, there is less (no?) need for an office in the first place. Large office buildings can be converted into living spaces that cater to home bound workers. Meeting rooms with technologies that facilitate enterprise and the like can further this “green” movement. Building management would be wise to also provide social interaction both within work and recreation. Still, there will be a glut of commercial office space and those buildings can be razed and the land used for other purposes……like green things.

So now we have fewer parking lots and streets that no longer need to be as wide to accommodate parking vehicles. There will be fewer commercial buildings, many in places that previously were lacking green spaces. What do we do with all that space? GREEN IT UP! Parks, arboretums, hiking trails, outdoor gyms, lawns, etc. Our society is changing rapidly, and this pandemic has shown how we can thrive under duress. Let’s use it to further the green agenda but in the right way.

Many pundits are beside themselves as to why we don’t have millions of masks, ventilators, other personal protection equipment etc. This cabal is quick to find blame and the government is an easy target. While there may be real issues raised, one that has not been talked about is personal responsibility. Not on personal hygiene and social distancing but financial responsibility.

Stories abound on people who are living ”paycheck to paycheck”.  This is the impetus for thrusting trillions of printed dollars into the hands of people just to pay their next bills. I’m not sure what is being taught in schools these days. Home economics used to be part of the curriculum way back when. It included how to balance a check book and rudimentary budgeting. In an economy that was thriving for the last three years and the abundance of employment opportunities, it’s clear we have a dearth of educated people on the basics of living in a capitalist society. Time for some basics!

First is the nobleness of working. Besides being able to buy things, contributing to your own well-being provides a sense of self worth and makes you part of the collective economy. Next is, regardless of how much money you make, you need to spend less than that. A reasonable set aside amount is 10% of your take home pay. Many scoff at this saying they don’t make enough to save anything let alone 10%. To them I say get another job that pays more or a second or even third income stream. Companies could not find enough workers so when this economy comes raring back, take advantage of it. Don’t stop saving ever but also, don’t spend this nest egg. It’s meant to provide a cushion in hard times and emergencies. Amassing six months of take-home income held in a savings account or other very liquid place, allows you to weather storms like losing your job or say, a pandemic!

On the spend side, never use credit to pay for a depreciating asset. The biggest depreciating asset is a car/truck. This is another revelation for most. We all get starry eyed when the new models come out but rein in your appetite for new wheels until you have your financial house in order. Salespeople know that most are wed to a monthly payment and don’t look at the total cost of the vehicle. Most times, the buyer ends up owing more than the vehicle is worth right off the showroom floor. Don’t buy a vehicle on credit. Options like public transportation and now, the availability of on-demand rides makes this a no-brainer. If you do need a car, buy a used vehicle or make repairs to your existing one until you are prepared to pay with cash. Other items that should be paid for with cash include clothing, food and any daily usage items. If you do use your credit card, pay off the entire balance each billing cycle.

Housing can also be a bright jewel enticing you to “live large”. Big houses not only cost more to purchase, they cost more to fill and maintain. Calculating what you can afford, including the 10% set aside, is crucial if you are to be successful financially. Same goes for the apartment or condominium you are contemplating.

In our extremely materialistic society, doing these right things means you may look like a cheap skate to your friends. Having the long game in mind is critical. The payoff comes in times of trouble (like these) and when you retire. Then, with time and money, you can enjoy the prudent financial moves you made throughout your earning years.

I just got my second piece of mail in the last three weeks from my Congresswoman, Jahana Hayes. I also got a solicitation piece from someone running for her seat, David X. Sullivan. Timing seems interesting. That aside, the big difference between the two is, we paid for Representative Hayes’ glossy pieces and Mr. Sullivan’s was paid by “Sullivan for Congress”.

Representative Hayes’ piece touts how she is working “gavel-to-gavel” for us. She participated in 16 bipartisan hearings on education. She supported 65 bills related to education and another bill that would invest $100,000,000 for “College for All”. It goes on and on taking credit for funding totaling $75,600,000,000! What she doesn’t talk about is the franking privilege she enjoys giving her and other incumbents a distinct advantage over any challengers.

With technology available today, why do we allow Congress to continue to use tax dollars for what is basically, campaign materials? Yes, the amount spent has dropped from over $100 million a year to around $17 million but that is money that can be used elsewhere, like education. She already has a website and newsletter to which constituents can subscribe. She can and does send out regular emails. So why the need for a glossy direct mail piece?

Several attempts have been made to eliminate this taxpayer funded advertising but have failed. No surprise there. Controls introduced include having to print on every piece, ”This mailing was prepared, published and mailed at taxpayer expense.” You’ll notice the font of this message is much smaller than those of the Representative’s “accomplishments”. The effort to include the cost of the mailing failed while Mr. Sullivan’s piece contains two lengthy paragraphs on the legal issues of campaign contributions. Maybe it’s time to resurrect eliminating or at least, telling the truth about how much franking is costing us taxpayers?

I just completed the on-line 2020 census questionnaire. It’s very short centering on name, age and peculiarly, ethnicity of the occupants at my address.  My impression was the government wants to know your ethnicity in detail as most of the questions went to what country you or your ancestors came from. When asked your race, the secondary question was your “nationality”. If you selected “white”, the second question was from what ethnic group? Parenthetically they offered up several example European countries. Conspicuously missing was “American” as if, even if born here, you can’t consider yourself just American.

After the battle to ask a simple question like, “Are you an American citizen?”, I question the motives of those embedded in our government bureaucracy. It seems to me that those with a bent for a borderless America have their hands on the levers of power. Why all the questions about ethnicity? Aren’t there more important things to know about the people living at a particular address? How about asking if they receive any federal government benefit at that address? After all, the accompanying letter stresses the census determines how “billions of dollars in federal funds” will be directed. Very curious.

This “melting pot” experiment that has served the world so well seems to be heading back to tribalism. Are those behind (directing?) this effort using the tried and true method of divide and conquer? If so, they just pulled out another great tool from their arsenal.

Reminders of WII and FDR abound these days. The clarion call is for the Government to step in and save the day. Many are saying trillions of dollars must be thrust into the hands of those whose income has been shut off through no fault of their own. At the risk of being called heartless, let me offer another path.

While it is true that employees are not receiving income, it is also true that their businesses are not making any money either. That means businesses with credit/loans they may have outstanding will require using savings or go unpaid. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have eschewed foreclosures and many states have passed temporary stoppage of evictions. With some tweaking, keeping people in their residences should not be an issue. As for the other necessities, food and medicine, grocery stores and pharmacies could accept markers from those without credit cards. It harkens back to another time of crisis that we somehow survived. These markers can be cleared once the workers are back to work and making money again. Credit card companies and banks can suspend credit card minimum payments for a time until the coast is cleared.

Most states have shut down commerce except for pharmacies and groceries. With limited need for cash beyond food, medicine and housing, the critical need for indiscriminately putting trillions into the hands of yet to be determined persons, seems like overkill.  The stock market crash of 1929, had it been left alone, would have seen it rebound much quicker shortening the depression that resulted. Indeed, the FDR programs put in place last century have proven to be albatrosses around our necks. TARP was a bust that only delayed recovery.  History tells us that government efforts to “correct” things foment other problems.

Letting markets work can be frustrating and does result in some inequities but far less than those caused by the intervention of the government. I for one believe we need to take a chill pill. Dear elected officials, please stay out of it. Your pandering with printed paper will only do more harm.

I watched and partially listened to the Blackhawks vs. Blues hockey game last night. Partially listened because it was “Woman’s Day” so the NHL/NBC woke folks thought it would be a great idea to have an all-female crew announce the game. Mind you, Kathryn Tappen has been a studio announcer on NHL Tonight for some time and she is great. She is knowledgeable about the game and a very smooth moderator, even when confronted with the off-color comments from the likes of Jeremy Roenick. I’m not at all against female announcers in general. I am when they don’t have the experience enough to be broadcasters.

The opening introductions were ok. They established their bonafides with how they are attached to this greatest of all games. Olympic and national team experience suggests they know the game. Got it. Where they lost me was instead of calling the play-by-play, they kept giving background and human-interest stories ignoring the game on the ice. It was obvious to me that they had done a lot of research to prepare for the game and they weren’t going to waste one ounce of that research. I switched the audio over to the Chicago broadcast on radio after the first period.

Some of the women used may have a place in broadcasting and perhaps with more experience, will find themselves in the stratospheric expertise of a Doc Emrick or Eddy Olcyzk, but they lost a chance to put their names in the hat last night.

You tell me what you need, and I’ll get it for you. Remember, I can only get things for you if you keep me in position to be able to do that.

Such is the relationship of public employee unions with politicians.

Virginia, having turned 100% Democratically controlled state government, is following the tried and true means to consolidate power. They are about to legalize collective bargaining for public employees cementing the symbiotic (nefarious?) relationship between public employee unions and Democrat politicians As is the case in Illinois, New York, and Connecticut, states with strong legislation favoring public employee unions, the noose of excessive financial obligations will tighten through law making it that much more difficult to redress. Unions will get out the vote for the Democrats and they in turn, will pass laws that continue to feather the bed of the unions and their members.

What do these three states have in common? All three are seeing net loss in residents. All three have unfunded pension obligations that threaten their very financial existence. All three have decaying cities that require more and more intervention to merely stay afloat. All three have failing schools despite increasing costs. All three have crumbling infrastructure. Why then would Virginians want to follow this path?

The Virginia voting public is now made up of more public employees. Folks who escaped the high living cost of DC and moved to the ”suburbs” now hold a larger share of the voting public.  Seeing where their bread is buttered made it easy for them to throw their lot in with the Democrat politicians. Once entrenched, those not in public unions, are at the mercy of this voting bloc. Ask those folks what they think of allowing public employees to bargain with politicians for compensation and working conditions.  But you better be quick. A lot of them are hightailing it to Florida or Texas.

Much has been said about the divisiveness in our country. Politicians, and we citizens, pontificate on how we need to “bring our country together” while in the same breadth pigeonhole folks as conservative or progressive, or an African/Hispanic/fill-in-the blank American. Want to truly lay the foundation for all Americans to feel as one? Here are some ideas.

Values -Talk to people about those things that make our country the “shining city on the hill” and one that nearly every other country aspires to in some fashion. Those bedrock American values are:

• God gave us our rights, not men
• the individual is supreme, and he/she is responsible for themselves
• government only exists at the behest of the people

Drop Pseudo Labels – Each of us is an American first and of some ethnic background a distant second. If I go to Italy, I’m no more Italian than someone from Iceland. I’m an American and I need to drop the hyphenation.

Call things for what they are and not what you want them to be – Science is science and no political correctness can change science. Twisting real things to fit an agenda demeans you and the cause celebre you are trumpeting. This will promote understanding and avoid dismissal of what might be a good idea.

Replace the 4 Federal holidays devoted to individuals/groups with “Great Americans’ Day” – on this Federal Holiday, say 9/11, every community can choose who they wish to honor. No more President’s (officially still Washington’s birthday), MLK, Labor, and Christopher Columbus days. Rather, let’s celebrate the millions of great Americans that have come before us. (It also cuts down Federal holidays from 7 to 4.)

Eliminate state sponsored holidays devoted to religion – Yes that’s right, no Christmas Eve or day off. If you want to give it off as a business, have at it but as a government declared holiday, NO! Take a vacation day Federal worker. It’s part of the, “the state shall not endorse any particular religion”.

Finally, encourage (require?) civil service – Provide “GI Bill” like support for service to our country. Include real international and domestic jobs that promote understanding of things that otherwise would be outside the immediate world from which we come. Programs already exist but they must be more focused and provide a net plus benefit to society.

It’s up to us and not the next guy/gal.