November 18, 2018

While the Chief Fire Marshall of the United States was pontificating on how to prevent deadly forest fires, a topic he became very acquainted with while growing up in Queens, and threatening to withhold federal aid to a devastated, blue state area, he mentioned that he did not know yet who was responsible for the killing of the Washington Post journalist, Mr. Jamal Khashoggi, in the Saudi embassy in Ankara,Turkey. “As of this moment, we were told that he did not play a role,” Mr. Trump said of the crown prince, as he was heading to California to help put out the forest fires. He insisted that the CIA had not “assessed anything yet.”

Is it possible that the Fire Marshal in Chief is so busy putting out forest fires that he is the only person left in the world who does not know who ordered the killing of Khashoggi? Are we to believe that the CIA does not know. If they don’t, the head of the CIA should be fired for gross incompetence. This is actually the only kind of firing the Fire Marshall in Chief is familiar with. The CIA actually did conclude on November 16th that the Saudi crown prince ordered the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. Mr. Trump claimed that he had not yet been shown the C.I.A. assessment that Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the assassination. Who do you believe? The CIA or the Chief Fire Marshall? This sounds like either willful blindness or plausible deniability to me. Trump says we will see in a few days what the facts are, which is his way of kicking the cancer down the road. The only thing I would say is, “liar, liar pants on fire.”

January 30, 2018

I often hear my fellow Baby Boomers bemoan the current state of affairs, especially as it relates to the habits and self-absorption of Millennials. I am guilty as charged. I recently watched a preview of the amazing athletes going to the Winter Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. What struck me was that, for the most part, their main interest when not training was to be on social media, whether it be Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and the like. I am guessing they are not unlike their contemporaries. As someone once sang, “Why can’t they be like we were, perfect in every way. What’s the matter with kids today?”

I would like to reframe that refrain. Why can’t we all be like our forefathers of decades and centuries ago when about the only things they could do during their free time was read, write, and talk? Nighttime was not filled with TV, video games, and Facebook. A transatlantic trip could take six weeks. Elections were held on Tuesdays because Mondays were a travel day. Think of all the letters you could write, books you could read, diary entries you could make, and conversations you could have if you had all of this uninterrupted time? As you traveled on horseback, imagine all of the interesting characters you could meet, and possibly have to sleep with, in taverns along the way.

Historians have treasure troves of letters, articles, and diary entries from which to recreate the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of history’s great doers and thinkers. Writing was a skill. People took pride in their prose. Historian Walter Isaacson had rooms full of material to work with from which to recreate the life and longings of Benjamin Franklin amongst others. What are future historians going to do with Tweets, texts, and posts? Will selfies be historically significant? What will the current president leave behind of significance other than mean and misspelled messages? So far, all we have about this presidency is a pulp, non-fiction book, “Fire and Fury,” that tells us that the president doesn’t read, and he watches TV all day. He certainly doesn’t write anything coherent. His legacy will be at the mercy of historians, who will try to interpret his cryptic comments.

We should all make an attempt to try and understand each other better, whether it be Democrats and Republicans or Baby Boomers and Millennials. Reading from a variety of sources, writing letters that might be worthy of saving, and talking rationally and respectively could go a long way towards this end. It could be historic.

November 2, 2018

Donald Trump is trying to electrify his base by electrifying the fence between Mexico and the United States. Even though this is an obvious metaphor, it is not beyond belief. We are sending grown men with guns aka the US Army to the border to protect us from desperate women and children. “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” I am told there are strong men, drug dealers, MS-13 gang members, and rapists embedded in the caravan. I have seen no proof they are actually there, but everyone says they are there so that is good enough for me. However, this alien invasion does not keep me up at night. Whenever aliens attack the United States, America always wins, at least in the movies. My only fear regarding illegal immigrants is that we will not be able to find enough of them to mow our fairways.

What does keep me up at night are angry, white men with more guns than brains. We saw them sending pipe bombs, and murdering Jews. We have seen them in Charlottesville. We see them at Trump rallies. They are scary. Can I call them a mob? The problem, however, is that we cannot keep them out because they are already here. They have been here for decades. The only difference is they now have a voice at the highest level from the Angry White Man in Chief.

August 27, 2018

I recently had the unwelcome opportunity to deliver some remarks at a ceremony honoring the passing of my brother-in-law. I read a letter I had sent to my niece that started, “This is not the kind of letter anyone aspires to get good at, but I thought a letter was more appropriate than an e-mail, a text, or, God forbid, a Tweet.” Yet, a Tweet is how President Bonespurs decided to honor a genuine American war hero and statesman. In an administration that sets new standards of unacceptable behavior everyday, this is a new low. He won’t even fly the flag over the White House at half staff for more than one day. We have a president who is unwelcome at state funerals honoring our best heroes. McCain was a naval officer. There certainly won’t be a USS Trump in the future unless it a garbage scow. If John McCain just deserved a Tweet, what do you deserve, Mr. President?

October 9, 2018

I am somewhat amused about the polls that reflect which political base is more energized and angrier to get out and vote on November 6th. At this point, if you do not have enough energy, or anger, to vote in the mid-terms, you may want to look into a health club membership before the crush of New Year’s resolution athletes takes over the gyms. Maybe, however, it is not a lack of energy or anger, but a lack of convenience that keeps voters away from the polls? Maybe we should make it easier rather than making it harder, which many states are doing in the name of election purity? We have poor turnout especially amongst the poor and millennials. Here are some suggestions.

In the really old days, the reason we voted on Tuesday was because Monday was the first travel day after the Sabbath. It took all day to get to the polls on Horse. Why can’t we vote on weekends? I think we could all find time on a weekend between church and football to cast a ballot.

We could make our biennial elections a national holiday. We take time for less. There is no guarantee people would vote, but it would be embarrassing if you did not. Or, we could mandate some time off for workers on election day to allow people to vote.

If the carrot does not work, we could do what Australia does, which requires all eligible people to vote under penalty of a fine. That might get everyone’s attention.

I am reluctant to propose online voting for the obvious reasons. Nyet.

We can and should do better. Don’t get mad, get even. Vote!

December 11, 2017

A recent study by a conservative think tank, the Council for an Economic Renaissance, takes issue with the whole theory of trickle down economics, which focuses on tax cuts for corporations and the rich in the belief that these cuts will create dynamic growth and pay for themselves. Their research, which has gone largely unreported, stands this theory on its head.

What they have found is that the most effective way to grow the economy and get money into the hands of the people who need it is to do three things. First, provide massive tax cuts for lower and middle class individuals and their families. This money typically will be spent immediately, creating a multiplier effect throughout the economy. Companies will have to build more factories, and create more jobs in order to keep up with the demand.

Second, while this is taking effect, the federal government, in coordination with the states, should immediately start hiring and training individuals to help with infrastructure, education, municipal services, etc. As with the first point, money gets injected into the economy quickly and effectively.

Lastly, the federal government should devote funds to research and development that will lead to hiring and long-term benefits.

The bottom line, according to the CFAER, is that trickle down economics takes time and is dependent on the largesse and the business decisions of those receiving the funds. Trickle up economics has more immediate impact for individuals, and longer-term benefits for corporations.

What both of these theories have in common is that they are both “fake news.” There is no proof that trickle down economics works, and the CFAER is a fiction made up by the writer. However, I ask you, which one makes more sense?

July 20, 2018

What do the Russians have on Donald Trump? That is what everyone is asking after the Helsinki Hostage Crisis. I say everyone only because Donald Trump says everyone thinks it was a huge success.

One theory is that the Russians have pictures of Trump in compromising positions. I am not buying that. We already have plenty of pictures of Trump in similar positions. For the man with no shame, what is another lurid photo?

Another theory is that Trump feels that his election is tarnished by Russian involvement. He feels delegitimized. He is locked into the storyline that there was no Russian involvement, and no collusion. He cannot change the storyline without saying “I’m sorry,” and we know that is not going to happen. I think this may be part of it, but it can’t be the whole story. So, what is it?

In my uninformed opinion, it’s all about money. After enduring multiple bankruptcies, his greatest fear in life is being broke. He almost certainly lies about his personal net worth at $10 billion dollars. The first sign was not releasing his tax returns. The billionaires that I know are more than happy to show you how much money they have. What is he hiding? He is hiding how much he was not worth, and how much what he does have is dependent on Russian oligarchs. Russians own properties in his buildings. Russians are investors in his business. It is my guess that if the Russians called in their loans, the Trump Empire would collapse like a house of cards.

The art of the deal is all about money. Vladimir Putin is the deal maker because he subscribes to the Golden Rule. He who has the money makes the rules. It is as obvious to me as the nose on your face.