Last of the year

This may very well be the last post I'll make this year.  Aside from family milestones I'm pretty happy to put 2017 in the rear view mirror.  Starting with the inauguration of Orange Narcissus, there has been some violation of democratic norms virtually every day.  At least many of us haven't gotten used to the constant lying by virtually everyone employed in this administration.  Hopefully the outrage will be sustained through the upcoming elections.  On the pop culture front, we continue to lose many of the rock and roll icons who started the genre and kept it fresh and relevant.  Chuck Berry, David Bowie and Tom Petty are the brightest lights among the many who passed.  Closer to home, a younger cousin and a favorite aunt also left us, far too early in both cases.  Feelings of mortality are ever present at the waning of the old year.  But, those of us who remain resolve to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the new year.  As Tiny Tim should have said, "Flying Spaghetti Monster bless us, everyone"!

Liar in chief

One of the most annoying aspects of the tRump presidency is the constant lying.  He is on a "working vacation" in Florida and claims he is not golfing.  This is a lie that is easy to confirm.  There are numerous pictures of him on the golf course every day.  As a golfer, I would hate to be paired with such a man.  You know he cheats on his score.  A 20 foot birdie putt is probably conceded by the lickspittles he does play with.   Meanwhile, he knows the right wing media will back up his lies regarding golf, so he flips the bird to the rest of us.  I'm sure the briefing he receives every day is the extent of the work he does at Mar-a -Lago.  The only benefit of the 111 days of vacation he has taken so far is the lesser pace of his destruction of democratic norms while he is  on the links. 

Trumpgeddon

Many pundits on the left have decided we are too worried about the daily damage being done by the tRump administration to our democratic polity.   The Donald hasn't done any more damage than say a President Cruz, and besides he has saddled the GOP with a lot of political baggage it won't shed for years, if not decades.  If the Dems run around with their hair on fire every day, lamenting the recent tax bill as "Armageddon" and the declaration on Jerusalem  as the worst foreign policy gaffe since the Iraq war, they risk making the public blasé when these predictions of disaster don't live up to the hype.  It is true that a unified republican government hasn't gotten much done, and we haven't gotten into any shooting wars, yet.   However, the hollowing out of so many government agencies by political appointees whose only qualification seems to be their opposition to the mission of said agencies is unprecedented.  Reagan tried some of these tactic, most notably with the EPA, but a democratic congress spared us the worst case scenario.  tRump and his enablers have a cheering section in the GOP dominated House and Senate and irreversible damage may be done to several agencies.  The judiciary is being ideologically tilted for possibly decades in which it will possibly thwart the coming progressive wave.   These are legitimate reasons to condemn this travesty of an administration.   By not loudly and constantly calling out the daily efforts at subversion, we risk the possibility of normalizing this abnormal behavior.

Post Christmas thoughts

A very Merry Christmas was had by all the celebrants at Casa Monzeglio.   Most of us took vicarious pleasure at the sight of 3 year olds tearing open multiple wrapped packages with rapacious delight.  They will start to actually enjoy said gifts in the coming days, but they have probably not come down from the sugar high of Christmas.   My usual quibble with the holiday; it is a monetized celebration of consumerism was muted in the face of the enjoyment had by Ben, Hannah, Erica and even one year old Wyatt.  So what if a significant portion of our national GDP is dependent on a one day extravaganza of gifting!  Meanwhile, climate change deniers will point to the weather in the Northeast and Midwest as proof there is no warming going on.  By Thursday, our highs here on the NCR will hover in the single digits and lows will be 15-20 below.  We haven't seen temps like this in several years.  But I am told by longtime residents that as late as the 70s and 80s, this was considered normal weather.  Cold snaps included temps in the -40 degree range, so break out the flip-flops, it's downright tropical.

Happy Holidays

Today will be 1 second longer than yesterday here on the NCR!  We have officially started the long climb toward summer in 2018.   I can start looking at seed catalogs and golf holiday advertisements with a certain guilty pleasure.   Congresscritters are headed back to their home districts where many will be guilted by constituents regarding their recent vote on the tax scam of 2017.  tRump will undoubtedly be holding court in Mar-a-Lago, spilling state secrets, playing golf and otherwise embarrassing the nation.  The rest of us will enjoy a brief respite from politics and savor the joys of the holiday season.  The Divine Mrs. M and I wish everyone who deserves it (you know who you are) peace on earth and may all your fondest wishes be realized. 

DACA and the Democrats

Following the final vote on the republican "tax reform" bill, the democrats are left with a dilemma.  Traditionally, dems run as the "we're better than republicans".  That may even work next year, but the party risks depressing turnout if it can't offer a positive reason for the rank and file to vote.  They can push repeal and replace of the tax law, but many in the base won't feel the effects of the law for several years.  They could push a resolution to the problem by proposing comprehensive  in reform.  That risks the backlash from right wing media.  Medicare for all or more plausibly Medicaid for all might be the winner.  Especially as many people forego health insurance with the repeal of the ACA mandate.

What is good for the goose

Repeal and replace should be the new mantra for democrats going into the 2018 elections.  The republicans will pass their tax giveaway today and it is tailor made for the mid-terms, much as the ACA was for republicans in 2010.  The difference was Obamacare was redistributive downwards and was demonized as a gift to "those People".  The tax bill is a wet kiss to the .01% and a Bronx cheer to the rest of us.  In the final two weeks leading up to passage they made it even worse with goodies like the Corker kickback which benefits a dozen or so Senators as well as the*president.  The authors of the bill were counting on the crumbs which many in the middle class will get for the first few years to temper the backlash to the bill.  However, aside from inveterate Faux News viewers, the rest of us know what's in the bill.   Corker's embarrassment is due to some savvy reporting by David Sirota who wondered why the Tennessee senator changed his vote despite the bill's provisions exploding the deficit, which the pious Corker said was a non starter for him.  So let's make sure of democratic majorities in the House and Senate so this tax bill can be re-visited and made more equitable for the majority of the population.

Even Astrology hates the tax bill

I was going to try to avoid a political post today, instead noting the approach of the Winter Solstice with ruminations on winter (I hate it) and how our modern Christmas is a corruption of various pagan rites the early Christian church used to indoctrinate new followers.  But even the change of seasons is political these days.  It turns out that this year in a situation that hasn't occurred in 350 years, Saturn will be in Capricorn on the 21st of December and somehow anything undertaken that day will turn into a catastrophe.  Cue republicans, who will probably vote on their new tax bill on Thursday the 21st!   Of course, most non-partisan tax watchdogs as well as all democratic interest groups are certain this bill will exacerbate the inequalities of wealth in America, but who knew even the stars are against this travesty.

nihilism, pure and simple

The Nice Polite Republicans on NPR this morning interviewed a republican representative from Maryland regarding the tax bill sailing through Congress.  He was allowed to regurgitate all the talking points leadership has been selling.   He incorrectly posited that a middle class family with $90,000 income would receive a $4000. tax refund.  Of course, the whole line of questioning was besides the point.  What this tax bill does is gut the federal government's ability to fund infrastructure investment, research and development, social services and most anything benefitting the majority of the nation's population.   As Kevin Drum points out, if you give the institutional republican party credit for any insight it would be they realize that despite their best efforts to disenfranchise and demonize minorities in this country, demographic destiny will catch up to them shortly.  Despite the candidacy of tRump maximizing the white, mostly racist vote, they figure they will probably be out of power for decades if the party survives at all, so why not make their last years in power a smash and grab operation.  So what if it leaves America a helpless, hollowed out power.  They will leave this mess to the next democratic administration which will, hopefully explain that now that the adults are once again in charge again, the oligarchic concentrations of wealth and power now being enshrined in the tax code will be dispersed to the general population and the nation will begin the rebuilding process in a more equitable fashion.

Another in a series

The Washington Post published the results of another study of the relationship of racism to tRump's victory in 2016.  No surprise, it affirms what other studies and anecdotal evidence have previously stated.  Trump and his handlers waged a racist campaign which struck a chord in a racist nation.  Of course, the recent election of Doug Jones in Alabama is further confirmation of the efficacy of racist campaigns.  76% of white men and 63% of white women voted for an alleged child molester who opined America was great during the era of slavery, because families were "united".  What put Jones over the top was the fact 98% of black women and 92% of black men (I'd love to find out what motivated 8% of black voters to support slavery) voted for the democrat.  Had the other republican who Moore defeated in the primary, Luther Strange, been the GOP candidate he probably would have won by 30 points.  Despite the protestations of liberals and conservatives alike, racism is alive and well in 21st century America. The unfunny thing about it is in European countries which have decried American prejudice, as soon as they have a significant immigrant population racism rears its ugly head.   The primal fear of the "other" is probably a genetic defense mechanism left over from our earliest ancestors.  To small bands of proto humans, anyone who was not a member of the clan was anathema.  Unfortunately we have not outgrown this defense mechanism and until everyone is the same color, racism will color our interpersonal relations.  Until then, some people suggest we empathize with the racists among us.  I would prefer other paths to sainthood.

Hopeful signs

Doug Jones' victory in the Alabama special election can be seen as either a momentary blip in the decline of civility in America or as a sign that there is hope for the republic.  Of course, the accusations of predation on teenage girls by Roy Moore were a big part  of his defeat.  It turns out that many Alabamians were outraged enough to either change and vote for a democrat or stay home and depress republican turnout.  I think I would bet on the latter, as with an all out GOTV, Jones squeeked out a victory.  Most commentators are betting any garden variety republican untainted by scandal will cruise to victory over Jones in 2020.  But who knows at this point.  Maybe the horse will sing by that time!

Alabama follies

While most of the country holds its collective breath and hopes that sanity wins the day in Alabama, I doubt the average American would wager more than a cup of coffee that 'Bama will do the right thing and elect an upstanding family man and former prosecutor over an alleged child molester and law breaker.  Alabama is one of several states the Divine Mrs. M would not even fly over if given the option and her antipathy is based on the intolerance and hypocrisy that has allowed Roy Moore's candidacy to advance to the eve of the election as the favorite.  Many republicans no doubt say democrats would vote for a pervert if he was on the ballot in a deep blue state.  To them I say, check out Anthony Weiner's career arc in New York.  The election in Alabama is a referendum on the republican party.   A win by Moore should cause nationwide revulsion for the party among women, minorities and anyone with a shred of decency.  I hope my fellow Americans in Alabama do the right thing, but I won't be betting on it.

This and That

While it wasn't "A Star is Born" moment, at least (I think) I didn't embarrass myself as I lent my voice to the Champlain Valley Voices production of the Christmas portion of Handel's Messiah last Saturday evening.  A good time was had by all.  The concert was the culmination of rehearsals dating back to late August and the 55 voice chorus belted out the oratorio, assisted by a full baroque string orchestra and some very talented soloists.  Having not participated in a chorus since the 6th grade, I was somewhat intimidated by my fellow musicians, but love of the music overcame my trepidation.  The Divine Mrs. M's tireless encouragement was instrumental in keeping me on course.  Meanwhile, tomorrow the family will celebrate another milestone as Justyce Rain Kirker changes her name to Erica Justyce Groleau and officially becomes a member of our extended family.  She won our hearts four years ago, so this is merely an affirmation of our love and a milestone for daughter and son-in-law Alicia and Rick.  It will be a very Merry Christmas on the NCR.  Speaking of which it looks like we will get our first significant snowfall tomorrow.  Have I mentioned how much I hate winter!

Another infamous date

It has been 37 years since John Lennon was gunned down by Mark Chapman.  It seems weird to think my eldest daughter was 5 months old at the time.   How much has changed in our lives since that date.   I was a casual Beatles fan at the time, and had mixed reviews of the post mop top careers of John, Paul, George and Ringo.  I preferred Harrison's music and his social conscience, but Lennon also intrigued me.   I sometimes wonder what he would have created if given another 4 decades.   Would his music have had continued relevance to the baby boom generation?   As my baby brother would philosophically state, "Hard tellin', not knowin".   Would there have been another "Imagine" to challenge the right wing evangelicals who were becoming increasingly political at the time?  What ifs are bittersweet at best, but Lennon's hard edged advocacy of peace and equality would certainly be an antidote to tRump and the modern day republican party.

Unilateral disarmament

It was sad yesterday to see Al Franken, formerly one of the Senate's most widely respected leaders, announce his resignation amid charges of inappropriate conduct.   I realize as an old white man who has been afforded the benefit of the doubt my entire life, it is not easy for me to comment on the foibles of other old white men.   However, in this case it would seem the democrats are indulging in the fantasy that their moral propriety will be reciprocated by the republicans, and I won't let that misconception pass.  Yes, Franken probably indulged in some crude behavior, but did it rise to the level of forced resignation.  I guarantee there are at least a half dozen republican senators who have done that much or worse and will never be called on it and if they were they would not resign.  As Dahlia Lithwick pointed out recently, democrats are right to exercise zero tolerance in a perfect world.  The fact their opponents refuse to do so is the cautionary part of the equation. 

Another date that will live in infamy

Of course, any date since Jan. 20, 2017 is a pretty good candidate for that designation, but since I haven't seen any mention of the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, I figured I would mention it.  As the "Greatest Generation" has continually reminded the rest of us, Dec. 7, 1941 was the beginning of the struggle to preserve democracy around the world.  We won that fight and the victors reaped an unrivalled era of prosperity.  It's a pity that many from that generation and more than a few of the baby boomers are flushing democracy down the proverbial toilet.

What a deal!

If Donald J. Trump took over Monty Hall's old slot at "Let's make a Deal", instead of offering the contestants a choice of doors #1,2, or 3, he would allow them to look behind 2 doors before having to choose.   What a deal!  That's exactly what he did for the state of Israel yesterday when he recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state.   The Prime Minister was probably turning cartwheels as America surrendered a potential bargaining chip in the peace process.  By granting recognition with no strings attached, tRump managed to unite Jordan, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia in condemnation of the move.  Meanwhile, this move will undoubtedly re-energize Hammas and Hezbollah as the foci of Palestinian resistance to Israel.  We will never know what Netanyahu would have been willing to give up in return for US recognition of Jerusalem, because no one asked him for any concession.  What a farce.

Bubbles

As Rachel Maddow's show fades out and Lawrence O'Donnell and his latest guests eviscerate the GOP and its titular head, I wonder what my crazy uncle would make of the proceedings on MSNBC on an average weeknight.  I know I'll never find out, because the uncle in question would never tune into the above mentioned shows any more than I would check out the latest stylings by Sean Hannity.  We live in mutually exclusive bubbles and both of us consider ourselves in possession of the only truthful narrative of our national politics.  Ordinarily, the alignment of Maddow, et. al with the national media's interpretation of the facts would be an open and shut case.  However, after a nearly 40 year campaign by the GOP and its counterfactual universe, the New York Times and Washington Post are deemed by most voters who identify as republicans as "fake news" and dismissed when reality collides with their chosen narrative.  These views are reinforced by social media which verifies such idiocies as Hillary running a child sex slavery ring out of the basement of a D.C. pizzeria.   How the truth can compete with this is problematical at best.

Obsessing

This may be a repetitive post, but even on the cusp of retirement, I find the future of work a fascinating topic.   Growing up in mid to late 20th century America, most people, myself included, measured their self worth by the work they did and the value they produced.  Not working was something hippies and welfare cheats did and they were properly excoriated by society for violating this norm.  The recent spate of articles about AI or artificial intelligence explores the potential of this technology to change how we measure self worth in the future.  Many of these explorations of AI blithely claim it will be like many revolutions in the past.  It will take over many jobs now done by humans, but somehow many new jobs we can't even imagine will be created.  Unfortunately, there is a huge hole in this logic.  As Kevin Drum points out, if AI can meet or exceed human intelligence, then by definition it will also be able to do any new jobs created better than humans.   Many in Silicon Valley and other AI incubators are worried about what to do with a population with basically no work function in a future society.   With the automation of most routine jobs which will include many highly technical and well paying professions, how will our grandchildren and their progeny define themselves if they have not work function.   As we build machines with the ability to build more and better machines, will these super powerful computers decide humanity is disposable?  Or will the material abundance eliminate poverty and usher in a virtual heaven on earth where everyone can live up to his or her potential, freed from the drudgery and lack of choice forced on most of us in the present.   These are the questions our generation should be asking as we quite possibly face the end of work as a measure of social worth.

What to say

If this was a recording, I would be speechless.  Living in the first term of a Trump presidency can have that effect on anyone who expects the chief executive of the nation to at least pretend to be a grownup.  After his pick to be leader of the National Security Council was indicted for lying to the FBI by the special counsel investigating tRump's campaign's ties to Russia, all he could do was relentlessly attack the agency all weekend.   As one commentator pointed out the press and law enforcement agencies, in the absence of congressional oversight, represent the only check on  the president's power.  This inability to suborn the free press and the law drives Orange Narcissus crazy.  I wonder how long he will be able to resist the urge to use the substantial powers he controls to actually damage his remaining adversaries.  

Tax follies

It looks like faux deficit outrage by a small number of republicans is all that stands in  the way of the latest redistribution plan by the GOP.  Bob Corker and Jeff Flake, neither of whom is running for office again are free to voice their inner deficit hawks, albeit not too loudly if they wish to feed at the wingnut welfare trough when they leave the Senate.  Their objections have put a speed bump in an otherwise smooth road to send more middle class money to the 1%.   This horrible tax bill is unpopular and opposed by economists, interest groups on both sides of the political divide and the general public, but aside from the aforementioned senators, there is no outrage in Congress.  This bill is a big wet kiss to the donor class.  I hope the "little people" realize there is strength in numbers and while it may be too late to kill this monstrosity, we can at least make the perps pay for it in 2018.