No Guns Allowed!

       Have you seen the news? The NRA is holding its convention, which in and of itself is no big deal. Except that this year guns will be banned. The NRA. No guns allowed. Its because Vise President Mike Pence will attend the event. Still, you have to be a bit surprised that the organization that defends the constitutional right to keep and carry guns  won't allow guns in its own annual convention.
       What's the matter? Ya think some angry member of the NRA will endanger the Vice President? Doesn't the NRA understand that guns don't kill people, people kill people? Has the national sales representative for the gun industry decided they might be wrong on their thinking? Could this be a turning point in the NRA's fight to arm every citizen?
       There is no reason to believe that the NRA will change its mind regarding children in school. Apparently teachers, administrators and yes, probably soon to be heard is the idea that young and older children alike should be armed as well. Because, after all, guns don't kill people and the way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a toddler with a gun.
       Of course I'm half joking about arming children in school. The NRA hasn't sunk that low. Now when it comes to college, well that's a different matter. Student applications should have a line item asking what model of assault rifle the student will be carrying to classes. At that point I'd recommend you stay as far away from any institution of higher learning. In fact that's just what the NRA wants. An uneducated clientele.

The White House.

       The world's largest geyser, in Yellowstone, has erupted for the third time this year. It doesn't happen very often and according to geologists it poses no danger. There's an eruption in the White House, by the biggest geyser in politics, every day and usually multiple times each day. And the thing is, political scientists  warn that they are sometimes very dangerous, most often to the disadvantage his own people.
       There have been  many explanations given for these outbursts, none of which answers the question adequately. Most often  Mr. Comey of Hillary are given as the reason, however I think I've got the real answer to the problem in the White House. It seems that First Lady Melania doesn't seem to have the same feelings toward Donald as she must have had in the past. The Donald keeps getting the cold shoulder. Whenever he wants to snuggle in public, or apparently in private he gets a cold stare.
       So, during the night, when most families are fast asleep, Mr. trump shouts it out loud on Tweeter against anyone who he feels has done him a bad turn the previous day. Now I can't say for sure, not having been in the White House living quarters at those times, but it is pretty clear to me that the problem with Trump's presidency lies with his third wife, the First Lady and her locked door.
       Buck up old man, you should be used to this sort of thing by now. Just put on an old coat and go find a nice new girlfriend to cheer you up. I think the time is approaching when you will be free to chose your forth. Choose wisely. Consult your closest advisors on Fox and Friends.

100 Republicans.

       Speaker Paul Ryan and about 100 House Republicans are pushing to slash Medicare and Social Security. Now ain't that nice. It's been a long time goal for Republicans to eliminate those two most successful and popular government programs. Why would they want to harm so many people? Why would they go against the grain on this?
       Its a simple answer. They're trying to pay for the huge tax cuts for the wealthy and modest cuts for everyone else. See, after so many years of fighting the debt and deficit, they've caused the single quickest expansion to the debt and deficit with the tax cuts. Can't have that blemish on their record, so they've decided to look for ways to pay for it. The question was how?
       Well the first thing they thought of was to cut everything they could get away with. When they realized they could do that and there'd be no outcry, they went for the brass ring, Medicare and Social Security. They think it'll work. They think their long time goal will be realized. The question you have to ask yourself is; do you want to get less in your monthly SS check and do you want to have to pay more for medical bills? After all, the Republicans never liked either of those programs.
       On Social Security, they, along with their Democrat partners syphoned off all the money we've paid into the program and the Republicans started claiming SS was going broke and it wasn't taking in enough to continue to pay the retired folks. The problem is there's never been an honest accounting of all the money they took out and spent on other programs so they wouldn't have to raise taxes to pay for those programs.
       Social Security isn't broke. It owns all those other programs. It's time for those programs to start paying SS the rent. Either the programs or Congress. And remember Social Security wasn't given to us, we earned it. We paid into it every payday and now we're getting it back. The problem with Congress is they forgot that and they also forgot to pay us interest on that money.

Tall Tales In Washington.

       Ya know, Hillary Clinton is making me wish I hadn't voted for her. Donald Trump is making me wish there had never been an election. It's true Hillary is the worst loser I can recall. She won the most votes but she lost the election. Finished, over, done, give it a break. Donald has done so poorly as president that he should never have been elected a dog catcher.
       I hate to admit it, but there doesn't seem to be anyone who can conduct themselves as though they deserve to be elected to any public office. Take Trump, please. Look at the people he's put in charge of the many cabinet positions. He's driven out more than he's been able to get the fill those positions. And some, like Betsey DeVos and Scott Pruitt are unfit to oversee a square dance.
       If our society manages to exist through the Trump single term, I'll be surprised, but I can tell you that our educational standing in the world will fall and our environment will be richly clouded with the pollution Pruitt seems determined to wrap us in. Never-Never land would be a fit term for America if he is allowed to continue. Never breath and never go into our outdoors.
       Its getting so bad you have to chuckle a little bit, then laugh out loud, then sit and have a good cry. Things weren't perfect under our first black president, but they seemed to be headed in the right direction. Trump is showing us what the wrong direction looks like.
       Lets look at what might have been. What if we had elected a good person to lead us. Someone with a plan other than against the predecessor. What if the Congress saw that plan as the right course at the right time in our history. What if the world applauded our decisive actions. What a fairy tale that would be.

How Much Is A Night At A Trump Place?

       Lets not talk about Trump's competence or lack thereof in office. Instead let's talk about the fact that between his campaign for the presidency and his re-election campaign, Trump's businesses have been paid over 13 million $$$. I can't think of any other president who profited from his campaigns in the numbers he has. And that doesn't count the sums paid to his properties ever since since his election.            
       Trump Towers, Mari-largo. The Secret service pays a huge sum to be there and protect him and Trump Towers whenever he is there or his facility in New Jersey where he plays golf when he's not in Florida, playing golf. What president played as much a golf as Trump. Every weekend. And he gets paid for doing it, or rather, his facilities do.
       And if any foreign dignitary wants to meet with him, it quite often takes place at one of his palaces. Where they have to pay to stay, or we have to. And I wouldn't be surprised at all if we wind up paying for him to stay there. I wonder if he has to pay taxes on any of that income? I wouldn't be surprised to learn that that money is tax exempt. After all, he is the president. and as such he must meet with people, even on his weekends off.
       So whether you like him or dislike him, would vote for or against him, he's costing uncle Sam a huge bundle. Almost any other human in America could do the job for less and do it as well or better. Now I'm not saying I could. Well maybe I could. That's not the point. The point is most people who are costing their bosses way too much, find themselves being replaced.

I Went Back On My Word.

       Ya know what I really hope? I hope Trump doesn't get impeached unless or until the democratic party gets a majority presence in both houses of Congress. And veto proof majorities at that. It's not so much that I like President Trump as that I fear V.P. Pence and his ideas on government. I think he's a Trump on steroids but without all the baggage Trump carries. No indiscretions, that we know of, and no propensity towards Twitter.
       I think Pence is far less likely to act like a ping pong ball than Trump, which is a good thing, except that he believes in the trickle down theory. And the trickle down theory simply does not and cannot act as advertised. What it does do is trickle into the pockets of the wealthy and there it stays. Other than those  conclusions, he's a semi-decent man.
       On the other hand Trump is a dangerous man because he acts on impulses instead of well thought out policies backed by careful review of pertinent facts and history, and listening to his advisors. He's prone to making the same mistakes as those of his predecessors, going back to Saint Ronald Reagan.
       And by the way, a Democratic super majority in both houses of Congress would also work well with Trump. Congress would be able to override any foolishness he attempts to pull in one of his early morning Twitter rants. Now, I think of the two men, Trump would be the one I'd choose to have a beer with, but my first choice would be to see Trump as a lame duck president starting in 2017.
       Now I know I said I'd lay off of Trump, but for some reason he doesn't want to be laid off. He's got it in his head that he needs to prove that he's a true conservative on most things, just not fiscal responsibility. He'd rather leave that the Democrats. Its true, the Republicans gave up that mantle and handed it to the Democrats who grudgingly accepted it.