None of this is a secret, the problem has been known for years.
So why are they looking in the wrong place? I wonder.
Privatizing Medicare and Social Security
Social security is the most successful poverty ending program in history. So much so that is has been copied by many countries. Elon wants rid of it. No one voted for that, no one wants that. I’m lucky enough to have a few pensions. My teaching job has given me a “Defined Benefit” pension and a “Defined Contribution” pension. The first is a traditional pension where the company you work for agrees to pay you a certain amount each month when you retire. The kind of pension our fathers and grandfathers may have enjoyed. The second is a more modern pension where you put money into an investment account and draw off it when you retire. Despite record growth in the stock market guess which one pays me more? As traditional retirement plans have disappeared, have average Americans become more secure in their retirement or less?
Privatizing Social Security will create massive poverty amongst our elderly. How do I know? We have already been there and done that. That’s why the program was created in the first place. Same with Medicare. If it were privatized costs would soar. How do I know that? Compare the efficiency of Medicare with a private health care plan. Many people have and Medicare always wins.
The Trump/Musk administration represents the greatest danger to the security and stability of our country since the Civil War. These are bad people and their plans for our country are a disaster. But I do know of one guy who’s cheering them on, but he lives in Russia.
Ionic Thrusters
Back in 2002, our Physics teacher introduced me to a student who wanted to build an ionic thruster. I had never heard of one, but I was able to tell the young man where to obtain a high voltage power supply (and give him a long lecture about safety). A few days later he popped by to show me a device constructed of balsa wood, aluminum foil and stainless steel wire that would levitate (it was anchored by its power supply wires) when connected to about 15,000 volts. I was kind of blown away to say the least. That young man is an engineer now and ionic thrusters have continued to be developed by NASA. Here is a further demonstration…
Great series.
Great Stuff
I love “Letters of Note” this is a good one…
Scott Galloway
Professor Galloway is a really smart guy. He’s someone who, to me at least, seems to speak common sense. He isn’t partisan. This whole video is interesting.
Don’t be a D*ck
The actor Wil Wheaton has said that’s his personal motto and advice to anybody. It’s good advice. This story got me thinking about that advice…
Sarah McBride targeted in heated exchange about her gender in congressional hearing
Okay, there are a lot of different opinions about how transgender people should be treated and what guidelines should be established in society to account for them. I get that. But what Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe did, was just being a dick. Just a rude asshole.
Update: GOP lawmaker explains why he called trans Dem ‘Mr. McBride’: ‘I don’t have to participate in his fantasy’
Yep. He’s a dick
Y’know when I was teaching there was a guy who lived on the street next to the school. He had a fenced in yard and gated drive with a “no trespassing” sign. A just below his American flag on his flagpole was a flag that read “Fuck Biden”. Every Middle school and High School bus in that town drove past his place twice a day. What a lovely message for the kids to see. I lost count of how many T-Shirts I saw with Trump giving the middle finger, or with the slogan “Trump 2024, Fuck your Feelings” or flags, banners and stickers that said “Let’s Go Brandon” (which at least is better). And then there was the story of a guy who had a vinyl wrap made for his pick-up truck tailgate that showed Biden hog-tied in the bed of the truck, charming. A couple days ago good ‘ol Elon called Sen. Mark Kelly a “traitor” for visiting Ukraine (an ally of the U.S.!). Chances are if you know someone who might qualify as a dick, they probably voted for Trump. This does not mean I think everyone who voted for Trump is a dick, nor do I think that everyone who deserves that moniker voted for Trump. Just that my observations indicate he won that minority group by a landslide.
How do I know? Strangely, I haven seen any “Fuck Trump” signs, flags, stickers, or shirts. I’m sure they exist, but I’ve never seen any. All this reminds me of a comedy sketch…
Oh, and one more thing. it reminds me of some advice my old boss Hassan told me, “Boy, you lay down with dogs, you wake up with fleas.”
It also reminds me of a Mr. Boch quote, “No one was every harmed by acting like a lady or a gentleman.” Be a gentleman.
Silencing Science
Not that it was a surprise that Trump/Musk and their crew would do this, it just stinks.
Jeeze. We have an unqualified celebrity, conspiracy theory lawyer running our public health system. Not a doctor or public health official, no qualifications whatsoever. Fantastic. Oh boy I’ll bet those right wingers who were worried about free speech will angry about this, right? Lol, nope. Their defense of free speech is highly specific.
UPDATE: – Even more stupidity…
and…
Trump considers easing safety screenings for chemicals
Assuming the United States still exists then, only three years, 10 months and 9 days more to go.
Elon Musk is Deranged
Maybe it happens to everyone who has too much power, too much money and too much praise. But Elon is not a stable person. Nor is he trustworthy.
Musk calls Sen. Kelly a ‘traitor’ over trip to Ukraine, Kelly hits back
Senator Kelly is a former Navy pilot, a former astronaut, and an elected representative of his state. Musk is a rich, unelected crybaby who has been allowed to have way too much say. He has no right to call anyone “traitor” let alone someone like Kelly. Now he wants to destroy Social Security, a program that millions of U.S. citizens rely on.
Musk eyes Social Security and benefit programs for cuts while claiming widespread fraud
Grift on a Grand Scale
Yes, it’s slow to get started (you could really skip the first 5 minutes), but Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) spells out just SOME of the corruption that has sprung up within the Trump/Musk administration so far. It is totally worth the 28 min. watch. This is why hundreds of prominent Republicans who held positions in previous Republican administrations begged voters NOT to vote for Trump.
I say again…
Grift
As Elon Musk works at destroying the Social Security that millions of Americans rely on, And Congress eliminates the Medicaid and SNAP programs that keep our poor children healthy, take solace in the fact he’s doing really well.
Starlink benefits as Trump admin rewrites rules for $42B grant program
Gotta love those clever Trump voters who figured out a team of billionaires would be the best to recreate our government. You know billionaires care about us, right?
I’ve Finally Read Jeff Smith’s Bone
Bone is a graphic novel I’ve been aware of but never read. Recently I took the plunge and bought the Complete Bone Saga in the original black and white. 1400 pages of Good stuff! While I don’t think it’s as ground breaking as Watchmen, or The Dark Knight Returns, or as important as Maus, it’s an expansion of what the graphic novel format can be. Really Jeff Smith admits, he was trying to channel Walt Kelly’s Pogo and it shows.
It’s a good yarn, entertaining for adults or kids. Fone Bone and his cousins Smiley Bone and Phoncible P. “Phoney” Bone get lost escaping Boneville and the results of one of Phoney’s many scams. Large rat creatures, dragons, talking animals a major quest and a war of good versus evil follow. If you like stuff like that, and I do, I highly recommend it.
When America Makes a Promise, Expect Trump to Break It
Remember the Kurds? Y’know I didn’t want to believe that Trump was a Russian asset despite the mounting evidence, but his actions since taking office scream Putin. Greenland is owned by Denmark, a NATO country who allows the U.S. to have both an Air Force and Naval base in Greenland. We patrol the “Northwest Passage” and keep it safe due to our commitments to our NATO allies. But if the U.S. owned Greenland, Trump could cede control of the Arctic Ocean to Russia. Panama has strict sanctions against Russian ships using the canal, but if the U.S. owned the canal, it could unilaterally drop those sanctions. What a gift that would be to Russia! Like breaking the bond between the U.S. and Western Europe, or substantially weakening the functionality of our government.
Now this…
Exclusive-Trump plans to revoke legal status of Ukrainians who fled to US, sources say
We made a promise, those people trusted us. But so did the Kurds. The thing I struggle to understand is, are his followers okay with breaking promises or just okay with him breaking promises?
UPDATE! – I was wrong, the Panama Canal has a doctrine of neutrality and already lets Russian ships through. Scratch that conspiracy theory I fell for. This is why I have to check my sources before I publish. Fact-checking is essential Y’know.
Rogue Planet? How Cool is That?
Kennedy Says Measles Outbreak is “a Call to Action”
Yeah, but if someone hadn’t enriched themselves for years using their celebrity to make dumb suburban moms doubt the efficacy of vaccines, we probably wouldn’t HAVE an outbreak. Dumbass. Herd immunity requires high percentages of vaccination. It cannot be a “personal choice” since the choice is asking for the right to sicken others.
Times Change
“We don’t want to see anybody die,” – Marco Rubio (late January)
On second thought, Daddy and Musk say we are okay with that – Marco Rubio (late February)
The Trump Administration Said These Aid Programs Saved Lives. It Canceled Them Anyway
Musk’s Purges Suddenly Take a Horrific Turn—and Wreck an Ugly MAGA Lie
I remember how excited I was when “Plumpy nut (RUTF) was developed. No more kids starving! And it was cheap, and it supported American farms!
Yeah, feels good to be an American these days.
More, Nothing to See Here
After slashing federal workers’ jobs, Elon Musk suggests pay hike for politicians
They do work SO hard.
The Real Manipulation Machine is the One You Build for Yourself
Some folks believe the left manipulates the media. It’s a convenient conspiracy theory because it allows one to discount that which challenges their opinions. I read a post recently, called Inside the Manipulation Machine. I liked that the author bases the beginning of his article on a book I very much enjoyed called “Amusing Ourselves to Death” by the brilliant Neil Postman. Although he summarizes the premise of the book he does not reference it. Which seems dishonest, since he’s clearly read it. Basically we went from a visual species to a verbal species to a species capable of understanding the written word. Then we de-evolved with first radio (verbal communication) and then television (visual communication). Now our caveman brains are easily manipulated. So Obama manipulated them!
Wait! What?
What Can You Say?
Oh, and if that wasn’t enough. We’re also offering the Tate brothers sanctuary. Because of course we are.
And Definitely Nothing Here Either
RFK Jr. issues rule barring public comment on HHS rulemaking
Wonder if my conservative friends will think their freedom of speech is being stifled. They always seem so worried about that.
Nothing to See Here, Move Along
R.I.P. – Gene Hackman
“There has never been a ‘Gene Hackman Type.’ There has only been Gene Hackman.” – Tom Hanks
nicely put.
Thank Goodness Someone is Finally Testing Vaccines!
Now we will finally know if vaccines actually work!
Oh, wait. They work. And they always worked? Gee. What a surprise. Maybe they’ll invent one for Measles.
By the way, Fun Fact: The first person to mandate inoculation was George Washington during the Revolutionary War. That woke S.O.B.
What is Wrong with Elon?
An interesting take on Elon’s business acumen from someone who worked for him…
Also interesting, this was posted four months ago and really gives some insights…
In the end, I think both Elon and Trump are pretty easily misled. That seems crazy, but is it? Both have attachments to conspiracy theories that are definitely not true.
J.D. Vance’s Speech to Europe
I’ve waited awhile before commenting on JD’s European speech. I have a friend who thought he did really well. I am less enthusiastic. But he did highlight what I believe are two misconceptions, one held by liberals, and one held by conservatives. In the end, his speech was shocking, and partially, in my opinion, true.
He started by saying that Europe’s greatest threat is internal. Attempts by European governments to restrict speech that may offend others are silly and counter productive. This is a good point. I have always felt that liberals need to understand that especially in the United States, there is no such thing as the right to not be offended. Instead, there is indeed a right to offend. Comedians like Lenny Bruce, George Carlin and Richard Pryor established that a long time ago and I stand by it. Okay, that part is true, but is it really Europe’s BIGGEST threat? Continue reading
So Much for Western Democracy and NATO
With friends like us, who needs enemies?
US refuses to blame Russia for Ukraine war, splitting with European allies in UN votes
Russia invaded Ukraine. It was not provoked. We are now lairs on the world stage. This is not the U.S.A. I was raised in. Not the one I thought I knew. Shame to everyone who enabled this.