Prepare for Change

  These are 9 US jet fuel tankers flying around the Strait of Hormuz, captured July 10.  Of course, they are there to refuel other planes, which apparently do not have their transponders on.  Most jet fighters do not have transponders on, to make them harder to follow.  JUST this part of the war in Iran is amazingly expensive.  Imagine these 9 craft and their fuel, followed by others when they have to go land, and all the fighters running around bombing things.  This is just a small snapshot of the cost of the Iran war.  Remember the ground crews for all these planes, the bombs and supplies that need to be brought over, the Navy vessels nearby that also house fighters and maintain the off-and-on blockade, etc., etc.    At an estimated cost of $1 billion per day to maintain this war, the fact that Trump has found no way to end it means we are once again throwing our tax dollars down the drain for an unnecessary foreign entanglement. ...

  “Look over there!” That’s the most popular distraction tool when you are doing something you don’t want someone to notice or observe. Give them something else interesting to look at somewhere else. Trump is a master at this. Consider the current media attention. Trump tears down a part of the White House, holds a UFC fight on the lawn, spends millions painting the reflecting pool, more millions to gild Washington DC statues, and starts building a huge arch. The deflection works, and the media take the bait every time. Trump also hires clowns to important governmental positions, again to distract from where he doesn’t want us to look. Look at the clowns! Look at my crazy construction projects! Over here! Did you ever stop to think what a president SHOULD be working on? How about affordable housing, health care, the national debt, switching away from fossil fuels, and faithfully executing the office of President? But no, he’s concentrating on his attacks on immigrants,...

 What were the promises of the future when you were growing up? I was born in 1950’s, so the 60’s were my guide star for what life would be like in my adult life. The main promise of adults then was that their children would be better off than them. The next generation would minimally have a home, a good job, and security. Hard work would be rewarded, but robots and computers would make work easier and more productive. Science would give us better health, faster transportation, more mechanical aids, and military weapons to keep us safe. We would explore the planets and space. There were things that were pushed off though. Pollution, waste, finite resources were left for the future as they weren’t seen as current problems needing attention. Foreign relations included the nuclear threat of annihilation. Wars and preparation for wars sucked enormous amounts of the nation’s treasure in money, manpower, and brain power. And now that I’m in my 70’s, what of these promise...

 In his business career, Donald J. Trump has filed for bankruptcy six times.  Is he now trying to bankrupt the United States?  Currently the US National debt is almost $39 trillion.  Just paying the interest on such a debt is a huge portion of our annual expenditure.  A wise leader would work on bringing that down and tightening our belts a bit. Instead, Trump's administration has started an unnecessary war with Iran that has so far cost at least $29 billion, and there is no end in sight.  The proposed annual budget for the Defense Department is $1.5 trillion, a 50% inscrease.  On top of that, Trump has proposed a "Golden Dome" missile defense program that will cost at least $1.2 trillion.   Even small things like the White House ballroom ($1 billion) add up quickly.  The $1.3 million no-bid reflecting pool paint job has now ballooned to nearly $15 million.Trump has sued the United States for $10 billion, and rather than fighting it in c...

  President Trump gets upset about many things. One of these things is transportation. He doesn’t seem to like it. Here is some evidence of that. The Border Road, which follows the border of Canada and the United States near the Sweetwater crossing, has been in use for dozens of years. Now suddenly the US decides it needs to close this road because of unspecified illegal entry into the US. Another border problem that Trump sees is the newly built $3.8 billion Gordie Howe International Bridge, connecting Detroit, Michigan with Windsor, Ontario. Trump is seeking to prevent its opening, perhaps because his friend owns a current bridge that will then have competition. California’s high-speed rail program would be the only high-speed rail in the US. The Trump administration has canceled several grants to the project, severely hindering its construction. The goal seems to be to kill the entire project. The Trump Administration halted funding for a new subway syst...

 In 2004 Howard Dean was running to be the democratic contender for president of the United States.  After a loss in Iowa, he made a speech to rally his followers.  At one point he let out a shout or "scream" that became a favorite clip for the news media to play.  Apparently the idea was that anybody who screamed like that once in his life could certainly not be president.  Dean lost. Fast forward to the present.  79-year-old president Donald Trump doesn't scream, but he does speak.  Often.  Strangely, for a president.  Below are recent quotes from him, that in context are much worse than they look just as snippets.  Worse than a scream.  And yet, there seems to be little reaction to these out-of-kilter thoughts and pronouncements.  Maybe if you see them all in a row they'll hit differently.   Your daughter, she has to be of age. Like above 6 years old. All of the people that died through the roadside bombs. Died...