Diving off a cliff into shallow water

"As far as I am concerned, the world should unify and give North Korea this crystal clear choice. Either become a part of the civilized world, the community of nations, or become part of past history. The choice is theirs."

Diving off a cliff into shallow water. Nobody in their right mind would do this if they knew the water was shallow. But once in while someone does, and suffers a catastrophic injury. It is always sad when this happens. What is the point? For an American to go into North Korea these days, the most brutal regime on the planet, is akin to diving into a shallow pool of water. And there are a couple of Americans in jail doing hard time for doing nothing wrong. One young man was just sent home in a coma, more dead than alive.

University of Virginia student, Otto Warmbier has just been released by North Korea for "humanitarian reasons". This young man who went to North Korea as a normal healthy person, did something foolish right before he came home. He wanted to bring a propaganda poster home with him as a souvenir. He took one, got caught, and was sentenced to over 15 years of hard labor. And because there are zero relations between the United States and North Korea, Otto was on his own.

Sailors from the USS Pueblo who were illegally captured and detained by North Korea in 1968 told of the unbelievable conditions when they were held. Yes, beatings were a part of it. So when young Mr. Warmbier was released in a coma, many (including me) were very suspicious. The coma he arrived home in is not recent - he has been in a coma for about a year. And the neurological damage suffered by this young man is so extensive, he will probably never recover.

His folks were recently interviewed on Fox and were very angry and upset with both the North Koreans and (ready for this) - the Obama Administration. In their view, the Obama Administration did nothing (surprised?) in getting their son released. But he is released now. And I want the Trump Administration to get some answers. Not propaganda by this puppet regime - I want the truth in what happened to this student.

The civilized world should shun this regime like the plague. It is rotten to the core. They are dangerous and they are rogue. Traveling into North Korea these days is no more safe than diving off a cliff into shallow water. As far as I am concerned, the world should unify and give North Korea this crystal clear choice. Either become a part of the civilized world, the community of nations, or become part of past history. The choice is theirs.   

A most dangerous game

"If the plan by the Democrats is to muck thing up so much that nothing gets done by the 2018 midterms, beware. Either work with this President in getting an agenda done which (unlike ObamaCare) will help the American people, or get ready for the ugly monster you will have created." 

Obstruction of justice? Really? This is NOT what Robert Mueller came into Washington to look at. It was the Russian connection. What? There was nothing there with the President? Even Comey told him that three times. Then what are we doing here? What about the nation's agenda? This "game" the Democrats are playing right now is a most dangerous game. And after yesterday, the nation is inches away from splitting apart. Now, the Democrats are ready to set off a nuke to make that split happen.

So the "neutral" Robert Mueller has come in to be a "fair" arbitrator. Really? The man who is best buds with James Comey? He has stacked (allegedly) his staff with Democratic lawyers who are also Democratic contributors. And what is the objective? To throw this man (who is a grandfather) in jail who has a spotless criminal record? To have long drawn out impeachment proceedings maybe followed by a Senate trial? Why? Just because the Democrats don't like him? Because he knocked the Queen out of "her" throne?

Here is my take. If they continue to go after Trump on nits and bits until finally he is gone (one way or another), we will never again have a normal Presidency. The Democrats could nominate Joan of Arc, or Mother Theresa, and if elected, their Presidency would be hell. The Democrats really don't get it. We put up with a plethora of BS from the last guy, and no action was taken against him. Well guess what - two can play at this game. The statue of limitations has NOT run out for many of the shenanigans which were pulled in the eight years prior to President Trump. And there is a whole lot of time left until January of 2019.

Look - Donald Trump is not a perfect man. Does he have flaws? Oh, yes he does! But so do I. I could go into my sins and imperfections, but this article would start looking like War and Peace instead of 300 words or so.

The bottom line is this. Like it or not, Donald Trump won the election fair and square. Even Comey admits to that. So, just like we had to treat Barrack Obama as our President while he transformed our country into something other than a Republic, we need to give the same deference to Donald Trump. Failure to do so would divide this great country more than a San Andreas earthquake.  

If the plan by the Democrats is to muck thing up so much that nothing gets done by the 2018 midterms, beware. Either work with this President in getting an agenda done which (unlike ObamaCare) will help the American people, or get ready for the ugly monster you will have created. I will grieve for this great country if the Democrats do that. Nothing good will come out of this most dangerous game. 

Living the (American) dream!

"If we truly want to maintain the American dream as it should be, we can't do it with the Met Council hanging around. They would be much better served working in Moscow as part of the politburo."

A couple of years ago, we were in a store buying something. Some young man was waiting on us. He was probably making eight to ten dollars an hour, and seemed happier than a clam. When we checked out he thanked us for our purchase. We thanked him for his help. His response - ""Glad to do it - I am living the dream". For this young man, at that point in time, he probably was. But will it be his dream in five to ten years from now?

Shortly after we got married, my wife and I had our eyes set on what our dream would be. And based on how many of our friends thought, their dream was very similar to ours. Life out in the burbs (or further), some kids, good job, and so forth. The only chink in the armor was the drive. We both loved the northern area of the metro for many reasons (including that is where my wife was employed), but my job opportunities were south of the metro. So, I ended up with decades of long drives. But the life we had, living on four acres of woodland, located in a nice city, a great county, made my long drive worth it.

However, the unelected, unrepentant, unaccountable Metropolitan Council has other designs for what the "new" American dream should be in the Twin Cities metro area. People like me, are considered by the Met Council to be "unsustainable". Selfish pigs. How should we be living according to Thrive 2040 (the Met Council bible)? First off, forget living on 2 1/2 acres, 4 acres, 10 acres or whatever. Unsustainable. Live in the City of Minneapolis. In a high rise. Everyone should have a living footprint of less than 2,000 square feet.

The more I hear about this lifestyle the Met Council is trying to force us into, I think of the movie La La Land. Not the movie so much - just the title. No don't get me wrong. There are some millennials who might want to live in a high rise setting. Who don't want a car - just take the train. I have seen life like this when I worked in Washington. I lived it for weeks at a time when on lengthy negotiations. I could not wait until I got home, so I could sit on my deck, with my wife, and listen to the quiet. To enjoy the panorama of green trees and other foliage in our back yard.

2019 will be the year we get rid of the Met Council for once and for all. How do we do it? Here are the steps:

• Step One - Republican control of the Minnesota Senate. Done. Even though a very thin margin, the Republicans control the Senate until 2020.
• Step Two - Maintain control of the Minnesota House in 2018. Even though it is the Senate who can kill the Met Council, having a strong House to back them up would really help.
• Step Three - This is the critical one. WE NEED TO ELECT A REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR!!! If we get another DFL statist like Dayton, all bets are off. Even with a Republican Senate, a statist will veto any bill to kills the Met Council.

If we truly want to maintain the American dream as it should be, we can't do it with the Met Council hanging around. They would be much better served working in Moscow as part of the politburo. Why Moscow? Because they sure don't act very American, that is why.

  

Better lucky than good.

"Be prepared, be trained, stay prepared. We never know when we will be called upon to be a hero rather than a victim." 

We got lucky today folks. Not just the Republican Party, the nation. What happened in Alexandria, Virginia could have happened any place at any time - only not by anyone. This shooting was perpetrated by yet another hopped up nut ball who was consumed by hate. This was not a mental illness issue - it was the heart of a cold blooded killer.

What is the most disturbing about today's shooting is the ease in which it happened. America is ripe with targets of opportunity. Soft targets. People just doing their thing, be it shopping, going to church, a sporting event, you name the venue. Whatever people are doing, they don't expect to be in a war zone. Like today - Representative Scalise did not expect to be shot just by practicing for a charity softball game.

As bad as it was, today was a day for all of us to breathe a collective sign of relief. Without a very fast response by the Capitol Police, this could have been a massacre for the ages. This nut ball could have killed every Republican and staffer on the ball field. The prep died of his wounds. Other than that, every one else will most likely survive. 

We have seen this time after time. No matter where the shooting is. Columbine, Sandy Hook, Paris, wherever. As has been said many times, the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. Police cannot guard each of us every minute of the day. Never has been possible, never will be. 

Clear headed people know what the solution is. We need more people who have carry permits. People who are totally trained if (God forbid) they ever need to use their weapon in self defense. The other thing we need to do is watch our national discourse. Saying on Facebook or other social media that you would like to burn down the White House, assassinate the President, or whatever, should be a red flag. When something like that is posted, the authorities should be notified immediately.

Yes, we got lucky today. Very lucky. We can't keep saying, "Better lucky than good" every time we "dodge the bullet" (so to speak). Be prepared, be trained, stay prepared. We never know when we will be called upon to be a hero rather than a victim.  

The hidden cost of government

"These trains are magnets for money in every legislative session. No big thing except for one major thing. The more we pour in these 'black holes; the less we have in real traffic solutions. Solutions like 'lanes not trains'."

Moment of truth. I was born in Hennepin County. I was also baptized there, confirmed there, graduated from high school there, graduated from college there, and was married there. Hennepin County used to be the place to live in the Twin Cites. It had everything. Now I can't stand it. I can't get far enough away.

Today, there is a vote going on with the Hennepin County Commissioners concerning raising the Hennepin County sales tax to fund the lightly used southwest light rail. I know for a fact, Commissioner Jeff Johnson is going to vote against this boondoggle. Why? A huge waste of money. But Jeff is a minority stuck in the middle of progressive Hennepin titans, Who cares if this new choo-choo does not make sense? That it will not pay for itself. Lets build it anyway!

(Warning: This part is fable!) Years ago, someone from a utility company came in to see me a new water heater. "Don't worry about the cost - we will have someone else to pay for it". True words. It was fine. But then the monthly upkeep bills came in. Where were those "other people" who helped pay for the installation? I need help with the monthly maintenance costs. The others are long gone, long forgotten. They will be no help. As long as I live in Minnesota, I would be paying for this lemon.

Ready for this? This the  moment of truth. From the "proponents" of light rail. If we build this "thing" at a zillion dollars worth of taxpayer dollars, it would be fine. But it won't be. Each year, they project (this is from them, not the detractors), only 2 to 3% of the cars will be taken off the roads (on the Southwest Rail Route). I would challenge every traffic congestion driver to discern if the traffic is 3% better or 3% worse on any drive home.

Each year, every year, there will be a bill to pay. Just like with the North Star (and it is huge), as well as the other LRT trains, someone has to pay the care, maintenance and amortized costs of them. Any guesses who that would be? Look in the mirror. 

I remember from my business days, I always learned about the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). The tool all costs, hidden and unhidden into baked into the account. The light rail system is fraught with hidden costs. And one of my favorites is the subsidy cost of running a line. Why my favorite? The "Free riders" of course - and Minneapolis is full of them. So who picks up the tabs for the Minneapolis "Free riders"? Once again, please look in the mirror.

These trains are magnets for money in every legislative session. No big thing except for one major thing. The more we pour in these "black holes" the less we have in real traffic solutions. Solutions like "lanes not trains". Stay tuned folks - this is about to get very interesting (and maybe expensive).

Forget the Fourth of July!

"This proposal will probably go over like a bad gas pain in church with the folks in the 115th Congress. But failure to perform will probably be a ticket to ensure them they will not be around for the 116th Congress."

Don't worry. This is not for us. It is a very important holiday in this country and should be recognized and celebrated with great passion. No - I am talking about the group of people we elected to go to Washington and fix things. All we heard about for months and months on the campaign trail is how bad things are in Washington. How we needed to elected a new President with a new Congress full of change agents to fix things. Hello? Waiting....

Many years ago, I was involved in a nine week negotiation which took place in the middle of the summer. My wife and kids would take me to the airport on Sunday afternoon, I would fly out to Washington, have a team meeting in the hotel on Sunday evening, get up Monday morning and meet with the customer. Then negotiate every day until we flew back home on Friday night. 

It just so happened that the 4th of July hit on a Wednesday that year. The government had that day off, as did my company. One day - not the week. We worked up until Tuesday night, the government folks went home to be with family, and my team stayed in Washington on the 4th, away from friends and family. Would I have rather been home, taking the kids to see fireworks and having a fun day? Absolutely - but there was work to be done in Washington.

Between the dates of June 6th and September 6th, our Congress will be off 31 days not including weekends. When they come back after Labor Day, the focus will be on (get ready for this), getting re-elected in 2018. The new silly season will have started. And the way things look now, nada will have been accomplished on the big ticket items.

Here is my proposal. Because I am not scrooge, I will allow Congress and the Senate to have both the 4th of July and Labor Day off. No more. Well, plus Sundays. Other than that, it is heads down, total focus on getting the agenda done. What agenda? Here goes:

• A fix for ObamaCare. I don't care what it is, so long as it is better. I don't give a rip what the House has passed, as the Senate has done nothing. And until SOMETHING is signed into law by President Trump, we all are still caught in this whirlpool called ObamaCare. Promise made, promise kept.
• MEANINGFUL and REAL tax reform. Not a tinker around the edges effort, I am talking about a once in a lifetime fix to this unholy behemoth called our tax code. We need reform so sweeping that our GDP will get out of the doldrums and get back to Reagan era levels. Promise made, promise kept.
• CONTROL the borders. BUILD the wall. I don't give a rat's butt where you find the money, but build the damn wall for crying in the beer! Promise made, promise kept. 
• One more, and this is part of good governance. The government fiscal year runs out on September 30th, as it does every year. This year, we should have APPROVED and signed into LAW the budget for GFY 2018. On October 1st, the new budget takes affect. No more CR's - ever!

One final thought. This proposal will probably go over like a bad gas pain in church with the folks in the 115th Congress. But failure to perform will probably be a ticket to ensure them they will not be around for the 116th Congress. Time to get to work people, you promised us you would. Promises made, promises not yet kept.

Rude and crude

"The very pretty and "sexually harassed" Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) has been dropping the 'F Bomb' like it has been candy. I wonder what her two kids think when their mommy talks like this." 

Oh my! The language! The stories! The lack of discretion in our national discourse! What has happened to us? It is as if we all have joined the Navy of old, and nothing is out of bounds for our banter. I would love to lay this entire issue at the feet of the Democrats, but one of the Republicans who was running for President had some fairly salty language also. But now the Democrats have seen that campaign language, and raised the betting at the same time.

Tom Perez, the new chair of the DNC, really likes to throw the "F Bomb" around.I am impressed - this is so cool! The funny thing is when he uses it in front of his minions, there is no gasping - only cheering. It seems that our new national discourse has become beyond recourse. It it truly language to make a sailor blush. I know, I know - our President has used it in the past. As have other Presidents. But this frequent use of the "F Bomb" by "respected" men and women of the Democratic Party, is really a show stopper.

I was listening to a show on a neutral network (not Fox, CNN or MSNBC) and the question was asked about the sudden decline of the Democrats language much more so than the Republican's language. The pundit responded this way. Many on the Left are not enamored with our Constitution (as written), nor the Holy Bible. So let er' rip (as they say). If the "F Bomb" fires up the crowd. please use it! We need revolution (sorry Abby) for the Hell of it!

Not to quote the Democrats, but "what about the children"? Okay, they pulled some old audio out which revealed some tawdry things our President has said in the past. But the Democrats? This is all new stuff. New material. The very pretty and "sexually harassed" Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY), has been dropping the "F Bomb" like it has been candy. I wonder what her two kids think when their mommy talks like this. I don't know - my mother never talked like this.

Hmm. Except for our current President's slip of the tongue, I really can't think of many Republicans who like to lick the gutter like Perez, Gillibrand and a host of others. In my day, should a woman every talk like the very pretty and "sexually harassed" Senator Gillibrand, the signals she was transmitting would only said one thing. And the code of conduct of this blog site prevents me from repeating it.

Hey, I am a former sailor for 21 years. If I wanted to, I could fill this blog site with all kinds of crude invective. But I don't, and I won't. Why? Not the way I roll. Many people who read my blog are Godly - and I would not trade them for anything.

Many people smarter than I have said the only time you use "potty talk" is when your vocabulary fails you. I guess many of the Democrats need to go back to the failed government school system which created them in the first place. Or not. As for most of us on the Right, we will keep is civil and clean. That after all, is the way we were taught.