One foolish ghoul...

"Ms. Nancy, aka the Wicked Witch of the West, is the one who will be hurt the most. When the dust settles on the wreckage of what once was the Democrat Party, all fingers will point towards her. Kevin McCarthy will be the next Speaker, and will be a good one."

The worst kept secret in America has just been revealed. After three years of trying ANYTHING, including Russia, sex, burping after a good meal - ANYTHING, the Democrats are finally going to start impeachment proceedings on our 45th President. It is something the Speaker said she would not do (at one time). But - the pressure from the Squad got way too hot for Ms. Nancy. So the stork dance has started. Better known as, "the biggest waste of time, in the history of time."

Okay Bird. We know you are not balanced! What you mean a waste of time? Just that. As we all have learned, Impeachment in the House is a POLITICAL procedure, not a legal one. However, once it gets over to the Senate, that stubborn legal thing pops up. So if the President has not done something vile enough to deserve removal of office, the stork dance will continue.

Anyone who is honest knows the outcome of this charade before it starts. The House impeaches, the Senate either takes a pass, or does a quick trial with a quick acquittal. Then can we please move on? Or are the Democrats going to trying this trick again in the President's second term. On second thought - probably not. The Democrats would have to be in the majority to pull this stunt again. 

If Donald Trump was really as self centered as the Democrats paint him to be, he would be basking in the moment. Why? He would know what a suicide move this was by Ms. Nancy. But he is not. He HATES what this is doing to the country. If it was up to him, this vote for impeachment would have never taken place.

Ms. Nancy, aka the Wicked Witch of the West, is the one who will be hurt the most. When the dust settles on the wreckage of what once was the Democrat Party, all fingers will point towards her. Kevin McCarthy will be the next Speaker, and will be a good one. Donald Trump will rise from these Democrat ashes, finish his term, and do his second one. Adam Schiff, the fat guy from New York, the guy who thought Guam was going to tip over - they will all either be gone or made irrelevant. 

Happy Halloween folks! Let not your heart be troubled. The Democrats have stumbled into the same trap as the scorpion did in that famous fable. As the scorpion said before he drowned, after stinging (and killing) the turtle who was saving his life - "I am sorry I stung you. I can't help myself - it is in my nature..."

Today's facts of life...

"In any event, Happy Halloween! This year, I am dressing up like a liberal. It does not matter what I wear, I only need to babble about nonsense. If I went trick or treating in Minneapolis, I could easily blend in with the crowd." 

The past two posts I have penned have been about space exploration. Why? Two reasons. First, my love of astronomy and space. Have since I was a little boy. Second, I am sick to death of the current news cycle. Same thing, over, and over, and over again. All thanks to the Democrats who can't govern, but sure can investigate. I can't take it anymore.

I decided to construct some facts of life based on today's realities:

• Impeachment will happen in the House, only by using the most tainted and unfair methods possible. But, since the Dems have the numbers in the House, it will pass.
• An impeachment trial will never see the light of day in the Senate. There is so much animosity about the way the House is conducting this fiasco, McConnell will "deep six" it as soon as it comes over to the Senate.
• Because the Democrats have no real torch bearer, and Donald Trump's numbers have remained strong (and getting stronger) with his base, he is a shoe in for re-election. Get used to it. Get those pussy hats out of storage.
• Having drag queens read stories to young children in libraries is wrong beyond belief. One was in a short dress (sans undies), and flashed his "junk" at the kiddos while reading. The Dems may think this is just fine, but normal people do not.
• ObamaCare, is still the law of the land for our health care. Not one Republican voted for it. Democrats are caterwauling about how lousy our healthcare is right now. I know - I am scratching my head on this one also. 
• Omar is a fake and a fraud, and a danger to this country. Everyone knows it. Yet, she is a shoe in for re-election. Why? Demographics. In 2022 it will be worse.
• Hunter Biden is a crook and a fraud. He became wealthy due to daddy. If Democrats want to investigate some real wrong doing, they need to only look in the mirror. 
• Teaching sex education to K and Pre-K youngins is worse than dangerous. Especially when different sex positions and practices are taught. What the hell is wrong with educators today, where they think this is okay? Time to close down government schools!
• The other day, Biden was refused Holy Communion by a priest. Good! Time for the church to start being the church again. Fact - you can't be a Christian and condone the killing of the innocent. Don't think so? Prove me wrong.
• Countries have borders for a reason. Countries have border patrol for a reason. Countries have organizations like ICE for a reason. To say all three are bad, is lunacy. Democrats are beyond stupid on this issue.

Am I done yet? Not hardly - but this is it for the day. These are the facts of life according to the Bird. Can we please have some sanity? Many of the things the Dems are advocating today are nutty, wrong, and stupid. 

In any event, Happy Halloween! This year, I am dressing up like a liberal. It does not matter what I wear, I only need to babble about nonsense. If I went trick or treating in Minneapolis, I could easily blend in with the crowd.   

Destination: "Goaltender"

"Imagine if this story was true. Would it not be exciting to have men and women of vision running our space program? Instead of the government bureaucrats that NASA has. I like the vision that Musk and Bezos share. I like bold. It is what made America great."      

Elon Musk sat back in his office chair, thinking about the state of the world. About the state of his company, SpaceX. Much has happened during this past year, and 2025 is right around the corner. Once again, while the world played checkers, Musk continued to play chess. Now the biggest gamble of his life was about to pay off. 

He had been a space nut for years. Part adventure, part panic. Panic that the good people of Planet Earth needed a "Plan B". You know - just in case. Just in case we need an escape plan. In any event, like many of us, he gave up on NASA years ago. To say NASA traveled at the speed of turtles is an insult to turtles. So in 2002, Elon Musk gambled a good part of his fortune to form a new company - SpaceX. His goal since the get-go, was to reduce the cost of space travel so much so, trips to the Moon and Mars could become commonplace.

In 2022, Musk made his first landing on the Moon. It was unmanned, and the rocket was able to land safely, and then take off safely for travel back to Earth. Then Musk made the second biggest gamble of his life. He made an offer to Jeff Bezos to have joint operations with Bezo's company, Blue Origins. Having these two privately funded ventures travel somewhat parallel paths to space made no sense to Musk. Join forces, and the path forward could be quicker and smoother. He also invited two "money men" with very deep pockets to invest and be part of the team. One American, and one European. It turned out to be a very smart move indeed.

As the Chinese, the Russians, the Indians and the Israelis, continued to send manned and unmanned rockets to the Moon, they were basically doing what America did in 1969. Musk however, had much bigger and bolder ideas. He was going to build the first operational Moon base. And it was going to be called Goaltender. Why Goaltender? It would be the safety net for all leaving and returning space craft. They would land on the Moon, be serviced there (by SpaceX, of course) and then stored (by SpaceX) until the next flight. Just like with airports, to use the SpaceX Moon Base, along with all the amenities, there would be a fee charged. A big one.

The first ship to use Goaltender will be Musk's own Striker One. Goaltender is scheduled to be operational by 2027, and Striker One is scheduled to launch for Mars no later than mid 2028. The goal is to use Musk's 100 passenger Starship, powered by one of Musk's "super heavy" rocket platform. If everything goes according to Hoyle, it should make it to Mars by 2030. Meanwhile, back at NASA, all they can do is watch in wonder.

Imagine if this story was true. Would it not be exciting to have men and women of vision running our space program? Instead of the government bureaucrats that NASA has. I like the vision that Musk and Bezos share. I like bold. It is what made America great.      

The lunar race (again)

"So here we sit with NASA, traveling at the speed of turtles, while China, Russia, Elon Musk and whomever else, is doing the Tom Swift route in getting to the Moon." 

In 1969, I decided to drive from Duluth to Hudson's Bay. It is a trip I had always dreamed of, and in 1959, I dared myself to get there before 1970. So with a compass, some warm clothes, provisions a first aid kit, and so forth, I piled into my VW Beetle and headed north. Oh - and I had very little money. It was a wing and a prayer adventure, and most of my friends and family did not think I would make it. In fact, some thought I would die trying. To everyone's amazement and surprise - I did make it - and lived to tell about it!

This year in 2019, I decided to try it again. I have a "tricked out" Jeep Wrangler, sat coms, state of the art GPS, great North Face hiking gear, a month of survival food, and so forth. That being said, I could not get one friend nor relative to worry about me trying this trip again. "You made it before on a wing and a prayer. Now, you look like Admiral Perry heading to the North Pole. This is no challenge - you could do it with one eye closed."

In 1969, the United States traveled to the Moon literally on a wing and a prayer. The equipment used was worse than sketchy, and the chances of failure were more that we would tolerate today. And yet we did it. Not once, but six times. Probably would have been seven, if not for the near miss with Apollo 13. 

Here we are fifty plus years later. As I said in my story above, "You made it before on a wing and a prayer... this is no challenge - you could do it with one eye closed." My feeling is simply this. We have the technology to not only make it (safely) to the Moon again (now), but also to build a base up there (now). Every other part of our technology has taken off like racing Greyhounds over the past 50 years. We are on the verge of total AI. Curing cancer. Laser defenses. Are you telling me that getting to the Moon has not part of that technology leap? I simply don't believe it.

So, here we sit with NASA, traveling at the speed of turtles. Meanwhile, China, Russia, Elon Musk and whomever else, is doing the Tom Swift route in getting to the Moon. They don't want to just to a rerun of Apollo like NASA wants to do in 2023, most now will settle for nothing less than a permanent Moon base. NASA on the other hand, is becoming satisfied with being spectators instead of leaders. 

In any event, get ready Moon - here we come! We may not be seeing many US flags up there, but at least there will be humans. BTW - most adventuresome countries or entrepreneurs are not looking at the Moon as more than just a rest stop. Mars is the big prize - and plans are already being drawn up to go there soon. NASA? They are still studying "climate change". Get ready Sputnik - here we come!

Living the not so good life...

"I often wonder, how in the world could we have taken such a beautiful state and screwed it up this bad? This is a huge state, and to turn it into a 'hell on Earth', takes some real Democrat talent."

When I was a young lad of eight, my family went on a three week vacation out west. Since I came from an ordinary family, not awash in too much money, this trip was a huge stretch for my folks. They planned it for a year or two, and the route was going to be as complete as possible. Finally school was done for the year, we packed up, and took off.

We went west to South Dakota (in our brand new 1958 Chevy Bel Air non-air conditioned car), southwest to Arizona, west to Nevada, and then into our final destination - the "Golden State".

For this eight year old kid from Minnesota, being in California was like being on another planet. My aunt lived in a suburb of Los Angeles, so we stayed with her for a few days. By the way - this was before thugs and gangs turned those beautiful suburbs into war zones. It was actually safe to walk down the streets back then!

Disneyland had just opened three years earlier, and that was on my Dad's radar. It was still partially under construction, and getting a family pass for a day did not break the bank like it does today. We also went to Sea World, Knot's Berry Farm, and the Pacific Ocean. We left LA after a few days, and drove up the coast to San Francisco. It had beauty beyond belief! Right then and there, I made a vow to myself. When I was old enough, I would move to this heavenly state.

Flash forward to today. Instead of people moving into that state (unless they are illegal and looking for sanctuary), normal people are now leaving it by the thousands. It seems the "Golden State", has been turned into the "Poop State" by the mindless idiots who now run the place. Or should I say, ruin the place. And the biggest idiot of all, is the former Mayor of San Francisco, Governor Newsome. After ruining San Francisco, he is now ruining the entire state. 

Because of NOTHING but mismanagement, the state is sinking in debt, has the highest income tax in the country, gas prices approaching $6/gal, and has screwed up its water to such an extent, there seems to be a perpetual water shortage someplace in that state. The "greenies" have convinced state government that all trees and underbrush are sacred. Therefore, proper forest management is a "no-no". The result has been millions of tons of dead trees and brush, just waiting for the annual Santa Anna winds, and one lone spark. Bottom line - for the umpteenth year in a row, California is on fire.

The fires are so bad in the past year or two, hundreds of houses have burned and people have died. Do the Californians look to their government for screwing things up? Like to vote them out? Nope. They blame climate change. The fires are so bad, that our favorite China loving, NBA kiss up (King Lebron), had to evacuate his house. Sad. The weather forecast for today - more of the same.

I often wonder, how in the world could we have taken such a beautiful state and screwed it up this bad? This is a huge state, and to turn it into a "hell on Earth", takes some real Democrat talent. Even if we exported every socialist in California state government to China, and replaced them with red blooded Republicans, it might be too late.

In fact, it might be time to offer California up for sale to Mexico. We could sell it real, real cheap. In fact, we could call it a "fire sale". I like that idea! 

    

"Died like a dog..."

"My vote is we need to live in the moment. We need to celebrate our success in getting this very bad man to assume room temperature."

One of my favorite Fox News contributors was on TV this morning. That would be Dan Bongino. Nobody, save President Trump, can put things in more colorful and correct language than Mr. Bongino does. When asked about some of the blow back the President has been receiving from Democrats about how Trump described the way al-Baghdadi died, Bongino got very colorful. "I have waited half my life for someone to call this monsters out for who they are. They are cowards and dogs, and al-Baghdadi deserved to die like a dog."

Wow. Enough said. Seems this al-Baghdadi has been showing up very bright on the President's radar ever since Trump assumed office. Now we are going to play "next man up". As soon as a successor to this group of blood thirsty murderers is named, he then becomes the next target. It is becoming very obvious with OBL, Saddam, and now al-Baghdadi, you can run, but you cannot hide. Even though these guys have gotten very careful in how to hide their tracks, our intel guys, our operators, our allies, have superior knowledge on their where-a-bouts.

When I was still serving, and had a high level clearance, I would often say that I hope I never get sideways of this great country. Why is that? This country is relentless in hunting down bad guys. They never quit. And our operators are superb killing machines when they need to be. No, once you run afoul of the United States, there are not too many places you can hide. You will be found, and brought to justice - one way or the other.

What I found interesting is how this will fit in with our already crowded news cycle. The Democrats are still meeting secretly to plan an illegal impeachment; the DOJ has a brand new criminal investigation on the Obama Administration/Clinton campaign cabal; the IG report is about ready to go to address the misdeeds of the FISA Court; and General Flynn is about ready to have a new day in court. Whew! That is a lot of news cycle! 

My vote is we need to live in the moment. We need to celebrate our success in getting this very bad man to assume room temperature. The IG report, the DOJ criminal findings, and General Flynn's new day in court will all come - just not today. And as far as all this impeachment BS is concerned, they can just stick that where the sun don't shine. 

The once great city of St. Louis

"Again this year, we will avoid St. Louis on our way down to Florida. Shame. There are many things, historical and otherwise, which would be fun and interesting to visit. But safety first. It would be a fool's errand to visit the most dangerous city in America."

Every time we plot a course down to Florida, the computer always takes us directly through St. Louis as the shortest route. St. Louis? So what is so bad about St. Louis? This home to Budweiser Beer, McDonald Douglas aircraft, the "Arch" - what gives? Over the years, St. Louis has gone from a great city, to the Baltimore of the Midwest. It is a dangerous city, with out of control crime. It is yet another example of a once great city, having decades of Blue governance, becoming a hollowed out crime trap. 

Oh, the city looks pretty enough when you come driving into it on Interstate 64. But looks can be deceiving. Between St. Louis and East State Louis, they hold the number four and number one rating for murders per 10,000 people. What does that mean? These two cities have murder rates higher than Detroit or Baltimore.

Here are two more alarming statistics about St. Louis. In 2010, St. Louis was voted the most dangerous city in America. In addition, in 2014 St. Louis was ranking the 19th most dangerous city in the world by the Mexican aid organization, CCSP-JP.

So what happened to this once great city? How is it, St. Louis has gone the way of so many other large American cities? Let's first look at how this city is governed. Ever since I was in diapers (that was a long, long time ago), St. Louis has been run by Democrat mayors. That is a long, long time to be under one party leadership. Ironically, during that same time period, the crime rate started to rise. Just like with Baltimore, Detroit, Chicago and so forth - one party leadership in large cities often times leads to bad results.

It really is a shame. On the internet, you can find "safe" neighborhoods in St. Louis to go into, and dangerous ones to stay away from. Just like with many other large cities, there are "red zones" which are known by both the locals as well as the police. My feeling? In the United States of America, there should be no "red zones" in ANY city. All cities should be safe to live in, or travel to. This is a sickness that we accept this as normal. It is anything but normal. 

Again this year, we will avoid St. Louis on our way down to Florida. Shame. There are many things, historical and otherwise, which would be fun and interesting to visit. But safety first. It would be a fool's errand to visit the most dangerous city in America. Change your government St. Louis. Change your sky high crime rate. Your future is in your hands. 

Exactly how deep is this hole?

"Justice is supposed to be blind in our country. We are only supposed to have one standard of justice - not two or three. So justice is about to be served, and maybe some revenge for all their misdeeds is about to be exacted."

I almost named this post something else. Like "My Turn" with a picture of a smiling Donald Trump on it. After three years of being pummeled by the media and Democrats, mostly for no reason at all, the tables are finally starting to turn - "Bigly". Besides the John Durham investigation which has now become a criminal investigation, there is the Michael Horowitz IG report, which is on the cusp of completion. And the word on the street is it will be mostly un-redacted. This is the one expected to name names, again - "Bigly".

OMG! Could things look any more gloomy for the Blue team right now? The guilty ones who have been getting away with character assassination for three years (or more) now on our President? Well, actually it can. It seems General Flynn has gotten sick and tired of being a floor mat. The first "fall guy" on this entire "witch hunt". He has a new super sharp lawyer, and she has found some things which are beyond "troubling" in this conviction.

Sidney Powell is General Flynn's new attorney. She was on the Hannity show last night, and she is out to right some serious wrongs in the way the general was convicted. In particular, she has questions about some the FD-302 forms which were used (those are the FBI forms used to take statements as interviews are conducted). She is smelling the strong stench of a perjury trap. And (this one is delicious), she has a "viable source" which revealed that Clapper (Obama's former Director of National Intelligence) is reported to have told the FBI, "Time to give Flynn the kill shot". It this is true, or even a little true, very bad days are ahead for Clapper.

Now this is where things start to look like a comedy (of sorts). Between the Durham investigation, the Horowitz report, and the General Flynn issue, dark storm clouds are starting to gather for the Democrats. So what are they doing? Still meeting behind closed doors on this Donald J. Trump "witch hunt". And since Speaker Nancy insists on doing this the wrong way, instead of the right way, all this will just be "sound a fury, signifying nothing." So as they play pretend investigation, the no s**t for real investigation is knocking on their door. 

Many of my social media friends are skeptical that nothing will happen to the guilty. My feeling on that matter is this - way, way too much evidence has been found, and will be found to turn the other cheek. The patriots and citizens will not stand for this to go unpunished. General Flynn deserves justice - real justice so he can get his name cleared. As for the rest of these clowns left over from the very corrupt Obama Administration - let them swing.

Justice is supposed to be blind in our country. We are only supposed to have one standard of justice - not two or three. So justice is about to be served, and maybe even some revenge for all their misdeeds is about to be exacted. Why revenge now? "Revenge is a dish which tastes best when served cold". And right now the weather is starting to get cold. Unfortunately for the guilty, their trail of misdeeds is not.     

The moment we have all been waiting for...

"Some pundits are saying this will make the now famous Watergate, look like a Sunday School picnic in comparison. Yes, this could be that big." 

Lost in the muddle of everything else going on yesterday, the Earth moved. Not literally, but figuratively. The long awaited REAL investigation of wrongdoing in the Justice Department has grown new legs. Rather than just being a distracting group of "do-gooders" snooping around, a recent trip to Italy by AG Barr and US Attorney John Durham uncovered something which was so damning, it changed the complexion of the entire investigation. So much so, it is now a criminal investigation. As our President would say - "This is YUGE!"

We have finally reached the point where people will be subpoenaed, grand juries will be convened, and some high up folks in the Obama Justice Department might be doing the perp walk. Not only the Justice Department, but also the FBI, State Department, and so forth. For the first time since this stork dance has started, we will be seeing evidence of REAL corruption - not this phony thing the Left concocted, to stick on the President.

One pundit on the news this morning, gave an interesting perspective. Just like in any investigation, the feds will go after the small fish first. Get them to flip. Since they have the most to lose, many do flip. Then they will go up the food chain. And this is where we need to mix in some bad news with the good news.

The bad news, if this corruption from the Deep State goes as deep and high up as many fear, it will shake many people to their core. Why? Many people have faith in their government. Stories of corruption this deep are reserved for Hollywood - they don't, they can't happen in real life. As refreshing as it will be to extract the rot of corruption from the government, and to punish the guilty, it will be torturous for the country. It will be like going to the dentist to have an abscessed tooth extracted. Necessary, but very painful.

This was hinted many months ago by AG Barr. While looking into the phony "Russia-gate", he came upon some things which he found "disturbing". He said he "might have to look into some things." Well, he did, and here we are. On the cusp of standing in front of Judge Roy Bean. Judge Bean, the hanging judge? Yes. And people will hang (figuratively). Not just one or two, it might be a gaggle. 

Once again, as I tell my kids, this is history unfolding in front of our eyes. Some pundits are saying this will make the now famous Watergate, look like a Sunday School picnic in comparison. Yes, this could be that big. In fact, the tarnish might even reach up to the squeaky clean 44th President of the United States. Might find out he was not that squeaky clean after all. 

And so it starts...

"Truthfully - the more I think about this, the more I think this is a delicious idea. An idea which is long overdue. To be governed by the people and for the people, we need to get rid of the autocrats who live in these colonies of socialism and progressiveness."

The first shot (figuratively) has been fired in the new American Civil War. And it happened in the most unlikely of all places. No, not Washington DC (although to many, that would make more sense). It is taking place on the "Left Coast" - California to be exact. Outraged citizens who live in the fly over portion of the state, who are the victims of all the bone head laws and regulations coming out of Sacramento, want out. Now.

The founders of this movement want the new state of California to be called just that - New California. The rest of the coastal area, from San Francisco south, will still be called California.

To me, this is win-win all the way. It is really win-win for the good folks in New California who are not socialists. Plus - and here is the real bonus - can you see this happening in Oregon and Washington state also? I mean in Oregon, you get rid of the upper northwest corner, you have a decent state once again. Maybe called New Oregon? Same goes for Washington state. Get rid of the 1/4 which resides by the ocean, and all of a sudden, you have a great state once again! All in a row, you could have New California, New Oregon, and New Washington. 

Wait just a dang minute! What about us? We have a whole raft of socialists and nut balls living in the Twin Cities! Maybe we want out also! I am liking the idea of a New Minnesota. Most of the state votes red, so how about a large portion of the existing state now being New Minnesota? And Wisconsin. I know a bunch of people in Wisconsin who would love to deep six Madison and Milwaukee. Those two blue cities can remain in "old" Wisconsin. 

Michigan, Illinois, the list could go on and on. Of course some states in New England are blue, through and through. They would not have to split. Truthfully - the more I think about this, the more I think this is a delicious idea. An idea which is long overdue. To be governed by the people, and for the people, we need to get rid of the autocrats who live in these colonies of socialism and progressiveness. Give the power back to the people. 

Thank you California for getting this thing rolling. We will be watching this like a hawk to see how it develops. We wish you all the luck in the world. However, there is one final question I have. Is it just a coincidence the new state line runs directly along the San Andres Fault? Just asking...    

Saving (for) a future

"What I do know is this. With pensions all but gone, and the interest on savings to be way less than 5%, most have their money tied up in the Wall Street casino. My biggest fear is another hit to our financial system, which would turn that casino upside down." 

Oh - oh. The Bird is going to talk about money again. Another gloom and doom story, I bet. Well, maybe. Then, why talk about it? For a country awash in money, for everybody being wealthy (compared to the rest of the world), why should there be any money worries at all? Simple answer - we are all on this merry-go-round together, and most of us have a unique life circumstances which make us different than the rest.

Some of us are doing very well. Some are doing just okay. Some are living paycheck to paycheck. Some are one step from the poorhouse. Now I am going to get generational. This is an interesting fact which came from an publication known as Credit Donkey. The average savings rate for baby boomers is 13%. That is very good. However, the savings rate for a Millennial is a negative 2%. As the saying goes, that is a big a** problem!

Here is more disturbing news from Credit Donkey. Almost 8% of Americans have no savings at all. Almost half of us have less than $500 tucked away for an emergency. And almost 40 million of us, live literally paycheck to paycheck. Again, for a country which has this roaring economy, for a country which is awash in money, what gives?

First off, health insurance. It is like having a hole in the bottom of the boat. A "good" family policy these days, has monthly premiums of $1,000 or more a month, deductibles close to $5,000, and huge co-pays. And that is for a good policy. Tack that on to a house payment, stubborn student loan payments, and all of a sudden, you have a nice family income, with a family who is living paycheck to paycheck - with little or no savings.

I feel for our young folks today. I really do. They are living in a world which is alien to one my generation grew up in. Sure, I paid the medical insurance for most of my working career. But those costs were manageable. I had no student debt (thanks to the GI Bill), and my wife's student loan was paltry. We did had some lean times in the beginning where we only had checking with no savings. But for the most part, we had both. My Dad had drummed into me since I was a young lad how important it was to save part of what you earned. I never forgot that lesson.

The biggest favor we can do for our kids and grandies is to fix ObamaCare. It really "screwed the pooch" with our health insurance. Rather than getting us a $2,500 reduction in rates, it put most people's health insurance rates in orbit. It made health insurance so expensive, very few people were able to retire before 65 - the magic age of Medicare. Somehow, we need to fix this - and I am NOT talking socialized medicine like "Medicare for All".

What I do know is this. With pensions all but gone, and the interest on savings to be way less than 5%, most have their money tied up in the Wall Street casino. My biggest fear is another hit to our financial system, which would turn that casino upside down. That would be a mess beyond comprehension, and many who have been doing "okay", would be doing way less than "okay" in a heartbeat. 

Sorry for the gloom and door this morning. I will blame the weather. Crappy weather like this always puts me in a funk. 

Our Big Blue Broken Windows Cities

"One final point which is the oddest of all. Many who are stuck living in these filthy war zone type cities, would love to see change and improvement. But they keep voting, year after year, for the same folks who broke the cities in the first place. Go figure."  

Okay - fire up the time machine. Go back to 1967 and pick out some folks at random. Then set the time machine to bring them to 2019. Drop them in any of our big blue cities. Do you think they would believe what they see? I don't. I think they would be begging to be put back into the time machine and taken back to 1967. 1967 was a year where nothing was perfect, but pretty darn close.

In 1967, if my parents had booted me out of the house, and I had no place to live, let's suppose I pitched a tent on the sidewalk. That would be my new home. That would have lasted about a day at the most, before the police removed me from the sidewalk and taken me to a place like the YMCA. The folks at the YMCA would have tried to help get me on my feet.

Or better yet, let's suppose the Mayor of Minneapolis or St. Paul declared his or her city be open to certain types of law breakers. That the police were not allowed to turn law breakers over to federal officials. You can't imagine it, because in 1967, it would have never happened.

What has happened to our larger cities? Many say gentrification. I agree with that up to a point. I also agree when we don't allow law enforcement to enforce ALL LAWS on the books, outlaws start to rule the day. In other words, "broken window" policing was started for a purpose. Nip the small crimes in the bud, or soon they will become larger crimes. Then why can't we still practice "broken window" policing in many of our larger cities? Sit tight when I bring this one up - the "Hippies" of 1968 and beyond.

Having lived through that era, I am convinced that is when the wheels really started to come off. The "free love" movement, the desire to sit by a pond and smoke a joint, rather than work generation. Soon the "generation of love" started to produce offspring. Those offspring were brought up the wrong way by their parents, the later day "Hippies". Soon the "Hippies" and their offspring started to weasel their way in local, state and federal government. Flash forward to today. Our larger cities have been run by these people for decades, and the results have been tragic. How so? As a starter, police are vilified instead of revered. 

History lesson over. How do we fix our cities? How do we return them to the greatness they once were? Fifty years ago, walking down the streets in our larger cities was never 100% safe, but not as dangerous as walking in a war zone, as they are today. That being said, here are my fixes:

• Police in every city, large or otherwise, are empowered to enforce ALL laws on the books. 
• Homeless camps on the streets in every city shall be determined to be illegal and a sanitary threat to citizens. The city shall provide adequate and legal housing for all. I know this sounds like a simplistic solution, but the path cities are on right now is a dead end. Time for something new.
• City leaders will no longer have the right to ignore federal laws. Failure to obey federal laws will result in the removal or possible incarceration of city leaders. In other words, kiss the sanctuary city, or state idea goodbye.
• All drug usage will be illegal on the streets in the city. 
• Urination, defecation or littering on a city street is a crime and shall be punishable as such. 

Now comes the bad news. In my mind, I cannot come up with a scenario where any of these fixes will take place. The rot of corruption and liberalism runs way too deep in too many of our cities. In other words, what we have, is what we have. Those who don't mind living in social entropy will continue to flock to our larger cites, those who hate social entropy will stay far, far away.

One final point which may be the oddest of all. Many who are stuck living in these filthy war zone type of cities, would love to see change and improvement in where they live. But they keep voting, year after year, for the same folks who broke the cities in the first place. Go figure.  

  

Having a conversation...

"But - I will continue the conversation. Melvin, you are an idiot. You are a lousy Mayor. The good people of St. Paul deserve better. They deserve to be safe."

In case you have not heard, both of the Twin Cities have had a bloody summer and a bloody early fall. Yes, I said both - including the saintly city of St. Paul. Seems that St. Paul is NOT as saintly as it once was. But - fortunately for St. Paul, they elected a young guy as Mayor, a young man whose father was a cop. He should be able to fix this festering problem.

The other night, not that far from our new deluxe soccer stadium, we had two more citizens get shot. Could not have been by crazed soccer fans - most of them are as docile as Monks. In any event, the Mayor jumped right on this one. Maybe more cops patrolling the streets? Heavens no! Instead (you will love this one, as it comes right out of the Democrat play book),"We need to have a conversation about gun violence." 

(Don't get excited, this part is parody). The Mayor called some thugs into his office to start a "conversation". These are some excerpts from that meeting:

Mayor:        How can we get all those guns off the streets?
Thug # 1:    You can start by disarming citizens. Especially the ones who legally carry.
Mayor:        I would love to. Would that help with our crime problem?
Thug # 2:    Of course not, you idiot. It would just keep us safer while committing crimes.
Mayor:        I am thinking about reducing the number of cops we have patrolling the streets.
Thug # 1:    Great idea! Make sure the ones remaining are not armed. 
Mayor:        That is also a great idea! Less guns with the police, more social justice!
Mayor:        We think much of the gang violence has to do with drugs? Make drugs legal?
Thug # 2:    That is a stupid idea. We will use the black market and undersell you.
Mayor:        Thanks guys! This had been really been helpful! Final words?
Thug # 1:    Sucker.
Thug # 2:    Ditto.

Whew! Sure am glad we had that conversation! It is always good to talk things over. Talking is better than acting. Most of our big blue cities are going the way of less cops, less armed cops, and more social justice. This is a thug's dream. Seems that Melvin wants to be part of that crowd. The mantra which is spreading in our big blue cities - cops = bad, thugs = good. Hey Melvin - that is why normal people don't want to step foot in either Minneapolis or St. Paul.

But - I will continue the conversation. Melvin, you are an idiot. You are a lousy Mayor. The good people of St. Paul deserve better. They deserve to be safe. All your conversations on this topic are just hot air, chasing hot air. Meanwhile, up here in God's country, we continue to respect our law enforcement, and eschew thuggery. That is our conversation - short and sweet. 

The Doral Debacle

"History, if written by normal people instead of loons, will tell the truth about this President. He was not a traitor - we was a patriot. Instead of using the system (like so many before him have), he tried to fix the system. For that, in his lifetime, he was hated."

Doral. One of the premier golf sites in the US of A. Donald Trump owns a resort on the course. I would guess it makes quite a bit of money every year. As would every other premier golf course which is on the PGA tour. The next G-7 (or maybe a G-8) meeting will be in the United States. Booking these things is always a problem. Logistics galore. That is when Donald Trump had an idea. Why not offer his Doral resort, free of charge, to host the event? Everyone could be on site, it is gorgeous, and why the heck not? Why not? Democrats.

It was no more announced that the Trump Administration would like to book Doral for the June 2020 G-7 conference, when the caterwauling started going up from the Democrat's locker. "That son of a *****! We will bring him up on charges of abusing the Emoluments Clause!" Sounds good, except for one thing. This was a zero dollar contract. "Wait just a second!", the caterwauling continued, "He will get brand recognition from using his resort!" Really? Who in this country had not heard of the name "Trump" by now.

After the pressure got too much (including from his own side), the President rescinded the offer. "Fine", he thought. "This will cost the country more money, but it is not worth the hassle. Besides, Doral will not lose money next June." (Paraphrasing of the President's thoughts were done by the Bird).

This was a GREAT idea. It really was. But you know - the optics. Even though it made sense, and did not break any laws, it had to be killed. Where does that leave the G-7? Oh, they will find a place - at a steep cost. But at least Donald Trump will not have his fingerprints on it. However, the only ones who are worried about Trump's fingerprints, are the ones who are worried about Trump staying in office.

This is not over. Doral was just another shot over the bow. I listened to a pundit this afternoon on the radio. The pundit said the impeachment of Donald Trump could lead to a hot civil war, instead of the cold on we now have. Let that sink in for a minute. "Hot" civil war, means we are all shooting at each other. Blood, suffering, wounding, killing. All the ingredients of war. All because many short sighted haters on the socialist side of the street, hate the current President enough to remove him without cause.

History, if written by normal people instead of loons, will tell the truth about this President. He was not a traitor - we was a patriot. Instead of using the system (like so many before him have), he tried to fix the system. For that, during his lifetime, he was hated. History, on the other hand, if recorded properly, will have very kind things to say about Donald Trump. Including the offer of Doral, for a very important G-7 (or G-8) meeting. 

(no) Power to the People!!!

"Buckle up - we have a bit over a year until the 2020 vote is taken. After that, we will either have four more years of greatness, or the start of a great ruination of a once great country."

This endless election season is dragging on, dragging on, and dragging on. Truthfully? I am very bored with it already. The Democrats are pontificating on how much they will destroy America, using many of their goofy and ill thought out ideas. The Democrats who are not running for President, are part of the cadre of misfits who are trying to impeach our current President. Meanwhile, while there is trouble all over the world, America is tied up in knots. 

This morning on Fox News, Peter Morici was the guest. I like him. Smart guy. He is a professor of economics at the University of Maryland. Anyhow, he was talking about what would happen to this country if even a sliver of the nuttiness AOC is promoting, would ever see the light of day. He had the audacity to say what the Lefties hate to hear. "People who have money will vote with their feet. Just like with inversion under Obama, corporations were moving money to Ireland. Under the AOC economy, there will be stampede of money to the UK. Why? So this government cannot confiscate wealth."

Translation = end of the party. All the good things that Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump have infused into our economy, would be eviscerated in one election. America the great would become America the former. All this, because our education system has so torted world history, it has allowed our youngins to believe socialism is better than capitalism. How so?

One young person was asked on the news this past weekend why socialism was better than capitalism. Her answer? (And she was a college kid), "I get my college for free!" I guess one of the things which is no longer taught in schools, is there is no such thing as a free lunch. Somebody always pays.

If you really want to trigger these socialists, one only needs to remind them of what happened in Venezuela. They go ballistic! Instead, they see a utopia, and not a dystopia. They see a Sweden or Norway. Everyone has money, there is no pollution, nobody has to work that hard, and sunshine and lolly pops are everywhere! Of course, the grownups know this only exists in the land of "never happen".

What AOC, Bernie, Liz, and the rest of the socialists do not understand is simply this. As strong as our economy is, it can still be broken. Under Obama, it came to almost a stand still due to his policies. Under President Warren or President Sanders, the economy could be thrown in full reverse. And this "power to the people" canard? It is just that. All power would be vested in an oppressive government, which no matter how much cash you fed into it, would always demand more. More cash to the government, less freedoms in return.

See why this is so boring to me? Yada, yada, yada. Same stuff, every day. At least when Hillary accused Tulsi of being a red agent, it added some diversion to the tedium. In any event, today Donald Trump is still our President, and we are still a free country, full of liberty and a capitalist economy. Did I mention a ROARING capitalist economy?

Buckle up - we have a bit over a year until the 2020 vote is taken. After that, we will either have four more years of greatness, or the start of a great ruination of a once great country. 

   

Emolument this pal!

"The bottom line is this - we need more public servants like Donald Trump. As much as the Left bellyaches how corrupt this President is, he is probably one of the most honest people in Washington - hands down."  

Fair minded people all know the real truth about President Trump. He is the antithesis of a gold digger. When he decided to run for President, he knew if elected, his net worth would go into a tail spin. And it has. He has lost countless millions of dollars in the past three years. He was been very careful to "firewall" his business away from the White House. In addition, as President, he is allowed to make a nice annual salary. He donates all of that salary (save a dollar) to charity or other parts of the government.

That being said, there are still scores, make that legions, of socialists and progressives in Washington who are convinced that Donald Trump is taking this country for a ride. That he has enriched himself beyond measure by using the influence of his position to benefit his companies. Like I said, nothing could be further from the truth. If anything, Donald Trump is the king of "negative emoluments". That being said, emoluments are the fuel which fires the swamp. And that has been going on for years.

Even though it is thought by many on my side, that one party is much dirtier on this than the other, let's be honest. It happens on both sides of the aisle. If this practice is outside the letter of the law in the Emoluments Clause, the clause should be re-written to make it cover. What do I mean?

How in the world we can send ordinary people, many of whom are not the sharpest blades in the drawer, to serve in Washington, and have them leave at the end of their terms very wealthy, is indeed a head scratcher. In fact, some serve for 20 years and turn that hundred thousand dollar annual salary into a net worth of a hundred million.

Washington is awash with money. Your money. And it is there for the picking, as the controls on where it goes, and how it goes, are lax at best. Then comes the rub. If certain groups think you have influence on how that money is spent, speaking engagements with enormous honorariums will start popping up like dandy-lines. Or a book deal, complete with a ghost writer and a huge up front cash payment. Soon, savings accounts start to take off like rockets. Once middle income people are now nestled comfortably in the 2% club. What a success story!

Exhibit "A" on this this works are the Clintons. Their abuse of the system is legendary. The Clinton Foundation raked in tens of millions of dollars, and where that money went is still a mystery to many - especially in Haiti. Hunter Biden was a small fry in all this graft. He became rich using his dad's influence, but nothing like the husbands of Diane Feinstein or Nancy Pelosi. Bob Menendez almost got indicted, but the evidence fell apart at the last minute. Have no doubt however, he also was making dirty money.

Part of draining the swamp is to get rid of all this influence peddling. It is corrupt and rots the system. Public servants should not look upon serving as also enriching. Right now, it is hard to separate the two. 

The bottom line is this - we need more public servants like Donald Trump. As much as the Left bellyaches how corrupt this President is, he is probably one of the most honest people in Washington - hands down.  

   

Tulsi, AGENT RED!

"If nothing else, Hillary, the bad penny which keeps showing up, had given us some October levity. How did Tulsi take it? Check out her return tweet to Witch Hillary some time. It is one for the ages." 

I knew it! I knew there had to be something about this woman! She is a round peg trying to fit into a square hole when she is with the other Democrat candidates. But leave it to Hillary to "out" her. To tell the truth. Tulsi Gabbard is a Russian asset! I knew there was a plausible explanation. For the longest time, I thought she was just an alien from the Planet Zork.

Okay - enough silliness. I like Tulsi Gabbard. She has the most fascinating story. And she is no more a "Russian Asset" than I am. Then what up, Ms. Hillary? Where did this barb come from? Left field? Or is there something more in play? Like green eyed jealousy? Like maybe a cat fight? Tulsi is pretty and you are not. Tulsi is classy and you are not. Need I continue?

First, let me clear the air on one thing. Even though I like this woman and think she has an interesting back story, I would NEVER vote for her for President. Even though she is saner than the rest of the Clown Car, she still has some nutty ideas. And this thing from Hillary that Tulsi is going to run as a third party candidate? Now that might have some merit.

How so, one might ask. If I were a Democrat, and having to watch this shameless parade of lunacy during the debates, I might be looking for a lifeline. If a Democrat could not find the path to switch horses and vote for Donald Trump, that Democrat might be interested in a less goofy alternative to the Clown Car. (Dare I say this?) - Especially one, who is easy on the eyes and somewhat cogent in her speech.

The way things are going now, the fate of the Democrats will be the same if there is a third party or not. Period. No, "Sleepy Joe" is not going to "beat Donald Trump" like a drum. Joe will not even be around for the finish. He and Hunter will be long gone by then. Unfortunately, so will Tulsi. Too normal. Our 70 year old socialist native will be the nominee. As one pundit has said - "Warren is tailor made for Donald Trump. He will take her apart, piece by piece in the debates. It won't be personal - it will be her platform".

Once the race is over, this legislator from Hawaii can go back to the Kremlin for more training. Whoops - sorry Hillary - that was your line. If nothing else, Hillary, the bad penny which keeps showing up, had given us some October levity. How did Tulsi take it? Check out her return tweet to Witch Hillary some time. It is one for the ages.