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Great piece of writing

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

I read about this book review on another blog, unfortunately, I’ve forgotten which one, so I can’t give proper credit. Anyway, as that blogger pointed out, It’s an amazing piece of work by Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times. The book under review is a new biography of Hitler. But the review is really a well cloaked attack on, and warning about, Donald Trump. The review is well worth reading. I bought the book, and it’s pretty good as well.

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A bit of sympathy for Dave Collins?

Sunday, October 2, 2016

I’ve written a number of posts about the New London Day’s columnist, Dave Collins. Dave, despite the cynical tone of so many of his columns, is, it turns out, a fairly naive guy. He decided that any Republican who refused to renounce Donald Trump was beyond the pale. I think he actually thought that the local Republicans would pass the test. So far, not a one of them has passed, though some have failed to turn in their little blue books.

Poor Dave has already had to read Heather Somers and John Scott out of the ranks of the respectable. That must have hurt, but nowhere near as much as the latest. Last week Republican State Senator Paul Formica failed the test. Dave may be working on his column as I write this, and I’m sure it’s breaking his heart.

Dave in particular, and the New London Day in general, has been deep deep deep in the tank for Formica ever since he declared for the Waterford-New London senate seat in 2014. Dave couldn’t disparage Formica’s opponent or distort her record enough. When she (Betsy Ritter) was appointed Commissioner on Aging after her loss, Dave railed against the appointment, even while conceding that she was qualified for the post. The Day itself ignored the fact that Formica was totally unaware of the contents of a very important ballot question (which would have allowed the legislature to liberalize our antiquated voting laws) and was, in fact, generally pretty much of a dunderhead. But then, he’s a Republican.

If there’s a single Republican candidate in the area who could risk passing the Trump test, it has to be Formica. He’s pretty popular, because he runs a seafood restaurant. Yes, you read that right.

It’s entirely possible that Formica doesn’t even recognize the danger Trump poses to the Republic, but if that’s the case, he’s far too dumb to be in the state Senate. Most likely he does, but feels that danger is worth risking if the alternative is his own electoral defeat, even though there’s not much chance of that.

Anyway, I almost feel sorry for Dave. But I don’t.

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What’s in store for debate two

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Although I might still be needing a clothespin when I cast my vote next month, I have to admit that I’m super impressed by the Clinton campaign, and the trap it laid for the Donald in the first debate.

It’s dollars to donuts that they have something completely different to bait him in the second debate, and my bet is that he’ll fall for it all over again.

One thing they have going for them is that he’s got so much sleazy stuff in his past (this morning’s Times notes that he took a very suspect one billion dollar loss in 1995) that neither he or his staff can possibly predict what they’ll pick and how they’ll present it. If anything, the town hall forum setting will make it even more difficult for him to respond in a way approaching rationality.

Who knows, I may even bring myself to watching it in real time, rather than waiting to watch the best snippets.

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A very disturbed man

Friday, September 30, 2016

Just bewildering. A guy whose living in a glass house shouldn’t be throwing stones. And if his wife is living there with him he ought to think twice again. First, the serial adulterer threatens to attack Hillary for Bill’s adultery, implying that it’s the woman’s fault if the man strays, which he probably truly believes. Now he’s attacking Alicia Machado over a non-existent sex tape. This from the guy whose wife’s nude pictures are all over the internet.

Also, what does it say about the guy that he gets up at 3 in the morning to spew this stuff. This is a man who is seriously mentally ill.

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Some good news

Thursday, September 29, 2016

A few years ago an occasional reader complained that I was a bit of a curmudgeon (who, me?) and that I rarely talked up good news. So, once a week for about five weeks I religiously posted some good news. I’m not sure if the well ran completely dry, or I just returned to my natural ways, but it’s been a while since I clicked the good news category.

All this is by way of saying that there is good news today, and it has nothing to do with Donald Trump:

The federal agency that controls more than $1 trillion in Medicare and Medicaid funding has moved to prevent nursing homes from forcing claims of elder abuse, sexual harassment and even wrongful death into the private system of justice known as arbitration.

An agency within the Health and Human Services Department on Wednesday issued a rule that bars any nursing home that receives federal funding from requiring that its residents resolve any disputes in arbitration, instead of court.

via The New York Times

This really is good news, one more positive action of the Obama administration, as it prepares to leave town. If we had a Congress that had any interest at all in serving the American people, these clauses would be banned outright in any consumer contract. The corporate world, with the enthusiastic assistance of the entire Supreme Court, has been slowly building an alternate and rigged “justice” system, just for itself. It’s a shame that Obama can’t see that the TPP does precisely the same thing, which is the real reason why most informed opponents are against it. In any event, this is a very good thing.

There is a legal doctrine under which clauses like this can be invalidated by a court. A “contract of adhesion” is a contract imposed by a stronger party upon a weaker. It’s one sided in the sense that the weaker party has no opportunity to really negotiate terms and has no bargaining power. It’s hard to imagine a contract that fits this bill more than one for a nursing home. (If you’ve ever been involved in the transfer of a person from a hospital to a nursing home, you know what I mean.) A court can step in and invalidate outrageous terms, such as the arbitration clauses at issue here. However, courts rarely take that step, and there’s no reason why the burden should be on the victim to go through the time and expense involved in litigating the issue.

Obama really has done a lot of good things, much of it under the radar, during his last year in office. All the more reason to make sure it doesn’t all get reversed by the Orange Man.

Anyway, good news.

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Miracles do happen

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

As I said in a recent post, I did not intend to watch the debate, and I didn’t. However, my wife did, and while she very considerately removed her Ipad and herself to another room while she watched, I couldn’t help overhear some of it in real time. My own impression was that she was making mincemeat of him, but it remained to be seen whether the meat would be highly spiced enough for the media to acknowledge the rout.

It appears, and this really is a miracle, that it was. The media set the bar extremely low for the Donald, but instead of stepping over it, he tried to limbo under it, and it didn’t work out well for him. As many have already noted, we can now expect several days of whining about how mean the media is to him, with the future of his debate appearances in doubt. I’ve had my problems with Hillary from a policy standpoint, but I’ve never accused her of not doing her homework, and she certainly did it for this one. She played him like a fiddle. It must be hard for them, but for the most part, based on the reaction I’ve seen, with the exception of Fox, they are playing it for the disaster it was for the Donald. I guess if you come across as an ignorant, unhinged coke head, even our media has to take notice.

Speaking of low bars, a few thoughts occurred to me about the frequent media refrain that this or that candidate must merely meet media defined low expectations in order to succeed in a debate. The obvious point is that the media itself defines these expectations, with no scientifically valid input from the public. In addition, I’ve searched my own memory, and I’ve failed to come up with a single example of the expectations game being played with a Democratic candidate. So far as I can recall, Democrats are expected to win on points, with the Republican often spotted a few points (or more) by the media prior to the opening bell. Not all Republicans benefit from the expectations game, but to my recollection, only Republicans (best off hand examples: Sarah Palin and Dan Quayle) do.

I wonder why that is.

No, I really don’t.

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I won’t be watching

Sunday, September 25, 2016

I’ve watched most of the presidential debates over the course of my lifetime. I’ve missed a few due to other commitments. I remember, for instance, having to listen to the Quayle-Bentsen debate, of lasting memory, in the car as I drove home from something or other.

But I’ll be giving this debate a pass.

As Bill Meyers pointed out recently the entire debate process has been corrupted, but that’s only part of my reasoning.

It’s my blood pressure. It’s actually pretty good, but I don’t see any compelling reason to put it at mortal risk. Despite the Lauer debacle, you can count on the moderator letting Trump off easy, if for no other reason than that he won’t have the slightest idea how to deal with the Donald. It also doesn’t help that Trump’s been playing the refs, as Republicans always do. Trump is even more effective than the average Republican at that sort of thing.

Despite some tentative move towards cleaning up its act, the media as a whole has been setting the table to declare Trump the winner if he makes it through without totally melting down. By that standard, he might still lose, but it’s going to take a mighty effort on his part. High school debaters are expected to know what they’re talking about, but not people running for President, particularly Republicans. At this point, the Republican passes so long as it is an open question whether he is legally competent or not.

Anyway, getting back to my blood pressure, I have found from past experience that when I yell at the people in the television, they totally ignore me, so the best course of action is to let other people watch for me. For this type of thing, hearsay evidence is fine, so long as you call the right witnesses. I’ll be hitting the blogs Tuesday morning, for informed opinions about the Monday night media fail.

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I’m an overachiever

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Turns out, I’m a special person. Today I got an email at work, which starts out like this:

Hello John,

I am just getting in contact with regards to my previous email regarding your selection as one of AI Magazine’s Top 25 Fund Managers of the Year 2016. Would [My law firm] like to move forward with one of the below packages?

Since early 2016, our research team have been assessing a wide range of key firms and individuals from across the financial and asset management industries.

Following this initial research stage, our directors, calling upon 30 years of experience and access to a worldwide network of industry experts, carefully selected businesses that they regard as having excelled in their sector. These awards are designed to celebrate companies that offer innovative services and solutions to those in the fund management industry. AI gives you an opportunity to showcase increasingly sought after expertise that keep the wheels of your industry turning.

As one of our 2016 winners, you are free to advertise your win in any way you see fit. However, if you would like to get a head start on your promotional activity, we offer a number of editorial packages that will help you to get your firm reach more than 108,500 CEOs and top-tier professionals.

If this is something that sounds of interest to you, we have four packages available for your consideration, as detailed below, each providing varying levels of exposure for [my law firm].

Editor’s Choice £3,450

The main image on the front cover of the publication
The main headline
A double page spread and Brown Jacobson Pc will be the lead firm profiled
6-month web banner
5 crystal trophies*
Reproduction of your piece on the website

It goes on to give me some lower cost ways to advertise my fabulosity, but those are for cheapskates.

I should add that this is only one of many awards I’ve won for things that I don’t even do. (Lawyers get their very own type of junk email) In a way, maybe I am among the top 25 money managers in the world. I do manage my own money, and, unlike some money managers I’ve heard of, I haven’t crashed the economy or done lasting harm to thousands of people. So maybe I will collect my award.

It will look great right next to my diploma from Trump University.

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It’s the year 2000 all over again

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

It’s hardly a new observation to make, but it’s a fact that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Part of the problem, I suppose, is that those who live through history die off, and are replaced by people who think, for some reason, that things are now different.

They year 2000 wasn’t that long ago, but the lesson that so many of us learned is apparently either forgotten or never learned by the “millenials” who have chosen to vote for either Jill Stein or Gary Johnson. Apparently, such people exist in large numbers, perhaps large enough to throw the election to the guy promising to make America fascist.

Stein, apparently, has an almost Nader like take on the election. According to her, Hillary is the real threat because of all those bad things she will skillfully push through Congress, while Trump will be neutered by a Congress that will frustrate him at every turn. People actually believe, or say they believe this, though both sides of the equation are patently absurd. Hillary will be frustrated by a Congress controlled by the Republicans, while Trump, if elected, would cause maximum harm simply by going along with whatever the Republicans chose to pass.

It’s equally hard to see how any but a right winger would go with Johnson in lieu of Trump. Could it be, as I’ve seen speculated, that the never Hillary types are sufficiently satisfied with the nice sounding “Libertarian” name? Are there really frustrated Bernie voters who would prefer an anti-environment, anti-regulation, anti-social security, pro free-market freebooters candidate to a candidate who, at worst, will be Obama term three?

I was no Hillary fan, but I remember my frustrating attempts to talk friends out of voting for Nader in 2000. Gore wasn’t perfect either, but the world and the country would be better off had we had 8 years of him rather than 8 years of George Bush.

It is getting very scary out there. The unthinkable is becoming more thinkable every day. Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that in the end these third party voters will stop and think. We really are at a precipice. Make the wrong choice this year, and the opportunity to correct it may never come.

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Stranger Mugfellows

Friday, September 16, 2016

A few months ago I shared a picture of a mug my son got me as a joke on my birthday. It featured a motley assortment of Democrats, some of whom (looking at you, Debbie Wasserman Schultz) no self respecting Democrat would want to acknowledge. I said at the time that my son and his wife couldn’t remember who was on the Republican mug, but hoped that Abe Lincoln would be spared the embarrassment of sharing space with Donald Trump.

Well, I was at the Vermont Country Store today and found the mug, and I’m pleased to say that Honest Abe’s reputation is safe, though, as it turns out, the Donald isn’t on the mug either. I didn’t buy it, but I did grab my phone and take some pictures. I’m not sure I should be pleased to say it looks like no one else bought it either. There were only one or two Democratic mugs left, but there was a whole box of Republicans. While the Democrats were indeed strange Mugfellows, the Republicans are, of course, 10 times worse, but that’s probably not why none of them sold.

Here it is, and it’s a sorry collection to be sure.

While I can’t quarrel with the selection of Joseph McCarthy, who occupies the very first panel, it’s hard to believe that many Republicans want to acknowledge the forerunner to so much of what came later. So, here’s the rest of the rogue’s gallery:

Ted Cruz
Scott Walker
Herbert Hoover
Jeb Bush
George Bush
Mitch McConnell
Marco Rubio
Richard Nixon
Rand Paul
John Boehner
Chris Christie

Surely a sadder collection of mediocrities, incompetents and criminals never before adorned a single mug. It actually makes the Democratic mug look like a collection of the truly great. There are two possible explanations. First, the choice was made by an avid Democrat who didn’t care if they sold any mugs, but just liked mocking Republicans. I think we can reject that one, because that person would also have been responsible for picking the folks on the Democratic mug, and while some of them were or are actually pretty good, the fact is that Debbie and Chuck are there, along with some other losers. The other possibility is that the mug’s makers in China asked a Chinese high school kid to put together the names of some leading Republicans, and this is what they got. That theory has my vote.

Notice who didn’t make the cut. Saint Ronnie, who we are all supposed to now believe was a great president, though he was really truly awful, and the Donald. The missing Ronnie is further evidence for the Chinese high school student, because everyone knows that all Republicans worship at Saint Ronnie’s shrine, and that they actually believe the myths they have invented about him. Here’s the explanation for the unsold mugs. No Republican is going to buy a mug full of Republicans if the guy who sold weapons to Iran is not on it.

As for the missing Donald, I guess even the Chinese high school student couldn’t believe American Republicans would be stupid enough to nominate him. But really, absolutely no one ever went broke underestimating the stupidity of the average Fox viewer, all of whom are Republicans.

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