The Wall

Donald Trump wants a multi-billion dollar wall on the southern border of the US. He says he needs Democratic help. Why?

The Republican party controls both houses of Congress and the White House. Of 100 senators, 54 are Republican. Of 435 representatives, 246 are Republican. The 114th Congress has the largest Republican majority since the 71st Congress of 1929—1931. If Trump wants to fund a border wall, why doesn’t he ask his own party for funding instead of blaming Democrats for not cooperating with him?

Trump has done plenty of things Democrats opposed. The Congress has been essentially a rubber stamp on anything he wanted. Trump got things his way. Then Trump hit a wall.

It was a wall of Democrats united to put the brakes on his multi-billion dollar boondoggle. Trump wanted $1.4 billion to start construction. Democrats gave him $1.5 billion for upgrades to border security, but no money for a wall.

Trump said he will “proudly” shut down the federal government unless Democrats help him pay for the border wall. He will proudly stop paychecks to hundreds of thousands of federal workers, proudly close national parks, and proudly suspend many government functions. Considering that Congress and the White House are controlled by Republicans, why do they need Democratic votes? It would seem they could pass any bill they want to pass.

But they can’t and it’s because of something called the “Cloture Rule”. It only takes 51 votes to pass a bill in the Senate but it takes 60 votes to end a filibuster, and Republicans don’t have 60 votes.

When Trump was campaigning, he assured his supporters again and again that Mexico will pay for the wall. When Mexico made it clear that they would not be forking over billions of dollars for Trump’s wall, the funding situation became murkier. Trump changed his message to: American taxpayers will pay for the wall and Mexico will reimburse us “in some form” at “a later date.” But Mexican government officials have stated repeatedly that they will not pay for any part of Trump’s border wall. So if the wall is built, who will be on the hook for the bill?

At the end of the day it will be the same people who are always on the hook for billion dollar boondoggles—American taxpayers. Or more likely, the wall will be paid for by the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of today’s taxpayers.

Even more likely than that is the probability that the bill for the wall will never be paid. The bill will simply be added to America’s credit card, otherwise known as the National Debt, and taxpayers will pay interest on that bill forever, never paying it off. And that is what lenders really care about. They don’t want the debt to be repaid. They want to earn interest indefinitely. And for some reason, voters seem happy to let them do that.

Winter Storm: Update 3

I have a number of complaints about the behavior of certain members of the human race. Today I added another one to the list.

There is still fairly deep snow on the ground from the recent winter storm. Certainly it’s deeper than you would want to walk through. So I shoveled the snow off my sidewalk, from my front steps to the street. I then went into the house and looked out the front window, admiring the result of my labor.

Along comes a neighbor’s car and guess where he parks. With the entire width of my lot available for parking, he parks in front of my sidewalk, blocking access from the street. Now anyone who wants to use my sidewalk has to walk through snow to get to it.

WTF is wrong with people? Do they no longer think about what they’re doing, or do they simply not give a damn? Maybe it’s both. After all, we are now living in the real-life incarnation of the film Idiocracy.

Betrayal

It is difficult to be friends with both a husband and wife (or any close couple), especially when there are secrets involved.

For example (and this is purely fictional): The wife tells me she sneaks out of the house every Friday night so she can drive to a Bingo parlor and gamble a little money playing Bingo. She sneaks back into the house so her husband won’t confront her about where she has been, because she doesn’t want him to know she has been gambling. The husband tells me he is sure his wife is cheating on him because he has seen her sneaking out of the house on Friday nights and coming home late and sneaking into the house. He tells me that because she is cheating on him, he feels it is okay for him to cheat on her. The couple’s relationship starts to fall apart due to a misunderstanding about what is happening.

If I tell the husband that his wife is not cheating but merely gambling and he confronts her about her gambling habit, the wife accuses me of betraying her trust. If I tell the wife what her husband has told me and she confronts him, he accuses me of betraying his trust. So, do I remain silent and allow their relationship to sink into a state of cold animosity that may end in divorce? Or do I “betray” one or both of them to get them to start talking to each other, even if it means that one (or both) of them will no longer be my friend?

In the real world I choose the latter, even though it causes trouble for them and for me, because I feel that if I don’t try to start a conversation between them, the situation will only deteriorate further until it may be unrecoverable. I can’t stand back and watch that happen and say nothing. That isn’t my nature. But maybe I am totally wrong and maybe I should let their relationship end in divorce, because it is, after all, their business. But then, what if children are involved? Does that make it different? Is there a “generally speaking” correct way to handle this? Or is every situation similar but different, each with its own correct answer? I really don’t know.

Winter Storm: Update 2

The storm has passed and the sun is out. My street still has not been plowed and cars and pickup trucks are traveling on it. A pickup truck became stuck on the icy, snowy street adjacent to the SUV that became stuck last night. He was stuck there for an hour, while other people came with snow shovels and tried to dig him out. No luck. Then someone came by in a pickup truck with a tow chain and tried to get him out. Even with that help, it took quite a while to get him going.

The icicles hanging off my front awnings have melted and now water from the melting roof snow drips from them. The temperature has climbed to 34°F. Although the weather people have said we officially got 9 inches of snow, everywhere I look it appears closer to 12 inches and a perhaps a little more. The weight of the snow on the shrubs in front of my house has basically destroyed them, splitting them apart and weighing parts of them to the ground.

At one point, my Internet went out, but came back on a couple of minutes later. Thankfully, the electricity has stayed on, without which I would not have had heat.

I know, I know—it could have been worse.

Yesterday afternoon, snow is falling, this SUV is stuck against my curb and has been abandoned. It was the first of two vehicles to get stuck in front of my house.

Afternoon today, the SUV is still stuck, still abandoned.

The pillowy aftermath, looking down the street. Still hoping the city will push the snow off the street and put down some sand, but not holding my breath.

Winter Storm: Update 1

I awoke this morning with snow already falling. I went about my business for the next few hours. I had no need to leave the house. I heard a snowplow going up a nearby street. I didn’t look out the window, but the sound of a snowplow scraping the street is unmistakable.

My own street has not been plowed, nor has salt and sand been put down. A small white car travels slowly past my house. Two men in dark clothing run behind it. I’m guessing they had just pushed the car to get it moving on the slick street, and they told the driver to go slowly and they would catch up to the car, but “don’t stop moving!” Good advice.

A short while later, I look outside and see a small dark-gray Nissan SUV stuck in the middle of the street in front of my house. A man is trying to shovel snow away from the front wheels while a woman looks on, but under the snow there is ice and a snow shovel is useless against ice. A few minutes later I look outside and see the driver trying to move the vehicle forward, but the front wheels spin and the vehicle turns sideways in the street.

Another few minutes pass and I look outside again. Now the SUV is against the curb in front of my house. There is no hope of getting the vehicle out of this situation. Maybe the driver will learn a lesson about driving in snow in a 2WD vehicle. Eventually they abandon the vehicle and begin walking down the street.

This little misadventure is being repeated thousands of times on roads around central Virginia. Cars have slid off roads and are stuck in ditches or perhaps are stopped by a tree. Authorities always advise people to not go out when the roads are bad. But, of course, there are always people who think, “They don’t mean me” or “I can handle it.”

It’s dark now. It’s 7PM and snow is still falling hard. Somewhere nearby I hear the roar of an engine and the whine of tires on ice and I know a car is stuck. I learned my lesson long ago. That’s why my vehicle has 4WD. Even so, I’m going to keep it in the garage until I have to use it. We all live and learn. It just takes some people longer than others.

Forecast: Snow

Tomorrow at this time, the brutally cold and outrageously blizzardy Great Snowstorm and/or Blizzard of 2018 will be hitting my central Virginia city. We expect to receive 1 inch of snow. Or perhaps 6 inches. Prognosticators are not sure about the amount. The dividing line between 1 to 3 inches to the east and 3 to 6 inches to the west runs right down the main drag in my little city. If that imaginary line shifts a few miles east or west, it will make a big difference in how much snow we get. But 1 inch or 6 inches, it will matter little to me. Either way, it’s a nuisance.

When I was a boy, I loved snow. I loved that schools were closed. I had a sled and a great place to go sledding. Of course, that was long before I had to shovel snow off my sidewalk or shovel a path from my back door to my garage, where my Jeep lives. Snow is pretty to watch falling, and a landscape covered in snow is also pretty, but the aftermath is a bother I don’t need.

My Jeep has 4 wheel drive, so I don’t worry about getting stuck. But I don’t like to drive my Jeep around town in a slushy mixture of snow and sand and salt, which is what is on the streets on the day after it snows. And when night comes and the temperature falls, everything freezes and the streets are slick with ice. I don’t like to have wet salt thrown onto the underside of the Jeep or into the wheel wells where it can rust sheet metal. And I really don’t want to have some driver slide his vehicle into my Jeep. So I prefer to leave the Jeep parked in the garage until the snow is gone.

If we get enough snow, maybe I’ll post some pictures here. Maybe I’ll post a video or two for the benefit of people who’ve never lived where it snows and have never had the privilege of digging out a vehicle and shoveling a path from a parking lot to a street, or helping a neighbor dig out his vehicle, or driving miles to pick up a friend or co-worker and drive them home on abandoned roads on a night when only snowplows venture out. So much fun.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

When I left Walmart the air temperature was about 30°F. Light snow had just begun falling. Perhaps that was the reason the popular holiday song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” popped into my head.

The song was written in 1944 by Frank Loesser for him and his wife to sing at Christmas parties. The song has always been popular. But recently, radio stations have pulled the song from their holiday playlists. Their reasoning is that the song is guilty of commending, if not promoting, sexual harassment.

As I walked across the parking lot to my car, I reflected upon the fact that in those olden days when the song was written and performed, it was possible for a man to suggest to a woman that she stay the evening without the suggestion being considered sexual harassment or, worse, sexual assault.

There are legitimate cases of sexual harassment and sexual assault. But the politically correct crowd seems bent on promoting the idea that anything suggestive of sex must be harassment or assault. That perception dilutes the legitimate claims of harassment and assault.

Maybe I’m being old-fashioned here, but I believe claims of sexual intimidation should be confined to actual acts of intimidation and not a suggestion that a woman should stay the evening because “it’s cold outside”. If we make that suggestion into sexual harassment then I can truthfully say that I’ve been sexually harassed by women on multiple occasions, and I didn’t even know I was being harassed. It works both ways.

Tattoos

This blog post will upset a lot of people. Okay, not “a lot” of people, because a lot of people don’t read this blog. But it will upset some people. Okay, let me be totally honest—it will upset a few people, maybe.

I don’t understand the fascination with tattoos and piercings. Tattoos are a turnoff for me. Piercings are an even bigger turnoff, especially when they go through the nose or mouth. Little studs or rings through the eyebrows, those I can live with. I can accept them. That doesn’t mean I like them, though.

The human body, when taken care of properly, is a temple. It’s a work of art. (Especially the female body, but I’m a guy so I’m sure I’m biased.) “So what?” you ask.

There is a world-famous building in India called the Taj Mahal. It is renowned for its beauty. But is there a way that we can make it even more beautiful? Sure, let’s just get some cans of spray paint and spray graffiti all over the outside of it! If you think graffiti will make the Taj Mahal more beautiful, then you deserve tattoos. No doubt your friends are saying, “Looking good!”

And for those people of the Jewish and Christian faiths, note that the Bible has something to say about this subject. Leviticus 19:28 “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourself.” If you don’t like my opinion on tattoos and piercings, go argue with God.

Think before you ink.

School Bus Tragedy

In the news now is the story of three children—two 6-year-old twin brothers and their 9-year-old sister—who were killed while trying to cross a two-lane road to get to their waiting school bus. An 11-year-old boy was also struck and is hospitalized with multiple broken bones. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is sending a “go-team” to the location to try to understand how the accident happened.

The news article reports the bus was stopped with its flashing lights turned on and its stop-sign-arm deployed. Folks, we don’t need the NTSB to figure out how this accident happened. I can tell the NTSB exactly how it happened. Somebody ignored the bus’s flashing lights and stop sign and blew past the stopped bus at full speed. It happens every day all over America.

If you interview any school bus driver, you’ll hear about people ignoring the bus’s lights and stop sign and driving past the stopped bus. It probably happens at least once a day to every school bus driver in America. Passing a stopped school bus is already against the law, but you can’t make people obey the law. They have to want to obey the law. These kinds of tragic accidents will continue to happen until careless drivers have some skin in the game. Give them something to lose and they will be more likely to obey the law.

How about this: if you blow past a stopped school bus, ignoring its flashing light and the extended arm with the stop sign, then hi-def cameras will capture an image of your license plate and you will be identified and your vehicle will be confiscated.

Too draconian? Then how about option 2: when the bus is stopped with warnings deployed, any large metal object (car or truck) passing the bus will be detected by a small radar device affixed to the bus and a squirt of paint will be sprayed down the side of the passing vehicle.

Still to harsh? Okay then, let’s go to option 3: a smart sensor on every new car that can respond to the flashing lights of a stopped school bus and order the vehicle to slow down.

A real hi-tech solution would be to install on every future vehicle a “black box” that is capable of receiving a radio signal broadcast by a stopped school bus. The black box will then tell the car’s engine computer and brake system to slow or stop the vehicle. This solution would also allow work-zone speed limit compliance, as vehicles would automatically slow down to a transmitted speed limit. And police could quickly and safely terminate a pursuit by electronically stopping a vehicle rather than pursuing the vehicle at high speed for dozens of miles.

I’m just thinking outside the box, as no doubt many others have done. There are people smarter than me out there (I hope). Perhaps one of them will invent a solution to this problem before more tragedies occur.

Vicious

Many years ago I read about a science experiment in which a few rats were placed in a large enclosure. Initially, the rats were very peaceful toward each other. But as their population grew and the enclosure became crowded, the rats began turning against each other. They began attacking each other, and as their population continued to grow their attacks became increasingly vicious.

When I was born, the US population was 141 million. Now it is 326 million. Over that period of time, many people in America have become increasingly vicious and increasingly callous in their behavior toward their fellow humans. And they go to extremes to justify their behavior.

Are people no smarter than rats? Sure we are, in some ways. And no we’re not, in other ways. That is something we must struggle to overcome if we want to survive as a species.