Scattered Acres

It didn't take four years to know that Donald J. Trump would be an American catastrophe. If I didn’t know for sure before his inauguration, I was certain of it on the day of his inauguration. George W. Bush reportedly referred to Trump’s inaugural speech as "some weird shit" after the ceremony concluded. It took only Trump’s insistence on the size of the crowd to realize that he was prepared to construct a fantasy universe built on lies. No, his inaugural crowd on the Mall was nowhere near as large as that for Obama. Anyone who saw the pictures would know it.  That Trump was a nasty campaigner was nothing new. After all, the gentlemanly George H. W. Bush employed Willy Horton to beat Mike Dukakis and LBJ has a little girl counting the daisy petals left before Barry Goldwater would start nuclear war. But in office from the very first minute, one had to know that Trump was something different. One can disagree with his policies that squandered the goodness in America. But...

I’m not sure we need $600 each from the new slug of federal stimulus funds. While I always appreciate money that comes over the transom, we run a tight financial ship that provides for the essentials in life and small pleasures. In other words, as retirees, we plan prudently for what we need and what we want with the resources at hand.  Millions of people are hurting as a result of the pandemic through absolutely no fault of their own. That includes the laid off unemployed and the myriad of very small businesses that are forced to abide with pandemic guidelines that destroy their financial viability. Those who continue to work as before are doing well. What is needed is 1) a predictable safety net for the unemployed, 2) aid to keep small businesses with fixed expenses afloat until restrictions upon them are removed, and 3) aid for states, cities and towns that are working with reduced revenues and, incidentally, employ millions.  So do I need $600? $1,200 for the two of us? Do...

Do you know how close Joe Biden came to losing the election? Terrifyingly close! According to the vastest figures available on line, Biden won Arizona and 11 Electoral votes by 10,457 popular votes, Georgia’s 16 Electoral votes by 11,779 popular votes, and Wisconsin’s 10 Electoral votes by 20,682 popular votes. Biden won these three states by 42,918 votes. Together they account for 37 Electoral votes which, if gone to Trump, would have caused a tie in the Electoral College and thrown the election into the House where Trump wins the majority Republican states.  OK, a tie. But additionally, if Nebraska’s single Biden Electoral vote from the 2nd Congressional District hadn’t gone to Biden by 22,091 votes, Trump wins. Or if Nevada’s 6 Electoral votes hadn’t gone to Biden by 33,596, Trump wins.  Under the Constitutional provisions for the Electoral College and the custom of winner-take-all by states, Biden won the presidency by a mere 65,009 votes. Imagine that. The loss of a ...

There is light at the end of the tunnel. COVID-19 vaccine is on the way. It may not be here for all of us for a while and it may not be soon enough for some who will succumb to the virus. The vaccine is welcome news, nevertheless. But the pandemic didn’t have to be so bad. Trumpian leadership failed from the beginning. The president’s vanity trumped the simplest of defenses - a mask, social distancing, limited travel. That a vaccine was developed at warp speed is a tribute to the science that Trump has so disparaged.  A second pandemic is upon us. It’s the assault on truth. It may turn out to be far more dangerous, more widespread, and long-lasting than the coronavirus pandemic that we know. Again, it didn’t have to be this way. President Trump is on record for tens of thousands of lies. As a narcissistic sociopath and pathological liar he is under the delusion what what he says is true. And a good many millions of people believe what he says. His lies have gone viral . Trump’s pow...

President Biden’s first job is to sooth the wounds that Trump has brought upon America. In that regard, he should form a unity government that includes some responsible Republicans (a rare animal, indeed). This will infuriate progressives (of which I consider myself one), but the Democratic Party did not do well down ballot. It’s a time for healing. In particular, Biden can give the rural, white, partially educated, Trump supporters not what they want, but what they need. What they need are respect, decent employment, education, medical care, community, etc. What to do? My list in no particular order: 1) Omnibus Infrastructure Program for the Future. - Includes widespread repairs and updating; Broadband extension to rural areas; Clean energy  and conservation measures; Climate change defense and amelioration; More I haven’t thought of. It’s a jobs program.  2) Employment and Income Security. - $15/hour minimum federal wage; Equal opportunity employment; Pages from the New Deal...

TW3 was a TV program of the sixties that satirized the week's political, social and cultural events and actions. Among the luminaries on the screen were David Frost, Nichols and May, with cameo appearances by Gloria Steinem, Tom Lehrer and many others. But what could they have done with the week just passed?  Number 1, Saturday: Trump announces the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to replace the recently deceased RBG on the Supreme  Court. He couldn’t have picked a more polar opposite justice. McConnell promises to rush Senate confirmation, negating his principle of not elevating a nominee to the court so close to a presidential election.  Number 2, Sunday: The New York Times publishes information about Trump’s tax returns and his business losses. Trump paid $750 in the first two years of his presidency and nothing in many preceding years. As a businessman, his business loses were staggering.  Number 3, Tuesday: Trump blusters interruptions at what was billed was the...

Donald J. Trump is his own Joseph Goebbels. For those who don’t know the name, Goebbels was Reich Minister of Propaganda of Nazi Germany. Trump is his own minister of propaganda. Between Goebbels and Hitler, the big lie was perfected by repeated articulation.  Trump has indicated publicly that he may not abide by the results of the coming November election. He claims already the despite the polls showing Biden ahead nationally, that he has won the election and any contrary result will be due to a rigged election. How often have you heard rigged election? This repetition is the big lie in process.  Trump is beyond violating traditional American norms. He is beyond his own personality disorders and flawed character. He is undermining faith in American institutions at every turn. He is trashing the Constitution. American democracy as we know it is under dire threat. It behooves everyone who believes in democracy, rather than authoritarianism, to address the threat. You can do t...