Tag Archives: stimulus bill

A Real President Speaks

Posted on by under Environmental Issues, Political commentary

Last night, President Joe Biden gave a televised speech marking the one-year anniversary of the week the pandemic brought much of the United States to a screeching halt.   Rarely do I watch presidential speeches, typically preferring to read the transcript later, but I made an exception last night, for I wanted to see this one for myself.  I’m glad I did.

It was so wonderful to see a president who both spoke and acted like a President, who articulated and spoke in whole sentences without rancor.  His message was positive, but cautiously so.  There was no braggadocio, no ranting, no finger pointing or facial contortions, no hateful rhetoric, no self-promotion … just a man with a message of hope.

I don’t wish to dwell on the comparisons of the former guy’s speeches to Biden’s speech last night, but the contrast was so stark that one cannot help but note a few differences.  Biden’s tone was even, but not without passion.  Not once did he point a finger of blame at any person or group, not once did he raise his voice or make a Nazi-style fist.  And, perhaps most importantly, he did not say that he alone could fix this, but instead he said …

“I will not relent until we beat this virus. But I need you, the American people. I need you. I need every American to do their part.”

This, my friends, is how a real president acts and speaks.  This is what we have missed so badly for the past four years.

Midway through his first 100 days in office, Biden might have been tempted to use his first nationally televised speech merely to take a modest victory lap over the passage of the nearly $2 trillion coronavirus relief package that he signed into law earlier on Thursday, but he did not.  Instead, mixing empathy with hard realities, he provided a blueprint for returning the country to some sense of normalcy by summer, while appealing to all Americans to help him make it happen.  He did not sugar-coat our situation, but his message was one of hope.

President Biden’s approval rating stands today at 53.1% … one that eluded the former guy for his entire four years during which he never once even reached a 50% approval.  We now have a president … let’s hope Congress can find a way to work with him for the sake of this nation and We the People.

In case you missed the speech, The Washington Post has provided a full transcript.

Bloomin’ Fools Abound (in the GOP)

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Environmental Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary

Lots of little annoying things to stir my angst bouncing about on the radar tonight …

Taking credit where none is due …

It amazes me how somebody can take credit for what someone else has done, for what they themselves attempted to undo.  But that’s exactly what at least one Republican senator, Roger Wicker from Mississippi has done.  Not a single republican voted for the stimulus bill that, despite them, passed both chambers of Congress and was signed into law by President Biden yesterday.  Mr. Wicker had the unmitigated gall to tweet …

“Independent restaurant operators have won $28.6 billion worth of targeted relief. This funding will ensure small businesses can survive the pandemic by helping to adapt their operations and keep their employees on the payroll.”

Fortunately, people aren’t as stupid as he thinks and he received thousands of negative responses, including my own (I’ll likely get another suspension from Twitter for this one!).  Speaker Nancy Pelosi hit the nail on the head when she said …

“It’s typical that they vote no and take the dough.”

How in the Sam Hell?

Florida governor Ron DeSantis is a bloomin’ fool.  The latest?  Well, when he refused to put in place a statewide mask mandate last year, a number of counties and cities imposed local mask ordinances and fined businesses that failed to follow the law.  Makes sense to me, especially given that Florida has the third highest number of total cases in the country.

Well, apparently some people complained, so yesterday Governor DeSantis signed an executive order forgiving any fines related to local government COVID-19 restrictions on people and business.  The order states any fines imposed between March 1, 2020, and March 10, 2021, fines imposed by any political subdivision of Florida related to local government COVID-19 restrictions are canceled.

Heather Wooding, the owner of Country House Restaurant in Winter Garden, was fined in December after several warnings and several customer complaints that some employees were not wearing masks. Says she …

“I just didn’t feel it was right, so we were going to fight it.”

Wooding says she reqires no one to wear masks as she defies the county order and supports the governor’s new order eliminating fines.

“We have people coming here because we don’t wear masks. They want to be normal. And they are happy to come to a place that does not wear masks.”

Well, Bully!  We all want to be ‘normal’, but first we have to be alive, fool!

Floridians sure do know how to pick ’em …

And another bloomin’ fool in Florida … do they breed them specially down there?  Senator Rick Scott, who also did not vote for the stimulus bill, is beseeching states and cities across America to refuse federal aid and put politics over policy. In a letter sent to governors and mayors in Red states just after the bill was approved on Wednesday, Scott called the widely praised piece of legislation as “massive, wasteful and non-targeted.” He encouraged state and local leaders, by way of sending back the aid, to demand that Congress “quit recklessly spending other people’s money.”

WAIT just a darned minute here!  He doesn’t seem to have a problem spending other people’s money on himself (salary, travel, meals, perks) does he?  But he just doesn’t want people who actually need a boost to get one!

Oh, and by the way … it is reported that Scott is meeting this week with the former guy, if you needed further proof that he’s a fool.  If Scott and DeSantis are the best that the GOP has to offer, then it’s no damn wonder they feel they have to take our right to vote away from us, for anybody with half a brain ain’t gonna vote for these two fools!

Meanwhile, back from Cancún

And another bloomin’ fool, though this one is from Texas … none other than the ignoble Senator Ted Cruz … you remember, the guy who took off for the warm beaches of Cancún last month while the people of his state were freezing to death?  Well, after that little fiasco, I predicted that his political career would be over, but it seems he’s found a way to revive it … not a legal or moral way, but when has that ever mattered to Cruz?

His latest scheme to fundraise for his next campaign is to autograph Dr. Seuss books … for a donation of $60 per book!  Who in their right mind would pay $60 for Ted Cruz scrawl on a book that he didn’t even write???  This strikes me as the worst form of plagiarism!  In an email sent to prospective donors, Cruz says that he will personally autograph a copy of “Green Eggs and Ham” in exchange for a $60 campaign contribution.

“Look at this as your 2021 “cancel culture collectible from Team Cruz … it will be a great conversation piece.”

I suppose it’s not quite as bad as the former guy autographing bibles a few years ago.  Seems there is no low to which these guys won’t stoop.

Give the man a big, fat “F”!

Louis DeJoy is still Postmaster General, though hopefully not for much longer else I’m going to go bash his head in myself.  I’ve written enough times about this conniving man and his attempt to completely destroy the United States Postal Service, so I don’t need to remind you.

Yesterday, testifying before the House Appropriations subcommittee on financial service, DeJoy asked for additional funding … get a load of this … to slow the mail down even more than it already is!  Oh, and he still plans to raise the price to mail a letter or a package.  Hell, I could walk a card to the UK quicker than the USPS can get it there, and a hell of a lot cheaper!

But that’s not even the very worst of it.  When asked by Representative Mark Pocan to assign himself a grade for his 10 months in office, DeJoy awarded himself an “A” for “bringing strategy and planning and effort.”  Seriously???  My damn package took nearly two months to get from here to Wales even after I paid extra for expedited shipping, and he calls that ‘strategy’???

Pocan shot back that service declines, including historically poor on-time delivery rates during the holiday season, were hardly deserving of high marks.  DeJoy must go, and I don’t really care at all how we get rid of him … as long as he goes and somebody competent and honest replaces him!

The Rich Get Richer While The Poor …

Posted on by under Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

The minimum wage increase to $15 per hour is essentially dead in the water … for the moment.  I saw a comment from a woman in the state of Washington that every member of Congress should be forced to answer …

“I live in Eastern Washington state and we are fortunate to have a much higher minimum wage for our workers. Our neighbors in Idaho are not so lucky. Many people who are able to live in Idaho work in Washington to benefit from the higher wage. The wage a person earns should be equal to the amount of effort that is required to do the work. I would really like to know though why our politicians think they deserve to make so much money. They say they care about the average worker and want a better life for all Americans, but when was the last time they tried to live on minimum wage?”

She makes excellent points, especially when you consider the fact that nearly half the members of Congress are millionaires!  Many members of Congress live in wealthy enclaves, use expensive healthcare services, and send their children to private or high-income schools.  Never once in their lives have they had to put something back at the grocery store because the total came to more than they had.  Never once have they had to make a choice between paying the rent or the electric bill.  Never once have they lived, even for a single week, in poverty.  Never once have they watched through tear-filled eyes as the repo man took their car away.  And yet, these are the people who make the decisions about our lives.

The current minimum wage of $7.25 equates to $15,080 per year.  The lowest paid member of Congress ‘earns’ $174,000 per year, which equates to $83.65 per hour, or 12 times what the minimum wage earner makes.  Think about that one for a few minutes.

Time in Washington is disproportionately spent fixated on the needs and desires of America’s wealthiest citizens, for they are the donors on which politicians’ campaigns rely.  I have said before that I think every candidate running for a seat in Congress should have to spend one full month in public housing, paid $7.25 per hour for a 40-hour week, and have zero access to their own money or resources.  I think it would be a tremendous eye-opener for many who have spent far too long in ivory towers and cannot possibly understand the challenges most of us face every day.

Amazing, isn’t it, that with the country deep in debt ($28 trillion), Congress was able to find it in their hearts to pass a tax cut benefiting almost exclusively the wealthy, but they cannot find it in their heart to increase the minimum wage that has remained stagnant for twelve years now, despite consistent increases in the cost of living!

Today, the Senate began debate on the pandemic relief bill that was passed by the House on Wednesday night.  The bill would provide a payment of $1,400 to individuals earning under $75,000 and families earning under $150,000.  Personally, I think those limits are too high and it should be reserved for those who are truly struggling … a family earning $150,000 is hardly struggling.  But to the point, the republicans in the Senate are against the bill, they want it to be far less, saying that the economy is coming back, people are going back to work, therefore they don’t need that much.  Tell that to the mother of three who is about to be evicted from her home because she can’t pay the rent!

Republican senators plan to delay passage of the bill by proposing numerous amendments, forcing valuable time to be spent debating each amendment, then voting on it.  Yesterday, thanks to Senator Ron Johnson, valuable time was wasted by forcing clerks to read the entire 628-page bill aloud to an audience of one – Senator Johnson.  Some people, meanwhile, cannot pay their electric bill and are in danger of having their electricity shut off.  The 535 members of Congress have never been in that situation and therefore cannot comprehend what it’s like.  I have been there and worse, and likely many of you have been too, but the people we elect and whose salaries we pay have no idea what being poor means.  They are blind to how the people they say they represent live, and yet they arrogantly say that $7.25 is enough for a family to live on, that the same family does not need a $1,400 stimulus payment.

A word of caution to members of Congress in both parties – keep up the delaying tactics, keep pushing the poor further and further into poverty, and there will be a price to pay.  Enough is enough, and We the People are sick of their greed and arrogance at our expense.  Some claim the U.S. is a democracy – it isn’t.  It is a plutocracy:  government by the wealthy.

Bye Bye Unity

Posted on by under Election 2020, Environmental Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

If you don’t have something to growl or curse about today, our friend Jeff over at On the Fence Voters has something to help you find your grumbly growl! Fellow democrats are shooting themselves … AND US … in the foot. Intentionally. Because they sold their brains for a box of Cracker Jacks! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Thanks Jeff — great post!

On The Fence Voters

Unity, huh? I have to admit; I thought President Biden might get at least a few weeks of relative respect from the media as well as Republican politicians. Boy, was I wrong.

I also was hoping the far-left might cut the new president some slack too. You know, maybe see what’s actually in the proposed $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill before criticizing it profusely? Wrong, again.

I wrote several months ago in this space that I thought Biden was the best man to try and unify the country. I still feel that way. But I also acknowledged that I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Frankly, I expected the Republicans to come at him with fierce resistance to everything he tries to do. And, true to form, a myriad of catcalls and complaints already are infecting the airwaves and internet. Here are just a few:

“How are all these…

View original post 1,009 more words

Second Verse, Same As The First …

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Election 2020, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary

It may be a new year, but frankly it feels the same as the old one did, with threats of violence planned by fools and idiots who call themselves the “Proud Boys”, a Republican-run Senate voting against helping the people who need it most, and a few jerks in Congress attempting to declare the United States to be a dictatorship by cancelling the votes of 81 million people to keep a mentally deranged madman in the Oval Office.  Yep, folks … it’s true what they say … the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Moscow Mitch strikes again …

The House of Representatives approved raising the individual stimulus amount from $600 to $2,000.  There are people in this country who cannot pay their bills, cannot afford to buy food for their family, or to see a doctor when needed, and Congress has already wasted months playing games, so it’s time to move on this.  So, the House passes the addendum, sends it to the Senate, and what happens?  It shouldn’t surprise anybody that Mitch McConnell is holding it up, likely to burn it or rip it to shreds today or tomorrow.  Why?

Mitch McConnell claims that $2,000 checks are “socialism for the rich.”  Tell that to the mother of three who lost her job due to the pandemic and is struggling every day to keep her children fed!  I have had just about enough of Mitch McConnell and I must question the intelligence of those who elected him yet again two months ago.  Damn you, Mitch McConnell … you’ve never known a day when you had to choose between paying the electric bill or buying food … you’ve always been an overweight priviledged white male of means.  Don’t you dare call a lousy $2,000 stimulus check ‘socialism’.  You apparently lack any understanding whatsoever of what ‘Socialism’ even is!

Now, if we really want to talk about ‘socialism for the rich’, let’s look for a minute at some of the tax rebate checks that were issued under Trump’s tax plan:

Amazon: $129 million

Delta: $187 million

Chevron: $181 million

GM: $104 million

IBM: $342 million

That’s socialism for the rich!  Oh, and one other example:  Mitch McConnell with an estimated net worth of $22.8 million, takes taxpayer money in the form of a base salary of $193,400, not including perks such as travel and meals.  Talk about socialism for the rich!!!  This nation does not need people like Mitch McConnell making decisions that rule our lives, and in many cases may cost us our lives.

Retaliation or fabrication?

Sunday, January 3rd is the one-year anniversary of the murder of Iranian General Qassem Suleimani by a U.S. drone strike.  Logic tells us that if Iran intended to seek revenge beyond what they did last year, they would have already done it.  But those of us who are able to see the logic here are not sitting in the Oval Office.  The person who does sit in that office claims he expects Iran to seek revenge on that one-year anniversary of the murder.  Certainly, they would be well within their rights to do so, but the Iranian leadership is not quite as stupid as our own, and almost certainly have no such plan.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, on Thursday accused Donald Trump of attempting to fabricate a pretext to attack Iran, and said Tehran would defend itself forcefully.

“Instead of fighting Covid in US, @realDonaldTrump & cohorts waste billions to fly B52s & send armadas to OUR region. Intelligence from Iraq indicate plot to FABRICATE pretext for war. Iran doesn’t seek war but will OPENLY & DIRECTLY defend its people, security & vital interests.”

Under ordinary circumstances, I would accept the word of the president that there was some plot afoot, but … people, we haven’t had ordinary circumstances in nearly four years now, and we all know that Trump is not above lying through his teeth for the sake of his own self-interest.  And what, you ask, could he possibly gain from taking the nation to the brink of war with Iran?  Nothing, but he is leaving no stone unturned in his efforts to remain in office.  If he were to declare a state of emergency and implement martial law …

Think about that one.

And speaking of which …

I was pleased yesterday to read that Mike Pence asked a judge to reject the lawsuit filed earlier this week by Louie Gohmert and others that aims to expand Pence’s power to use a congressional ceremony to overturn the presidential election, arguing that he is not the right person to sue over the issue.  I would have preferred hearing him say that it was not the right thing to do, period, that President-elect Joe Biden is the next president of the United States, but hey … I’ll take what I can get, which is little enough these days.

More than a few times in recent days, I have seen Republicans say “74 million American votes matter”.  Sure, every vote matters, but the bottom line is that while 74 million people, and I use the term loosely, voted for Trump, 81 million voted for Biden.  Biden won, Trump lost … what the Sam Hell is so difficult about that concept?

So, on Wednesday, January 6th, Congress convenes to certify the Electoral College votes, 306 of which are for Joe Biden as compared to the 232 for Donald Trump.  At least one Senator, Josh Hawley of Missouri, and several Representatives (again, I use the term loosely, for they sure as hell don’t represent We the People) plan to contest the results, ensuring that there will be further delays and more of the ulcer-inducing chaos we have been subjected to for months now.  Joe Biden will be certified by Congress, of that I am 99.8% certain.  However …

Also, on Wednesday, January 6th, at least four large rallies have been planned by those who would see the election overturned in one way or another.  The events will be headlined by Trump’s most ardent supporters, including recently pardoned George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy adviser to Trump’s 2016 campaign who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during its Russia investigation, and longtime ally Roger Stone, whose sentence for seeking to impede a congressional probe into Russian election interference was commuted by Trump in July before being upgraded to a full pardon.

Formal rallies are planned most of the day and will draw pro-Trump demonstrators to the Washington Monument, Freedom Plaza and the Capitol. But online forums and encrypted chat messages among far-right groups indicate a number of demonstrators might be planning more than chanting and waving signs.

Threats of violence, ploys to smuggle guns into the District and calls to set up an “armed encampment” on the Mall have proliferated in online chats about the January 6 day of protest. The Proud Boys, members of armed right-wing groups, conspiracy theorists and white supremacists have pledged to attend.

Trump, meanwhile, has continued to issue calls to supporters to converge on D.C. “JANUARY SIXTH, SEE YOU IN DC!” he tweeted Wednesday.  My friends … this is not how this nation behaves.  This is the most juvenile, abominable behaviour and surely even his supporters cannot support this madness.  WHY do we have to put up with this?  First, he drags this nation down in the eyes of the world, then he bungles the response to a pandemic so badly that we have the world’s highest death rate … nearly a half-million people in this nation have died from the coronavirus.  And now this.  It’s time for it to end.  January 20th cannot come soon enough, and frankly I think he needs to be removed from office immediately in order to ensure the safety of this nation.

Welcome to 2021, the continuation of 2020.

The Week’s Best Cartoons: Holiday Edition

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, cartoons, Election 2020, Environmental Issues, Holidays, Humour, Political commentary, Re-blogs

Today I am remarkably uninspired to write a post.  Post-holiday exhaustion, or political overload — I don’t know which.  So, since I haven’t yet shared with you TokyoSand’s latest cartoon post, I shall do so this afternoon!  Thank you, TS, for doing such a great job of picking out the best holiday-themed political cartoons!

toon-2toon-1toon-4

View the rest of the ‘toons!

A Day Late And A Dollar Short

Posted on by under Environmental Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary

Getting legislation passed in both chambers of Congress is and has always been a game of give-and-take, compromise, meeting halfway.  Neither Democrats nor Republicans will get everything they hoped for in a given bill, but it is to be hoped that the hammering out process leads to something positive for the nation and for We the People.

For months, Congress has made half-hearted attempts to come to terms on a new stimulus bill that would help people and small businesses survive the winter of this pandemic.  Yes, I did say half-hearted, for the two sides have been miles apart and no concerted effort was made that I can see to come together, to put aside their own petty grievances and do their jobs.  To an extent, that was the fault of Donald Trump, who insisted he would sign no stimulus bill that didn’t guarantee immunity from liability for companies who failed to take proper precautions to protect their employees during the pandemic.  I’m sure there were other hurdles and stumbling-blocks, but this was the one that stuck in my craw.  WHY should businesses be allowed to put their employees in danger and be held harmless when one or more employees contract the coronavirus because there was no company-wide mask mandate, or staff was not kept adequately distant from one another?

So, the democrats gave in on the employer liability immunity issue and progress was made.  One barrier after another was somehow knocked down and eventually it looked like a deal would be struck.  The Republicans, however, had one demand from which they absolutely refused to budge.  It’s referred to as the “three-martini tax deduction” and what it does is allows business executives a full 100% tax write-off for the cost of business lunches, including alcoholic beverages, tips, etc.  Until now, the limit has been a 50% deduction.

Initially, the bill did not include stimulus payments to individuals, but thankfully Senator Bernie Sanders stood his ground and demanded a $1,200 payment to each person earning under $75,000 per annum.  Through compromise, it was chiseled down to $600.  The country thanks you, Senator Sanders!  Would that others had his cojones.

Negotiations continued and ultimately Democratic leaders agreed to the provision in exchange for Republicans agreeing to expand tax credits for low-income families and the working poor.  Yes, folks, this is how these things work, but seriously … more than 3,000 people in this country are dying of the coronavirus every damn day, 20 million are out of work, lines at food banks stretch for miles, millions are in danger of losing their homes, and the bill to provide minimal assistance might well have failed if Democrats hadn’t agreed that the taxpayers … those of us who actually PAY taxes … should foot the bill for some billionaire executive to take another billionaire executive out to lunch and drink the finest vodka in the place?  This is the very definition of the word ‘unconscionable’, and it is obvious, if it weren’t already, that the Republicans in Congress do not give a damn about the people of this nation unless we have millions of dollars.

At any rate, after the Democrats caving on some things, the bill has now been passed by both House and Senate and is on its way to the desk of Donald Trump for his signature.  The effect for the average person is to be a $600 stimulus check, similar to the one earlier this year, but only half the amount, $300 enhanced unemployment benefits for 11 weeks, extension of eviction protection until January 31st, some rental assistance, and a 15% increase in food stamp benefits.  All indications are that Trump will sign the bill, but at this stage of the game, given his blatant lack of concern for We the People, nothing would surprise me.

I am reminded of that old Schoolhouse Rock video …

Your Tax Dollars (NOT) Hard At Work

Posted on by under Environmental Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Rants

Last Friday Congress passed a one-week spending bill to avert the government shutdown that would otherwise have occurred at midnight that night.  I said then that they would not have finalized the budget by this Friday and would have to do it again.  Sure enough … only this time, they only passed a two-day spending bill that will keep the government functional (as much as it can be said to be under present circumstances) until midnight on Sunday night.  Said the notorious Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell …

“As of right now, we have not yet reached a final agreement, regretfully. There’s no reason why the federal government funding should lapse while we hammer out our remaining differences.”

And you’ve had how many months to ‘hammer out’ those differences, Mr. McConnell???  WHAT the heck have you people been doing for the past twelve months?  Oh yeah … licking the boots of the Oaf in the Oval Office … silly me.  One week before Christmas, and they haven’t managed to approve a budget.  If the government shuts down, it’s going to be a pretty damned dire Christmas for federal employees, some of whom will be furloughed, others will be expected to work without pay.  It wasn’t enough that the pandemic has stolen much of the joy of the season, and now this.

Also under discussion is the latest stimulus bill which frankly I don’t expect to see at all, for they have been allegedly working on it for months now.  The plan under discussion would provide funding for $600 stimulus checks for millions of Americans, the revival of a lapsed supplemental federal unemployment payment at $300 per week, food and rental assistance, and hundreds of billions of dollars for businesses, schools and vaccine distribution.  Without action by Congress, unemployment benefits are set to run out for millions of Americans next week – Christmas week.

Apparently, they were close to a deal on the stimulus bill until at the last minute, Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania, proposed a measure that would bar a future Treasury secretary from restarting five emergency loan programs that the Fed has created to provide an economic backstop during the pandemic.

The programs have kept credit flowing to medium-size businesses, state and local governments and corporations. Concern centered on the breadth of Mr. Toomey’s proposal: It would prohibit both those programs and any “similar” one, which could curb the Fed’s future ability to keep credit flowing to states and businesses during emergency situations such as the pandemic.

Democrats charged that the language was a last-ditch effort to deprive Mr. Biden and his administration of critical tools to support the economic recovery.  I am inclined to agree … it seems to me like more of the same petty partisan politics we have been seeing for the past 10 years from Republicans in Congress.

Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin, blocked all efforts to raise the amount of stimulus checks to individuals from $600 to the $1,200 from the original bill earlier this year, saying …

“We will not have learned the lessons from our very hurried, very rushed, very massive earlier relief packages.  We’re just going to do more of the same, another trillion dollars.”

I doubt Mr. Johnson has ever lost sleep wondering how to pay his mortgage or buy food for his children, with his $10.4 million net worth.  I’ve got an idea … let’s cut members of Congress’ pay to $600 per month and let them find out just how far $600 goes!  Not that most of them would notice, for most have a net worth far more than all the readers of this blog combined.

Lest you think there has been no compromise on the stimulus bill, there most certainly has!  As noted above, Bernie Sanders and other democrats planned for a larger stimulus amount to individuals, but backed down in the interest of compromise.  Even worse, in my opinion, is the clause that will protect businesses from liability that arises from failure to provide workplace safety.  WHY should businesses be held harmless if they do not put into effect proper safeguards to protect their most valuable asset – their employees?  The democrats in Congress fought against this stipulation, but compromised in the interest of the greater good.  And where did it get us?  Absolutely nowhere.  Mitch McConnell says they are close … I wonder if people will appreciate being “close” to being able to afford food next month, or pay the rent?

And if you want to add insult to injury … even as congressional leaders have failed for months to deliver desperately needed economic assistance in the form of a stimulus measure, they were at the front of the line to receive a vaccine that the vast majority of Americans do not yet have access to and likely won’t until well after the middle of next year.  We must protect these do-nothing, corrupt a-holes, now mustn’t we?  Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

So, as it stands now, there will be no stimulus checks, no help for those out of work or whose businesses have closed due to the pandemic, AND … the government is likely to shut down as of midnight on Sunday.  I say we fire this whole lot and start over, for the are NOT earning the pay we work so hard to give them!

Grumbles …

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary

Remember back a short 4 years ago?  Life seemed relatively stable, sane … normal.  Not so today …

Conspiracies abound …

Creating conspiracy theories seem to be the favourite hobby of those who haven’t the wits to do anything more constructive with their lives.  Trouble is, a lot of people will fall for them without either checking facts or thinking for themselves, and they sometimes become dangerous, such as the Pizzagate hoax back in 2016.

Ever since last year when tech companies began rolling out the latest generation of wireless communication, called 5G, conspiracy theories have run rampant.  Most of us roll our eyes and brush them off, for they are so far-fetched that even a child wouldn’t fall for them.  But, in this, the year of the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve all had our worlds turned upside down and perhaps aren’t thinking quite clearly.

This time, an internet conspiracy theory links the spread of the coronavirus to 5G technology.  Under the false idea, which has gained momentum in Facebook groups, WhatsApp messages and YouTube videos, radio waves sent by 5G technology are causing small changes to people’s bodies that make them succumb to the virus.  In other times, even as recently as four months ago, only a handful of people would likely have taken this seriously and even that handful would have been content to spout their nonsense on the ‘Net.  But, as I said, these are scary times with a pandemic inexplicably raging out of control and some are taking it all quite seriously.

5g-bags

Credit…Stefan Wermuth/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Across Britain, more than 30 acts of arson and vandalism have taken place against wireless towers and other telecom gear this month, according to police reports and a telecom trade group. In roughly 80 other incidents in the country, telecom technicians have been harassed on the job.  When people start harming property and people because they fall for a hoax like this, it’s time to shut it down.  I am all for freedom of speech, but this is inciting violence and that’s when it’s no longer free speech but hate speech.

It doesn’t help that two prominent actors, Woody Harrelson and John Cusack, are promoting the falsehood … some will believe it if only because somebody famous said it.  Unfortunately, with most people in the western world being under forced isolation they have plenty of extra time to surf the internet and far too many will believe this sort of garbage.  Each of us who use WiFi or cell phones will pay the price for those damaged cell towers, as the companies who owned them will pass the costs for repairs and replacement, not to mention additional security, on to we the consumer.  Worse yet, eventually somebody will be hurt or killed … and all because this was someone’s idea of fun.  Doesn’t say much for the human condition, does it?

Speaking of conspiracy theories …

There are so many villains in the current administration that it’s hard to decide who’s the crookedest of them all.  I could name at least 30 off the top of my head, but for the moment I think Attorney General William Barr is at or near the top of the list.

William-Barr

You’ll remember, of course, the investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into the Trump campaign’s illicit dealings with Russia during the 2016 election campaign.  Mueller’s investigation proved that certain people connected with Trump and/or his campaign did, in fact, engage in a conspiracy with Russia to give Trump assistance in winning the election.  The facts prove that, as does the fact that some of those people are now in prison.

But Bill Barr has decided the whole thing was a conspiracy theory designed to “sabotage the presidency”.  Now, first of all, he has no evidence whatsoever for his claim, but … hey, when did a lack of facts ever stop anybody in this administration from spouting off at the mouth?  Barr was being interviewed by the ignoble Laura Ingraham on Fox News when he claimed …

“I think the president has every right to be frustrated, because I think what happened to him was one of the greatest travesties in American history.  Even more concerning, actually, is what happened after the campaign, a whole pattern of events while he was president to sabotage the presidency, and I think that – or at least have the effect of sabotaging the presidency.”

Mr. Barr … just how stupid do you think the public are?  Perhaps you are judging us all by the company you keep, but that would be a mistake.  The justice department’s inspector general found in a December report that the FBI was fully justified in opening the investigation to protect against a potential national security threat. It did not find any evidence that the decision to start the investigation was motivated by political bias.

And … “one of the greatest travesties in American history”???  Seriously???  There are so many ‘travesties’ in the history of this country that it would take a thousand pages or more to tell about them all.  No, Bill, this is not even a minor travesty … this was due process of law in action.

This is not an administration, not a government, it is a three-ring circus populated by some of the world’s most ridiculous clowns!  I am insulted that these people expect us to believe the line of bullshit they constantly spout.

And then there’s this:

Remember that $2.3 trillion stimulus bill recently passed by Congress?  Well, part of it was for we the people, part to help small businesses, and part to bail out big corporations so that the CEOs won’t have to reach into their own deep pockets.  Among those corporations are the airline industry, and one corporation within the airline industry is, of course, Boeing.

On Friday, Trump was asked by a reporter if Boeing should be penalized for mass layoffs (approximately 10% of their staff) despite receiving federal aid. Trump claimed that Boeing, which he described as “probably the greatest company in the world”, was yet to ask for aid, though he anticipated that the company would.

First of all, Trump lied (what a surprise, eh?) On March 17th,  ten days before the stimulus bill was even passed, Boeing requested $60bn in government aid.  But the bigger shock was that he had the gall to call Boeing the “greatest company in the world”!  Greatest company in the world???  The company who cut corners and cheated on safety to save money, causing the deaths of 346 people?  Boeing planes have been involved in countless incidents and near misses, twenty-five just since 2006.  Their 737 MAX, the plane involved in the two latest crashes, is grounded because of the software glitch that caused the crashes … a problem that proper testing would have detected before the plane was approved for flight if the FAA and Boeing had not let that ball drop.  No, Donnie boy, Boeing is not even in the top 500 companies in the world!  And yet we the taxpayers are bailing them out of trouble. Max-8-crash

And last but not least …

Trump reportedly asks for prayers for healthcare workers … Say WHAT???  How about sending them the equipment they’re practically begging for?  How about giving them the resources they need to do their jobs?  How about shutting up and letting them do their jobs?  Excuse me, Donnie, but your prayers, especially yours, are about as worthless as your ‘word’ on anything.  Do something right, just for once in your life!angry emoji