President-Elect Trump: The Complicit Press

For the purpose of this piece, I will allow the press this caveat: I think their slack-jawed acquiescence to position-driven journalism was propelled by the rise of a very unusual candidate. He said things nobody who hoped to grace the most powerful office on earth had ever said, about the very people he hoped to lead.

I have no idea how to even begin defending the press. In their zeal to focus on the (truly offensive) things this candidate has said, and in an admitted vacuum of an actual plan or position on many of the issues with which voters were concerned, the press tried to fulfill their quota of clicks, and provide

24-hour-a-day coverage, with conjecture, outrage, and their own vacuum of quality journalism.

I will cut them some slack because there aren't many outlets providing a budget for deep journalism. The kind of reporting we saw during Watergate was expensive, and today's business model for most newsrooms has changed greatly. Most truly motivated journalists today are forced to use their own time and money to chase a story. Been there, done that.

I also think the press rightly assigned a certain weight to a fact not in dispute: a US president has the unique position of being the sole arbiter of the most dangerous weaponry on the planet, a fraction of which could eliminate all life.

The landscape is different today in the news business. With lowered budgets and raised expectations, they aren't able to deliver the same journalistic integrity required of a diligent, responsible press. You might construe this as another feeble attempt at a defense. I watched hours of coverage featuring an anchor allowing a pundit to lie provably and extensively. It wouldn’t cost a dime for the anchor to drill deeper for the truth. Unfortunately the two are bedfellows, as the anchor needed the pundit to be back next hour, and the next day, and next week.

The press might also be somewhat forgiven if, in fact, they were determined to add a counterbalance to the criminal theft and release of one of the major campaign's planning and strategy emails. That seems to run counter to reality, as they aided and abetted that very act of international espionage by self-servingly propagating it, with no concern for fact-checking and no ability to validate authenticity. Hey, why not, it's news, right? Then came the alligator tears as they lamented a political system that had been hacked by a foreign government. Journalistic principles? None.

No doubt, Trump is his own worst enemy. He gave the press plenty of fodder for bad journalism. Garbage in, garbage out. Even the press’ portrayal of some sort of major groundswell is false, Trump’s popular vote count totaled barely 25% of the voting population, well short of Obama’s totals and nothing even close to the level required to condemn the entire United States as a nativist, racist country.

But I’m convinced the press’ obsession with Trump’s personal shortcomings, the failure to push him on real policy positions, and their abject failure to dig deeper into why Americans were willing to vote for him, caused those voters to be re-entrenched. They had reasons for their votes, but the press took the easy route and assigned simple labels instead of doing their job.

The Unbearable Smugness of the Press - from CBS News

Orlando

The social media meme of the day is in full force. Being respectful to the dead means you can't discuss preventing future mass killings. 'Thoughts and prayers' or quiet introspection are the only appropriate responses. Anything else is disrespectful.

Yes, it is comforting when we all come together for a moment, set aside our differences, and feel the camaraderie of shared pain. We post rainbows and hashtags. Sing Kumbaya. But don't you get a little tired of THIS kind of camaraderie?

So, how long shall we wait? What is the magic moment when it's OK to discuss curbing the slaughter of fellow humans? After the pain of the moment has faded? After Trump, Clinton, Wayne LaPierre and others have made political hay and further entrenched their followers?

The 'heat of the moment' is a poor time to make decisions, that's true. But is this really the heat of the moment? We've had plenty of time to collect evidence from the last 1,000 mass shootings, and still have not had meaningful discussions. Americans have very short memories.

Those who insist "this isn't the time" should carefully consider my question: When IS the time? Don't give me some generic schtick that intelligent people can see through, don't defend faith, don't defend guns, don't defend blind allegiance. Just tell me when we should begin.

Because we still haven't begun from the last time.

Laws or hoods: things you can hide behind

This kerfuffle over the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act makes me wonder - why is religion a protected class? It's is clearly a choice, like Hawaiian shirts, or riding a llama to work. Here's the thing: I want my future Hawaiian shirt purchases to be tax free. And I want rules relaxed on where I can feed my llama. Why not?

Regarding this article, some states, such as Illinois, have added sexual orientation as a protected class, so the drum beat by Governor Pence that then-Senator Barack Obama supported the same law in Illinois is disingenuous.

Michael Brown, Military Police, and Politics

When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

It only took a few hours for the shooting in Ferguson to become a political football, to those who tend to make everything political. After all, Michael Brown, a black man, was killed by Darren Wilson, a white cop. To some, cops are always right, and since he's a white, male cop, he must be Republican. The dead man was black, so obviously he was in the wrong, and of course, a Democrat.

To others, all cops tend to distrust black people. Michael Brown was black, minding his own business, not hurting anyone, an easy target. Clearly the opportunity officer Wilson had been waiting for.

Apparently the facts of the case are clear. Stop the investigation and man the torpedoes!

America's most disgusting new trend is on display here, the politicization of everything. The root of this metaphorical weed is the media. Having taken a scorched earth approach to their own industry, they are now looking for a way - any way - to gain back listeners and viewers. They utilize a cheap method that requires no effort at all: shouting and finger pointing. If you can pit people against each other, all that's left is to fan the flames and feign disgust with the results. You know who you are. You are to blame.

A local television station broadcast video of officer Wilson's home. Whoever made that decision should be fired immediately. The broadcast media has a responsibility to the public, and they've completely forgotten that. The public owns the channel on which they broadcast, and upholding community standards trumps the few extra dollars they may earn for their stockholders.

This case really breaks down into two questions: Was the death of Michael Brown necessary? And, was the military-like reaction of the police reasonable and necessary? In simple terms, there is nothing political about these questions. They are questions we should all be asking, whether Democrat or Republican, NPR or commercial radio consumer, Fox or MSNBC viewer.

This is not about the President, and not about a political party. This is about a dead man and a police officer, so we can put away the political bullshit. We can put away predetermined notions about average black people, or average police officers.

Are there deeper questions that eventually need to be asked? Of course. Will there be political implications? Yep. As a society, we should always question authority. We should always self-analyze. When the dust settles, lessons should always be learned. Do we have the facts of this case yet? No. Has the dust settled? It has not.

In the end, police officers are charged with one duty: protecting citizens. That includes Michael Brown, a citizen, and those around Mr. Brown. Decisions are sometimes made in a split second. Those decisions can sometimes be wrong. Nobody is perfect. Officer Wilson and Mr. Brown are both human.

Was Michael Brown's death avoidable? It's not a political question, it's a question about a life. Nothing else matters here. Life is the only real thing of value that we own. The rest is window dressing.

So for everyone's sake, stop the name calling, stop the finger pointing, stop the politics. Let's figure out what happened.

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Interesting background/perspective on the militarization of the police.

A perspective about black neighborhoods.

Background on the Michael Brown case.

The state of our political conversation

I can't help but think this guy knows what he's protecting and/or excluding in his position. He's being paid by the very entities who help to perpetuate the world's current economic state. I'm a bit disappointed that Mr. Moyers didn't ask about proposals beyond earned income tax credits. He mentioned several times that he had multiple ideas, I would have liked to hear them. But let's not forget that some companies are paying a living wage and still producing record profits, which flies in the face of his position that employers like Wal Mart can't make a profit and pay a living wage. That is preposterous and has been debunked myriad times.

In a perfect world, a reasonable mind understands that the government is us, and government regulation simply reflects a marketplace The People choose. Government is necessary because the desire of the desperately poor to buy the cheapest product (many times to their own demise, a la Wal Mart and other self-absorbed criminals) will trump doing the right thing almost every time.

Notice I said "in a perfect world", because in its current state, the government has become an inefficient, corrupt entity, beholden to those who fund re-election campaigns, and who can afford to grease palms in return for face time. It's evident in the lack of response to the financial meltdown of 2008. Reform has been lukewarm. The rules have changed some, but not enough to prevent greed from toppling the market again and again. Bailouts were offered with no strings attached. Common sense has taken its leave in the Capital, and the everyman is too busy worrying about his next meal to pay attention or understand.

So that is where we are. The right hates government because it traditionally places limits on rampant greed in favor of the good of The Many. The left hates government because it is failing in those duties right now, and to expect representatives to vote themselves less power, money, or influence, is like asking Albert Pujols to get base hits instead of home runs. Home runs are fun and fire up the fans, but base hits win the game.

We're fucked.

Economic Disparity

Since the 1980's and even before, if you were to ask a presidential candidate what the campaign's primary issue was, they'd tell you that far above any social issue, any security issue, (even post 9/11) the economy has been the biggest concern for Americans.  Economy means inflation, income, housing, international trade, Wall Street and more, so it's a very complex issue.

So let's examine the economy.  Today, more than at any time in American history, the stock market is vibrant.  Breaking new records almost daily, the DJIA closed last week above 16,000 for the first time in history.  As I'm writing this, it's standing at almost 16,100.

Yet today, unemployment is above 7 percent overall, and far higher in key demographics.  Average income in the US is down precipitously since before 2007's Great Recession.  Historically high numbers of Americans are on some sort of government assistance.  Student loan defaults are at historic highs.  And as a country, our debt continues to increase, as we pour trillions into programs that have no chance or intention of changing the economic trajectory of the average American.

Today's presidential candidate might say their primary campaign issue would be economic inequality.  Today, the share of income flowing to the top 1 percent is over 20 percent - the highest level since right before the Great Depression.  Since 1993, the top 1 percent has benefitted from over two thirds of US economic growth, per family, real income.  Since the 'recovery' of the 2007 Great Recession, 95 percent of the total increase in income went to the top 1 percent.  Staggering.

In terms of wealth, the top 5 percent of Americans now control 72 percent of the wealth.  The other 95 percent control only 28.

So how can Wall Street be so vibrant, while Main Street is barely getting by?  The truth behind the numbers is telling.  The current market cap of the stock market is bigger than the Gross National Product of the US.  That doesn't happen often - only three times in history, two of which were right before the crash of the economy in 2007.  All the while, the Fed is providing economic stimulus to the tune of billions per month to help prop it all up.

Let me provide some insight behind the sharp contrast between Wall Street and Main Street.

The first reason market indices no longer reflect conditions on the ground is, they are based on productivity gains, not employment.  Corporations are investing in technology instead of workers.  The tax code is fertile with tax deductions for equipment and technology, not so much for investment in employees.  Higher productivity + lower payroll = higher profits.

Another reason - workers have no bargaining power when unemployment is high.  Wages stay low because those who are employed feel fortunate to have a job.  While governmental support systems, such as tax breaks for hiring the unemployed, may have helped in a different place and time, government is operating under very austere conditions as we chip away at deficit spending and try to at least reduce the rate of growth of the National Debt.  The result of a powerless work force is lower wages for workers and higher short-term profits for corporations.

American corporations are beholden first to stockholders, so they go searching globally for cheap workers.  That usually means moving much of their manufacturing and production off-shore.  That results in lower taxes, and again, less investment in employees.  Wall Street looks positively on all of this.

I mentioned the Fed.  The easy money they provide plays a huge role, pushing investors toward Wall Street, because bond yields are at historic lows.  Stocks, while riskier, produce far higher returns.

One final reason that doesn't get much play, but is a concern of mine: The methodology of the stock market.  At one time, investors looked for companies they felt were 'doing it right'.  They invested in ideologies and strategies.  Today, much or most of the trading on Wall Street is done by computer algorithms, and a share of stock might be bought and sold within 1/10th of one second, for a profit of less than a penny.  That's not much, but do it a billion times a day, and the results are staggering.  More important than corporate ideologies and philosophies in today's stock market, is the speed of your Internet connection.

The result: Wall Street is healthy, Main Street is not.

Adding insult to working-class injury, sequestration has eliminated or reduced the DOE's Title 1 Program, Head Start, and WIC, which provides nutritional education and assistance.  Rent subsidies are disappearing.  Cuts to the Department of Agriculture have eliminated or reduced food stamp benefits for many who need them.  Those who are suffering as a result of the productivity gains of corporations, the unemployed, are finding their long-term benefits are disappearing because of government sequestration.

Never before have governmental policy, and the need to feed the beast that is Wall Street, so inopportunely coincided to so radically help America's most fortunate, and hurt the least among us.

The icing on the cake is, nothing will likely be done about it.  Lax campaign finance laws mean those with the most money will get the most attention.  One individual can, through various means, contribute an unlimited amount of money to a Congressperson.  The Supreme Court says corporations are people, and money is free speech, a constitutional guarantee.  As bargaining power of employees is slowly whittled away, and the power of unions is reduced or removed, the rich hold not only the trump card, but virtually all of the cards.

Gerrymandering, and an apathetic (or worse, blindly partisan) electorate, ensure that those in power will remain, and little will change in the near future.

I'm not saying nothing will ever change.  History is a great tool, and easily reveals what happens to top-heavy economies.  Pyramids crumble when turned on their heads.  But our continued blindness to signs is discouraging.  Capitalism, in its orderly and regulated form, is an absolutely amazing system.  Capitalism unbridled and unregulated, is no better than Marxism or Communism, and is as dangerous a scourge as exists anywhere.

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Spare me the tired slogans or accusations of class envy, I've lived through extremes, both high and low.  I'm a vibrant supporter of Capitalism.  I'm stating facts, feel free to check them.  We live in interesting times.

Presented without commentary

A real blogger's blogger

The guy who unwittingly swept me into blogging hysteria a few years ago* put a fine point on what it means to be a good blogger during his trip to Washington D.C. for the Obama inauguration.

He not only blogged, but Twittered as well. Check out Steve's work at Smays.com.

Today's 'everywhere' connectivity has inspired me to revise an age-old bathroom-stall limerick:

Here I sit upon the shitter,
Tried to blog but only Twittered.


*I have yet to do Steve proud. As the title says, he's a REAL blogger, I just flail my arms wildly hoping to hit something.

White hood optional

During Barack Obama's acceptance speech last night, I received a text from a "friend," Keith Mc... eh, I won't include his entire name. This is an unedited transcript, so if you're easily offended stop reading here.

Keith: I officially hate all niggers!
Me: Dude, you're a fucking idiot. Don't ever text me again.
Keith: Whatever u say nigger lover. Peace out
Me: Burn those bridges dude. Light the flame. Just don't text me again.

I wonder what Keith thinks about Obama's white half.

It wasn't the first racist thing he'd texted me, but until last night, I ignored and deleted them. Keith is young and somewhat ambitious, but he was obviously raised in an atmosphere of racism. The sad thing is, he has a one-year-old daughter who, it seems, will be raised in similar circumstances.

History

Most wondered if we'd ever see the day.


I'm pretty fiscally conservative, so economically we have some differences... but this is a good thing on many levels. Godspeed, Barack. Keep her in the middle of the road.

Regardless of your politics...

This is a great piece. I loved the "wassup" guys!

And you must admit, it's been a tough eight years...

Welcome to America...

Not exactly what the Founding Fathers had in mind, do you think?

Hockey: it's more than a sport, it's an insult

Now I have another term to be sick of.

Watching political coverage of this morning's announcement that Sarah Palin is John McCain's choice for VP, I've heard the term "hockey-mom" so much I want to puke.

Hockey-mom, soccer-mom, etc. are completely irritating nicknames. If I were a mother I would feel completely insulted.

And as I was writing this, there were two more HM references on the cable news channel I watch in the recording studio. God, STFU with hockey-mom already!

Palin for VP

John McCain has chosen Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.

I probably beat a lot of web services to this news, even as I sit here in my robe at my kitchen table. Gotta love New Media...

George

He was an intellectual's comedian. He was an activist, in many ways. He certainly was thought-provoking.

He had more bullshit email forwards attributed to him than anyone I can think of, with the possible exception of Andy Rooney. If you knew even a LITTLE about what he thought, you'd know he didn't write that garbage.

Neither headed for heaven nor hell (since he believed in neither), at the age of 71 he's headed six feet under I suppose.

So what do you say about such a man? He was right, he was wrong. He was Carlin.

I agreed with him more often than I will admit, and I won't reveal which subjects.

Stunner: Tim Russert, R-I-P

One of the most important figures in political news coverage, NBC news' Meet The Press moderator and Washington DC bureau chief Tim Russert has 'signed off' for the final time at the age of 58. He collapsed of an apparent heart attack at work this afternoon.

It really hits when friends in the media pass on... especially such preeminent masters of their craft.

Godspeed, Tim.

Rachel "Yasser" Ray

Filed under the GMAB (give me a break) header:

Rachel Ray's web ad touting Dunkin' Donuts' new iced coffee product has been yanked because in the ad, she's wearing a scarf that supposedly promotes terrorism. It only vaguely resembles the pattern worn by Yasser Arafat:








The right-wing neocons are freaking the hell out about it. Give it a rest, you act like a bunch of shivering idiots. How did the US become the world's most powerful country when people such as these are so fearful?

Grow a damned spine... and stop making up things to fear.

4,000

Another milestone reached this week, as we lost our 4,000th soldier in Iraq.


Time for a plan to get our men and women home.

Is there supposed to be scum on top of the jelly?

It's almost midnight and I'm sitting in the kitchen eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The cold milk is helping me swallow every grapey, peanuty glob and I'm wondering why I can't sleep.

Then I realized it's because the news is almost all BAD.

Some of the events going on right now:

A former Michigan Republican congressman is indicted on obstruction of justice charges and money laundering for a terrorist ring.

A CIA official authorized the destruction in 2005 of videotapes documenting harsh interrogation of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The White House, under intense scrutiny, has admitted to destroying emails as part of a "data recycling" procedure, during the period of time when the US went to war with Iraq and US CIA operative Valerie Plame was outed.

The housing market is in a depression. The real estate bubble that was only casually considered a possibility a few years ago has finally burst. In some markets, houses selling three years ago for 400,000 are being sold for barely half that. The sub-prime interest loans issued to risky borrowers for the past several years are being foreclosed upon. People are losing their homes because they can't pay their mortgage.

Eddie Murphy and his new wife (of TWO weeks) have announced their split.

O J Simpson, mistakenly (in my opinion) exonerated of murder charges in the 90's (thereby living on borrowed time) has now violated the terms of his bail in a memorabilia heist... where he, at gunpoint, tried to "take back" prized heirlooms of his career from an alleged thief. He's back in jail for contacting one of the plaintiffs and THREATENING them.

It was announced today that Ike Turner died of a cocaine overdose.

No wonder I can't freakin' sleep. The world is spinning out of control. The US has a bad political reputation which continues to worsen, Buckwheat can't stay married and Ike not only abused Tina, but also his own proboscis. (I met him in the 90's at a party in Memphis and he was a real dick... um, God rest his soul)

WTF?

OK, I'm finished with my PBJ. I'm going back to bed. The headlines have GOT to be better tomorrow.

Sunday speculations...

I stepped outside this morning and thought I had slept four months. It's 70 degrees in St. Louis on January sixth.

Which means a bunch of friends will be hanging on the patio today, BBQ-ing ribs and burgers and drinking margaritas. We might as well take advantage of the nice weather while it's here... in a few days, it will be back into the 20's.

By the way, we'll set new records today and tomorrow, when it will reach almost 75.

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Last week while out of town, my HP laptop farted, then died.

Normally, people don't die when we fart, but computers are apparently quite different regarding passing gas. Obviously a file became corrupted and it wouldn't boot... so I had to do a destructive reload and lost all my onboard data.

Thankfully, I was able to transfer the hard-drives to an outboard chassis temporarily, offload the data I needed (which included years of collected music, over $1,500 investment) and then reloaded. It pays to know your way around a computer.

Advice to you - if you own an HP, get an extended warranty. After the crash, I purchased a two-year "accident policy" for it. For a nominal fee, if I spill water on the keyboard, run over it with my Hummer or put it in the oven ("accidentally," of course) they will send me a new one. No matter what happens, it's covered. I like those kinds of policies...

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I've had it with taxes.

That's why Mike Huckabee is an appealing candidate to me. I don't agree with all of his social policies, but he proposes abolishing the IRS and imposing a flat, consumption-based "Fair Tax." Basically a federal sales tax, you are charged a 23 percent tax at the cash register, but you keep 100 percent of your paycheck.

Then every month, based on your income level, you are issued a "refund" check. If you are considered at the poverty level, you will receive a 100 percent refund.

The great thing about this system is, everyone pays. Prostitutes, drug dealers, illegal immigrants... when you buy something, you pay taxes. Imagine how that would be...

This especially appeals to me, because I am a corporation. I have to file quarterly returns, pay DOUBLE the social security, and make monthly tax payments to the IRS. It is an incredible expense, even just to pay my accountant. A "regular guy" has no chance of understanding the intricate, convoluted beaurocracy that is the IRS.

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Why can't there be a breakfast delivery service?

Pizza and Chinese food... that's pretty much all you can get delivered. I wonder why.

Whoops, I forgot "Meals on Wheels," but I believe there is an age requirement...

This morning we were faced with a lack of milk and a desire for breakfast food that required milk. A quick phone call to the Bob Evans for the Ranch Hand Platter delivered to our house would have been the perfect solution.

But HELL no. We ended up with fried eggs, bacon and toast.

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Usually the latest movie or play you see, based on being the freshest in your mind, seems like the best you've ever seen.

Last night we went to the Fox Theater and saw Wicked... and I believe it will stand the test of time for me.

The performances were phenomenal, especially those of Glinda and Elphaba. (the Wicked Witch of the West) I got a little verklempt a few times... so did Dr. Mike, that big pansy.

Preceded by a huge ribeye and some wine at Morton's, it was a fun evening. It's always nice to dress up a little and go out on the town.

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It's possible that the HD DVD vs. Blu Ray standoff is over.

Warner Brothers has announced they will endorse Bluray, and make their library available exclusively in that format. That leaves Paramount and Universal the lone standouts among major studios that support HD DVD.

I've been waiting for someone to blink. Unlike the Beta vs. VHS battle of the 80's, the more expensive version appears to have taken the lead now. We'll see if it holds... but this development is huge. I would advise refraining from purchasing an HD DVD player for the time being.