tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72162746417211461062024-03-28T20:28:18.379-07:00COTTonLINEDrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comBlogger14596125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-1304802132954415502024-03-28T14:44:00.000-07:002024-03-28T14:44:20.925-07:00Decoding the Shanahan Choice<p>Nicole Shanahan is attractive, Asian in spite of the Irish name, wealthy, and from a disadvantaged background. By selecting her as his vice presidential running mate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made clear the major party candidate from whom he anticipates stealing the most votes is Joe Biden. </p><p>I don’t see many never-Trump Republicans voting for a ticket including her. Her politics have more in common with Bernie Sanders than anyone else. To understand why I write this, reading <b>Politico</b>’s <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/03/26/nicole-shanahan-rfk-jr-2024-bio-00149015">run-down</a> on her should do the trick.</p><p>It will be interesting to see who Trump selects for his veep partner.</p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-76549648298362269182024-03-26T23:23:00.006-07:002024-03-27T08:42:21.430-07:00Peacock Lays Egg<p>Borrowing wordplay a site I follow uses, just <b>NBC</b> the egg on that network's face. Hiring former <b>RNC</b> Chair Ronna McDaniel and then having to <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/media/4558176-nbc-news-parts-with-ronna-mcdaniel-following-internal-backlash/">let her go</a> four days later in the face of a meltdown by on-air "talent." </p><p>God forbid <b>NBC News</b> should act like an actual news site interested in the views of the political spectrum represented by our two major parties. It is clear that kind of balance is not what their supposed "talent" signed on for, and they simply aren't having it.</p><p>In today's disastrously bad employment market for news types, NBC management should have given the cranky "talent" a choice. Either shut up and play nice, or quit and look for work.</p><p>Caving to the NBC staff echoes what happened when the <b>New York Times</b> ran an opinion piece by Sen, Tom Cotton (R-AR, no known relation). Their staff rebelled and an editor who approved it for publication lost his job.</p><p>In both cases, the organizations have revealed themselves to be unashamed propaganda apologists for the Democrat Party. Neither can be taken seriously for actual news that has political content.</p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-88850581404691883092024-03-25T16:26:00.000-07:002024-03-25T16:26:14.278-07:00Peer Pressure<p><b>Instapundit</b> Glenn Reynolds also writes a weekly column for the <b>New York Post.</b> His topic this week is why elites <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/03/25/opinion/why-our-institutions-keep-going-woke-and-going-broke/">keep going woke</a> when they've seen it manifestly damages their organizations. He writes:</p><blockquote>When a group of people, especially powerful people, does something that seems counterproductive, there are two possibilities. One is they’re just crazy.
The other is they’re getting something out of a policy that seems, on the surface, destructive. Sometimes it’s both.<br /><br />
I believe our ruling class is kind of crazy. Where it used to be socially, ideologically and culturally diverse, now it’s a monoculture. <br /><br />
It’s overwhelmingly made up of people who went to the same schools, were indoctrinated with the same values and believe the same things. Worse yet, they care more about their standing with peers than they do about their actual jobs.<br /><br />
Thus, policies that get leaders plaudits for DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion), “climate awareness” or “antiracism” score them social points that improve their position, even as they damage the institutions they’re responsible for. It’s a conflict of interest, an abuse of power, but it’s very common and generally goes unpunished.</blockquote><p>So ... let's start punishing wokeness. Perhaps the best punishment is to deemphasize the things their social set values, starting with DEI and climate hysteria.</p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-67679406311150719652024-03-25T08:04:00.001-07:002024-03-25T08:04:57.235-07:00Millions Move<p>Demographics tell the story, evidence of the Great Sort continues to pile up. Today we have an editorial from the good folks at <b>Issues & Insights</b> <a href="https://issuesinsights.com/2024/03/25/the-great-divorce-3-7-million-have-fled-counties-that-voted-for-biden-since-2020/">reporting</a> a fine grained analysis of Census data of the 3,144 counties in the U.S. </p><p>In the last three years the counties which voted for Biden net lost 3,670,516 citizens who moved to counties which voted for Trump. In round numbers call it 3.7 million. That is approximately 1% of the U.S. population.</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><blockquote><li>Of the 555 counties that voted for Biden, 343 (or 62%) lost population since 2020. Of the 2,589 counties that voted for Trump, 1,726 (or 67%) gained population.</li><li>The 11 counties that had the biggest population declines over the past three years all voted for Biden. They lost a net total of 2 million people.</li><li>Of the 11 counties with the biggest gains in population, eight voted for Trump in 2020. </li></blockquote></ul>
That is darned amazing. As Biden famously said in another context, it’s “a big effing deal.”DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-44138341543022927002024-03-24T14:12:00.000-07:002024-03-24T14:12:25.690-07:00Didn't Earn It<p>A new and massively ironic <a href="https://instapundit.com/638281/">deconstruction</a> of the oh, so woke acronym DEI. </p><p></p><blockquote>Didn't. Earn. It.</blockquote><p> Man, oh, man, that's nailed it.</p><p></p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-56538837225075971192024-03-24T13:46:00.002-07:002024-03-24T13:47:39.700-07:00Gun Control ⇨ More Crime<p>Controlling guns will limit crime, yes? In Canada the answer has proven to be "no." The <b>Washington Times</b> has <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/mar/23/gun-control-fuels-crime-just-ask-canada/">the story</a>. Hat tip to <b>RealClearPolitics</b> for the link.</p><p>How so? By encouraging what are called "hot burglaries" where burglars break into occupied homes, not fearing being shot by the homeowner. Curiously, the criminals much prefer jurisdictions where the victims are unarmed.</p><blockquote>A disarmed Canadian populace is leading to a prevalence of “hot burglaries,” i.e., those that occur while the residents are home. Other countries that have strict gun control laws, such the United Kingdom, have similar problems. In fact, a study by the University of Chicago Law School found that half of the burglaries in Canada and the U.K. meet the definition of a “hot burglary,” while only 13% of burglaries in the United States can be defined that way.<br /><br />
Can anyone really be surprised by this gross discrepancy?</blockquote><p>Innocent "civilians" are more likely to be injured or killed where hot burglaries are common.</p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-77805076222270044002024-03-24T13:09:00.003-07:002024-03-24T13:11:29.011-07:00Royally Flushed<p>Do you want to read a conservative lady's take on the British royals, today much in the news? How about the longer term prospects therefor, too? </p><p>I offer you <a href="https://peachykeenan.substack.com/p/the-princess-and-the-pea-brained">a link</a> to Peachy Keenan's latest column at <b>Substack</b>. I read it and enjoyed it as both humorous and accurate, although her negative prognostication about the kingdom's longer term future, is a downer.</p><p>Note, the text is interrupted several times with pitches for her blog, skip these and keep reading until, at the end, she signs off sarcastically as Queen Peachy. Hat tip to <b>RealClearPolitics</b> for the link.</p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-12095874734762829312024-03-24T12:45:00.001-07:002024-03-24T12:45:59.949-07:00Carville on the Mom Party<p>Here's a not bad quote from Dem political maven James Carville, aka "the Ragin' Cajun." He's talking to Maureen Dowd and her NYT <a href="https://dnyuz.com/2024/03/23/james-carville-the-cajun-who-cant-stop-ragin/">column</a> is (probably) pirated by the site <b>dnyuz.com. </b>The topic, what's wrong with his party.</p><blockquote>"A suspicion of mine is that there are too many preachy females” dominating the culture of his party. "‘Don’t drink beer. Don’t watch football. Don’t eat hamburgers. This is not good for you.’ The message is too feminine: ‘Everything you’re doing is destroying the planet. You’ve got to eat your peas.’"<br /></blockquote><p>And about the Biden age issue, he adds:</p><blockquote>"Don’t tell me that Biden has more energy or cognition than Trump because it’s evident that, yeah, Trump’s got word salads, but he projects energy,” Carville said. “He’s insane. He’s a criminal of the first order. But he does have a little timing and a little sense of humor and knows how to move from one story to the other.”</blockquote><p>It's more than "a little," Sunny Jim. Big Don has a ton of platform skills. A few of which are skills Pedo Joe remembers having, but lost somewhere along the way.</p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-83631733173616269682024-03-23T16:25:00.000-07:002024-03-23T16:25:57.604-07:00Saturday Snark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3yNZLtozjC-KcYFrP957TOe7WcbApm2d0ssl1QFAabqV9JYTmT6T070L1jB_KEmDbQVVZgxf6BEJNPodS4KdE5ml70EdnwTOFZN9dB5QJLJaxSl6WmcXkMqHgq0dSuE9yCIxtFhQRZOAtVDL3TZjDTfLj8XgqDte892yNwDnifR85PYleIhEPAlUhuk4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="484" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3yNZLtozjC-KcYFrP957TOe7WcbApm2d0ssl1QFAabqV9JYTmT6T070L1jB_KEmDbQVVZgxf6BEJNPodS4KdE5ml70EdnwTOFZN9dB5QJLJaxSl6WmcXkMqHgq0dSuE9yCIxtFhQRZOAtVDL3TZjDTfLj8XgqDte892yNwDnifR85PYleIhEPAlUhuk4=w323-h400" width="323" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="517" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxdK-4oIKrksswTEIwT_tofPW1-5SMYBupjh-Sh2JX9O1lnMepehbX50nSnbgiN9W9dVEN2af4fKMtXqDHXXX19PhBF62YB0vtGW4AyG5y8Kn5FhvioJVDsYqhRkJaCWrb_vwX_Zk4PQ0Ln8TQ2lJTxU7INjqgvM3EENVCGVNpLLVjG0gIz8tzfWjxXvY=w400-h369" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjR59mOQGSL6otGjuJbfvWuzPkN0k6gs8U9NRU9atHFYLJGx0FWVh9nrK_Dj2IIa4yBeTMyrlFLJDMrEeXYkpBEPFhGJN9rNx0NfXAJgWAVlQQZu8TZG6hzpbl-HYYqVBgfF-dTSt1V7IRhLhJ5irLtl-YVRBn1noqxkOrJFo1ZM8XdvQOwx4H0MhXGJKI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="517" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjR59mOQGSL6otGjuJbfvWuzPkN0k6gs8U9NRU9atHFYLJGx0FWVh9nrK_Dj2IIa4yBeTMyrlFLJDMrEeXYkpBEPFhGJN9rNx0NfXAJgWAVlQQZu8TZG6hzpbl-HYYqVBgfF-dTSt1V7IRhLhJ5irLtl-YVRBn1noqxkOrJFo1ZM8XdvQOwx4H0MhXGJKI=w322-h400" width="322" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Extra points for a one-handed undo.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Images <a href="https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/03/the-week-in-pictures-bloodbath-edition.php">courtesy</a> of <b>Power Line</b>'s <i>The Week in Pictures</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and its Comments section.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p></p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-91205484031669730812024-03-23T14:46:00.003-07:002024-03-23T14:46:39.949-07:00Understanding Today's Russia<p>For <b>The American Mind</b>, Katya Sedgwick - a Soviet emigre - writes a very interesting <a href="https://americanmind.org/salvo/czar-vladimir/">appraisal</a> of current conditions in Russia as Putin wins another election by 80+ percent. She has the advantage of an insiders' understanding of the Russian psyche.</p><p>Her judgment: Russians are relatively pleased with Putin's rule, and have neither experience with, nor desire for true representative government. While she admits the recent election was largely a sham, she believes Putin could easily win an actual, fair election.</p><p>I don't have her insight into the Russian mindset, but what she writes rings true to me. I recommend her column to you.</p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-33980080007134421272024-03-22T16:37:00.001-07:002024-03-22T17:23:53.153-07:00Showmanship<p>I was thinking about how Trump has caused the Democrats to cross their own red lines, politicize the legal system, corrupt the vote counting system, and act a more than a little crazy. What characteristics did Trump have that, for instance George Bush did not? </p><p>I had a possible insight which I'd share with you. The answer could be showmanship. The last time the Dems acted this way was during the Reagan presidency. Showmanship is a talent Reagan and Trump share, although they manifest it in quite different stylistic ways.</p><p>When the GOP has a candidate with showmanship and the Dems do not, they compensate by going off the rails in various ways. Anyway, that was my insight, what do you think?</p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-60312511112768324292024-03-22T16:22:00.000-07:002024-03-22T16:22:14.374-07:00Friday Snark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhR_Yk0UoUIuLmbcudRZVVWrfMbEL80pG1FMad74ICCX3IvLtFg2ETaLd2SQPUEKVeUMHYWcFNnEKhSvFR9eAhEy49UpZR4R0wZrFz5dWaeNUNp24QpcDyEPouoD5-qTlQpnuQhZ_Wc26ZttU1wNIKmT2tHR-u78pkl2w2MDv61BYUMRRaqEkAfBdwyOEo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="916" data-original-width="1160" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhR_Yk0UoUIuLmbcudRZVVWrfMbEL80pG1FMad74ICCX3IvLtFg2ETaLd2SQPUEKVeUMHYWcFNnEKhSvFR9eAhEy49UpZR4R0wZrFz5dWaeNUNp24QpcDyEPouoD5-qTlQpnuQhZ_Wc26ZttU1wNIKmT2tHR-u78pkl2w2MDv61BYUMRRaqEkAfBdwyOEo=w400-h314" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5s3YfqTZmUgtF4PuOx7OmLVsnqygEiTTpQhWkKQoIwzRFif60gMoc6fkLGJPEEjzQmhvP7LR0U6hvoFHxxSNJCWX95iTHWtCbL-2rIig5YxUQtBv2nYayi5z08cUkOnkhkAeJwSxL-JRSD7sljwWyxDzEzNJrLnF6t1JUIe68LP0mHnfeONB6n6yirVg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="1160" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5s3YfqTZmUgtF4PuOx7OmLVsnqygEiTTpQhWkKQoIwzRFif60gMoc6fkLGJPEEjzQmhvP7LR0U6hvoFHxxSNJCWX95iTHWtCbL-2rIig5YxUQtBv2nYayi5z08cUkOnkhkAeJwSxL-JRSD7sljwWyxDzEzNJrLnF6t1JUIe68LP0mHnfeONB6n6yirVg=w400-h259" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-RAy4wiQK7h45sXUpy5G8rrAFgdwuaWLpYiYkrE4Il8wHMwSXtx4oUxha3sHSdPrh-SGAmRMw2Wla_Gb5defFbGX5PzmetIbRrVCVu_G4gjsdEDoBX52SOawwZP_oENrrJqrZa3kwjx__IiRqo45iBO-ZkvO8NdToScoXsmJya0iV44R5iGytlwsfMwo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="1160" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-RAy4wiQK7h45sXUpy5G8rrAFgdwuaWLpYiYkrE4Il8wHMwSXtx4oUxha3sHSdPrh-SGAmRMw2Wla_Gb5defFbGX5PzmetIbRrVCVu_G4gjsdEDoBX52SOawwZP_oENrrJqrZa3kwjx__IiRqo45iBO-ZkvO8NdToScoXsmJya0iV44R5iGytlwsfMwo=w400-h343" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcMX4oJW6tBhrh-dVB2igiLbekmLMKhLY73b1Mymsvu7wL2MN46rhNn29iBUeCxwT8QWS1PeJZ4GJ_wkijovE0A9T67Xs9uiRFsZF5Tr1CLrlycuPfcmc2lJyj4fJea5GzKOQebfa-4EEpRT3GCUhY_1KswTv5C5t3JZW9JNnzL15MxTOANer7is7GUGU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="1160" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcMX4oJW6tBhrh-dVB2igiLbekmLMKhLY73b1Mymsvu7wL2MN46rhNn29iBUeCxwT8QWS1PeJZ4GJ_wkijovE0A9T67Xs9uiRFsZF5Tr1CLrlycuPfcmc2lJyj4fJea5GzKOQebfa-4EEpRT3GCUhY_1KswTv5C5t3JZW9JNnzL15MxTOANer7is7GUGU=w400-h274" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJpkIiq_QV3UcOe_jrWWFRCv-lKMKCRZmoApSH9Ne65NHlmar7yACAil6Jyv9Wof_PymPUk1Wr5Iq6XyjpIfvFAVlhC3lqyJwEn4Tt3x6p7ajaLPl-r__l1x4BPhhmF7gVIubD3U2YZ-YKv_ibm0NBH2zi46YtDS7T-DnolHfQP8vmklVmO_yKBYm3kHs" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="812" data-original-width="1160" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJpkIiq_QV3UcOe_jrWWFRCv-lKMKCRZmoApSH9Ne65NHlmar7yACAil6Jyv9Wof_PymPUk1Wr5Iq6XyjpIfvFAVlhC3lqyJwEn4Tt3x6p7ajaLPl-r__l1x4BPhhmF7gVIubD3U2YZ-YKv_ibm0NBH2zi46YtDS7T-DnolHfQP8vmklVmO_yKBYm3kHs=w400-h283" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhKYaQqLLx6ZdLL7XdCCGM9kUjGd4vPmM-CARazN9yo8lZ4zOrzb6Z2Hb0jJIWxxrjmTOJKa024LNHFhsAOUoeQf-Zc4UEBZI20QJI24qfMzPmjWFZC6_2wNANGLTle1AWowNdi41HE-s4rpzwPwmGRJ_8hgr95AWqZuP9dsrs5KrOkv5KEmRxz80jTpaY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1160" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhKYaQqLLx6ZdLL7XdCCGM9kUjGd4vPmM-CARazN9yo8lZ4zOrzb6Z2Hb0jJIWxxrjmTOJKa024LNHFhsAOUoeQf-Zc4UEBZI20QJI24qfMzPmjWFZC6_2wNANGLTle1AWowNdi41HE-s4rpzwPwmGRJ_8hgr95AWqZuP9dsrs5KrOkv5KEmRxz80jTpaY=w400-h291" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Images <a href="https://www.politico.com/gallery/2024/03/22/the-nations-cartoonists-on-the-week-in-politics-00148452?slide=16">courtesy</a> of <b>Politico</b>'s <i>Nation's Cartoonists on the Week in Politics</i>.</div></div></div></div></div></div><p></p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-51841814976532877772024-03-21T09:15:00.001-07:002024-03-21T09:16:38.755-07:00Lagging Teacher Pay<p>On Monday I <a href="https://cottonline.blogspot.com/2024/03/pay-and-college-major-update.html">wrote</a> about which college majors pay well and poorly, and noted pay for teachers hasn’t kept up with inflation. Further rumination about that shortfall inspired the following possible insight. </p><p>Birthrates are dropping and increasing numbers of children are from one-parent families. While these households are sometimes affluent, mostly they are not particularly well off. </p><p>For a combination of reasons substantially fewer children of the middle class are attending public schools. That equals fewer middle class parent-advocates for public school funding. Those sending children to public schools are in so many cases not those who would have the time or the mindset to be politically active.</p><p>Funding for public education is a political issue and the most politically active have the fewest children in public schools. Ergo a lack of “political attention” paid to public ed. </p><p>I have no data demonstrating whether this hypothesis is likely, but the reasoning seems linear and sensible.</p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-25693121174450915362024-03-20T18:21:00.000-07:002024-03-20T18:21:28.645-07:00Death Spiral Recipe<p><b>Power Line</b>'s John Hinderaker posts a <a href="https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/03/whos-leaving-where.php">quote</a> from his colleague at <b>American Experiment</b> Bill Glahn. The subject is the great sort that our nation has experienced over the past few years. After noting the large losses experienced by the "blue" counties of Los Angeles, Cook (Illinois), and the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, Glahn adds.</p><blockquote>Of the 10 counties in America with the largest net domestic inflows, nine were in “red” states (Florida, South Carolina, and Texas).</blockquote><p>Compounding the problem is who is moving and who is not: the productive who earn and pay taxes are moving, those who rely on public assistance not so much. Convince me that is not a death spiral recipe for blue cities.</p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-69458119419539175032024-03-19T15:38:00.000-07:002024-03-19T15:38:02.839-07:00Welcoming Spring<p>Today is the spring equinox, when throughout the globe each day has exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. Another way of thinking about it is that today the north and south poles are equidistant from the sun.</p><p>Officially, in the Northern Hemisphere the season known as spring begins today, a bit earlier than normal which would be tomorrow, the 21st. Likewise, in the Southern Hemisphere, autumn begins today.</p><p>Each season lasts three months, per meteorological officialdom. The local reality may very well differ. For example, here on the eastern edge of the Mojave Desert, we began experiencing spring maybe a month ago, and it is well and truly upon us by now. Someday soon we'll switch the HVAC system from heat to cooling.</p><p>Similarly, at our residence-of-record in the western Wyoming Rockies, there is still a bunch of snow on the ground (today's photo below) and anything recognizable as spring is probably a month away. With any luck we should be relocated there in early May.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiESxc7EeFDE-VelvY2rW_USKsShyphenhyphenJrwlUB5jM1TV77izcalVRNxzYxGq6CHnXs2l-6mTyXbMNSJKRV91PcDUrJHYx-25IeOmF1HfXNroGsmWNjSHiACNxlQfZBaT_U1G2Vi833Lx8oZZXqAWqvpjVmD9FwVs1W-dSvr1RRwklLrfY7qh82I12Y-skAhE/s200/SVH1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="200" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiESxc7EeFDE-VelvY2rW_USKsShyphenhyphenJrwlUB5jM1TV77izcalVRNxzYxGq6CHnXs2l-6mTyXbMNSJKRV91PcDUrJHYx-25IeOmF1HfXNroGsmWNjSHiACNxlQfZBaT_U1G2Vi833Lx8oZZXqAWqvpjVmD9FwVs1W-dSvr1RRwklLrfY7qh82I12Y-skAhE/w400-h302/SVH1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-5024777113256906542024-03-19T09:35:00.001-07:002024-03-19T14:43:48.386-07:00The Young, Hurting<p>Steve Cortes writes some <a href="https://stevecortes.substack.com/p/young-americans-lose-hope-and-turn">tough words</a> about the current plight of the young.</p><blockquote>Young people have also endured an education system that focuses on indoctrination rather than teaching usable skills. Specifically, they were subjected to curricula and a pop culture that impart lessons of collective guilt and shame, rather than patriotism and pride.<br /><br />
Nonetheless, young Americans were encouraged to take on mountains of personal debt to fund these toxic educational experiences. Upon leaving school, far too many of them discovered that they were prepared for little besides unhealthy self-loathing.</blockquote><p>Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. </p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-36155475618471452522024-03-18T14:33:00.001-07:002024-03-18T14:33:17.891-07:00CA on Trump's Naughty List<p>Doyle McManus has been writing for the<b> LA Times</b> since 1978. Today he writes about Trump's <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/column-trump-big-plans-california-090043162.html">post-election plans</a> for California.</p><p>California richly deserves the sort of ramrodding Trump promises. Even if he only gets 50% of it done, it will be a yuuuge improvement. </p><p>Along the way McManus shares a new Trump nickname for its Governor: "Gavin NewScum." Of course true-blue McManus is horrified at the prospect of Trump's threatened CA policies, which I view as a delightful bonus.</p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-1002418593193914362024-03-18T08:45:00.000-07:002024-03-18T08:45:35.827-07:00Pay and College Major, an Update<p>Regular <b>COTTonLINE</b> readers know one of the themes followed in this blog is the importance of occcupational choice/college major in life outcomes. Today’s “brick in the wall” comes from <b>CNBC</b>, the business arm of <b>NBC</b>, its topic: which college majors pay worst and best both at graduation and in mid-career.</p><p>Taking the booby prize for worst pay, both immediately and later, is early childhood education. Others not doing at all well include History, Psychology, Recreation, Nutrition, Fine Arts, Social Services, Theology and Education. Who does especially well: engineers, both immediately and later.</p><blockquote>Education majors tend to be paid less, as well. While teachers have good job security, summers off and pensions, they’re usually paid by state governments, which have lagged in keeping wages commensurate with inflation. In recent years, the “teacher pay penalty” has gotten worse, according to the <b>Economic Policy Institute</b>.<br /><br />
Unfortunately for teachers, they don’t fare much better later in their careers. When looking at “mid-career” graduates — those ages 35 to 45 — education majors are the worst paid among all majors.</blockquote><p>I was happy not to see B-school majors listed among the poorly paid. While it is always best to see a clear path between degree major and meaningful career employment, this nostrum isn’t helping education majors in today’s market.</p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-2576595528786911092024-03-18T00:01:00.001-07:002024-03-18T00:10:41.369-07:00Political Ridicule <p>Writer Michael Kruse doesn't much like Trump and he writes for <b>Politico</b> which holds a similar view of Trump. In spite of the setting and the author's bias, Kruse writes perceptively about Donald J. Trump's highly <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/03/17/how-donald-trump-uses-humor-to-make-the-outrageous-sound-normal-00146119">successful manner</a> of connecting with audiences.</p><blockquote>“Donald Trump has an ability to bring you in with his humor,” former Trump White House principal deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley told me, “and it really is kind of one of his best characteristics. It humanizes him in a way that I think a lot of politicians are scared of, wouldn’t do, or <i>can’t</i> do.”</blockquote><p>It explains why Trump can get away with saying off the wall things like he'd invite Russia to invade any NATO country which failed to spend its promised share on defense. His supporters read it, accurately, as exaggeration to make a point. </p><p>The excellent Salena Zito summarized it as his followers taking him "seriously but not literally," which is exactly how you'd react to someone doing political humor. No wonder he can fill stadiums, he is an excellent entertainer. Stylistically, Trump's delivery is a mixture of Bob Hope, Don Rickles and Mort Sahl.</p><p>I date myself with that comparison. I'm sure there are modern equivalents but I stopped watching standup perhaps three decades back. I changed, they stopped being funny, or quite possibly both.</p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-40350197375311068102024-03-17T16:41:00.000-07:002024-03-17T16:41:41.106-07:00POC Vote Up for Grabs<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiH3R8X3b4PrvqlnOmuapH2_Q4ydqvzDfj4XMqOVQHphCDUy-OcGd1wMiNsUWa7FNPQQw43HJgjaBha2EtKuNuR3SawUJaO7tZqwkA3KUbaGT64DuCCsu3ueod27uRONpPZb1HudsJRt6prWAu4ZSe3wKXPWFtALi0nXUk4Se1gMbtNuDbAfum2RVyjg3A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1456" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiH3R8X3b4PrvqlnOmuapH2_Q4ydqvzDfj4XMqOVQHphCDUy-OcGd1wMiNsUWa7FNPQQw43HJgjaBha2EtKuNuR3SawUJaO7tZqwkA3KUbaGT64DuCCsu3ueod27uRONpPZb1HudsJRt6prWAu4ZSe3wKXPWFtALi0nXUk4Se1gMbtNuDbAfum2RVyjg3A=w400-h250" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The above chart I <a href="https://www.natesilver.net/p/democrats-are-hemorrhaging-support">sourced</a> from Nate Silver's <b>Silver Bulletin</b>, although it has appeared elsewhere. It shows what the polls have been telling us, that more and more POC voters are seeing their future lies with the GOP.</div><br />It turns out that a party which demonstrates concern for the economics of working class life can lure many voters from their former home with the Democrats, who can't stop talking about abortion and the civil rights of violent felons.<p></p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-34459250221214431272024-03-16T23:19:00.001-07:002024-03-16T23:20:39.727-07:00Doing Dune Justice<p>Denis Villeneuve's <i>Dune: Part Two</i> hit the theaters a couple of weeks ago. I haven't seen it yet, but probably will eventually. I just read a <a href="https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/the-dune-we-deserve">review</a> that appeared in <b>Tablet</b>, following a link from <b>RealClearPolitics</b>. </p><p>Reviewer Liel Leibovitz wasn't impressed with the Villeneuve treatment of the second half. He liked the first half by Villeneuve, after not much liking the David Lynch version from 1984. </p><p>I found Villeneuve's treatment of the first half inferior to the David Lynch version, and am prepared to be disappointed by the second half when I see it. </p><p>There are those who believe it is impossible to do justice to the Frank Herbert book in film, and in some senses they are probably correct. Understanding much had to be left out, I still find the Lynch version does a good job of putting pictures to the story<i> if you've read the book</i>. </p><p>Leibovitz doesn't even mention the made-for-TV version (2000, 2003) that's available on CD. It has some strong performances but lacks English subtitles and is thus difficult for those of us with age-impaired hearing.</p><p>The TV version has Ian McNeice playing Baron Harkonnen in a more nuanced-but-evil way than the diseased sicko of Lynch's film. You know McNeice from<b> PBS</b>'s <i>Doc Martin</i> where he played Bert Large. Alec Newman played Paul Atreides in the TV mini series.</p><p>The spice must flow.</p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-67041481176940038272024-03-16T16:41:00.000-07:002024-03-16T16:41:17.923-07:00Saturday Snark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmkR5ZNPCnZ0kvhsyehNm5LJluJuxFyPLi1UoAAaAIKfjo-Ku6hmBCEd9tQhv0LLIA_9vyt3DbCO4rBruMnsNLNDm9GueIiFhtMkyv4CNfsr__VNnOHwFUo9eIpyf29ivMm6JIPDZ4yAY-dTGb8461OjPlzgtPSFbxA6MAlyx6LaIXPfPcujqOYs_dYI4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="452" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmkR5ZNPCnZ0kvhsyehNm5LJluJuxFyPLi1UoAAaAIKfjo-Ku6hmBCEd9tQhv0LLIA_9vyt3DbCO4rBruMnsNLNDm9GueIiFhtMkyv4CNfsr__VNnOHwFUo9eIpyf29ivMm6JIPDZ4yAY-dTGb8461OjPlzgtPSFbxA6MAlyx6LaIXPfPcujqOYs_dYI4=w355-h400" width="355" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQjBvwgi2aG-WUkf7JRhDmxYN217D7NxhamDDyiGC8jBgJyRYjg3uB0HyfTJe2ua7mSaQh9eCcS4Cr98oVjDtSru-1K8urUBPJdF0CjditKuPZfgbKh-YzBY0OIBpls02gPu8kGvaQvVVlJyyKtH5wmT6IlmdseoxtznIFm01_EWMbAp_ZwDbmDAEnzcY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="480" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQjBvwgi2aG-WUkf7JRhDmxYN217D7NxhamDDyiGC8jBgJyRYjg3uB0HyfTJe2ua7mSaQh9eCcS4Cr98oVjDtSru-1K8urUBPJdF0CjditKuPZfgbKh-YzBY0OIBpls02gPu8kGvaQvVVlJyyKtH5wmT6IlmdseoxtznIFm01_EWMbAp_ZwDbmDAEnzcY=w400-h258" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9dH6tQYcmSz3g4pnoMnL8psrWPXcxf7uDw3GRf0DFvMwAviaMR8_1GsbSAs2ykMYndO_4Saku2jcSbGGmzNL2OXraLJ5ub-cUBkpYynbQMvNY3zR8yOgo9fcjQExXdA2uMQ0HCJY7hc3KGcU44nrvLs45bWyNgOIPpbKOF-e7Kf03ZtJVBzlt_TNTEZo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="568" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9dH6tQYcmSz3g4pnoMnL8psrWPXcxf7uDw3GRf0DFvMwAviaMR8_1GsbSAs2ykMYndO_4Saku2jcSbGGmzNL2OXraLJ5ub-cUBkpYynbQMvNY3zR8yOgo9fcjQExXdA2uMQ0HCJY7hc3KGcU44nrvLs45bWyNgOIPpbKOF-e7Kf03ZtJVBzlt_TNTEZo=w378-h400" width="378" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I keep telling you this.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7K7XeDtFKkp1XIenr-WO6qyCI19XOpVf0_ZS1K2YtH81L5hUnv54XZCUhXEzxYUdqS92IvUGn69TV2OJqeXA7qHAuEuOk6-jowjKq7O1q7hgLSOBC0MlCfIQEH1BzvCpxEjlqKuwLkJ4eUkZOUlEjNFJ2k6ha4nMUJWv2XVB3TgU6ZZBY1ZAkWRcJPHc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="600" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7K7XeDtFKkp1XIenr-WO6qyCI19XOpVf0_ZS1K2YtH81L5hUnv54XZCUhXEzxYUdqS92IvUGn69TV2OJqeXA7qHAuEuOk6-jowjKq7O1q7hgLSOBC0MlCfIQEH1BzvCpxEjlqKuwLkJ4eUkZOUlEjNFJ2k6ha4nMUJWv2XVB3TgU6ZZBY1ZAkWRcJPHc=w400-h293" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I want one of these.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEho253c03eb8K2Pr-ESwq0uHXJg10tzw6gJA5xld7ieHY1WvQ-R1lDR8Aul_legHq0VDzc2VMWXSmNawNc9HLZdvvHHNZLDYXqmIAJK1aYpg36Fnj_L8YuocTajmDwNqTTerpHAhycqApR3-2G40XhQTxh-p6J0NMHsOlACdJSws56fRdpBcsnlWFkknJ0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEho253c03eb8K2Pr-ESwq0uHXJg10tzw6gJA5xld7ieHY1WvQ-R1lDR8Aul_legHq0VDzc2VMWXSmNawNc9HLZdvvHHNZLDYXqmIAJK1aYpg36Fnj_L8YuocTajmDwNqTTerpHAhycqApR3-2G40XhQTxh-p6J0NMHsOlACdJSws56fRdpBcsnlWFkknJ0=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="517" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEJh-hLsxrrW0gQtYgFnoZWSIe_rDSQo97zY9ona5nY5iOD6QQdp1pnB6WevgLgVkbFQ6Vd6nEE5BAwH54USr1l0GL4aiv9TyqWVK5NqHe1VETVu3BJWJ30RxT8zvMwgOBChzkrDO4-71mb-7A9wZrpSsjj4aA5jeG2zmTfbst923cWHagRxUhWmKA4eo=w343-h400" width="343" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAzO9mvyARi1GpG6G4SKcnXLLPfi1BbmivlK3KJWS6zGAC8TEEV4CPoe0GuewU9wcBBqsH4nBMXjrGnq_ghXJjpZnFYzp-zY1dHrzDxOR2JUxSHTTsrUvICat3jgy6glgbrdldZ_DTTGjmWooZKcXBp7pkAoyMrieQjWbM0GuwVk2jaqTKGKuPdczWSAo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="518" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAzO9mvyARi1GpG6G4SKcnXLLPfi1BbmivlK3KJWS6zGAC8TEEV4CPoe0GuewU9wcBBqsH4nBMXjrGnq_ghXJjpZnFYzp-zY1dHrzDxOR2JUxSHTTsrUvICat3jgy6glgbrdldZ_DTTGjmWooZKcXBp7pkAoyMrieQjWbM0GuwVk2jaqTKGKuPdczWSAo=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI8peO55kxyfid6yl4pO88ZBjw4HYO4crjavkGczw8tvUX_WLIvFeBaLGbTMeAjgOC8fkKX1hdv5Pain4_AZybk1aGQb5ZCCB4PVPc5hTpLRkVof9I8A0v4KQVX5XNxNgV2KtHBOD1-3DMPkm8FabWE7W6FIsgzihO01E17Rw9wGNEQz0ot4Wzp9qkP4A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="517" height="389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI8peO55kxyfid6yl4pO88ZBjw4HYO4crjavkGczw8tvUX_WLIvFeBaLGbTMeAjgOC8fkKX1hdv5Pain4_AZybk1aGQb5ZCCB4PVPc5hTpLRkVof9I8A0v4KQVX5XNxNgV2KtHBOD1-3DMPkm8FabWE7W6FIsgzihO01E17Rw9wGNEQz0ot4Wzp9qkP4A=w400-h389" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Images <a href="https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/03/the-week-in-pictures-fani-pack-edition.php">courtesy</a> of <b>Power Line</b>'s <i>The Week in Pictures</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and its Comments section.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p></p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-15508207979751504702024-03-16T10:33:00.002-07:002024-03-16T10:33:29.683-07:00A Flock of Robins<p> I’m seeing evidence the whole woke-berserker craziness has finally jumped the shark, gone too far for even good-hearted softies to stand. Below, as bullet points, without the usual links to proof, are some of the signs I’ve noted that we may be experiencing a correction to the right.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Voters in true-blue San Francisco voting to require drug testing for welfare.</li><li>Florida banning DEI in universities and government.</li><li>Georgia passing a law to crack down on district attorneys who won’t prosecute criminals.</li><li>Virginia vetoing a bill requiring businesses to report their DEI statistics.</li><li>The Supremes reexamining the loophole that permits camping on the sidewalks and parks.</li><li>Cities backing away from open-ended “sanctuary” status.</li><li>Democrat mayors asking for border enforcement.</li><li>Top universities renewing requirement to submit SAT/ACT scores for admission.</li><li>Florida closing a loophole that allowed squatters to stay in property they neither owned nor rented.</li><li>Polling that has Trump ahead by several percentage points.</li></ul><p></p><p>I’m the first to say one robin doesn’t mean spring has arrived, but the above looks suspiciously like a flock of robins. Fingers crossed time.</p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-47037338268850959572024-03-16T10:14:00.000-07:002024-03-16T10:14:58.950-07:00Review: Life in Geezerville<p>Dear Readers, if you haven’t already seen it, the other DrC is doing a series of Geezerville posts at her website, <a href="https://cruztalkingtwo.blogspot.com/">CruzTalking Two</a>. You might want to give it a look.</p><p>Her overarching topic is life for the retired set, and her “take” on it is semi-whimsical and slightly autobiographical. Her emphasis is on us seniors (geezers) living in a 55+ adult community, a Geezerville.</p><p>This series began in January and the most recent is today. It isn’t a continuing story, each post is free-standing and they can be read in any order which pleases you. Her tag line sets the tone, </p><p style="text-align: center;">We’re all in this together.</p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7216274641721146106.post-37401130840135132322024-03-15T14:18:00.000-07:002024-03-15T14:18:26.312-07:00Friday Snark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHMrX93wU9DHwjxCBO-a6z-dtXQqhwH_Jpg45l9v9gTI8nyTtdgy4wQaODoLA49WuhMjZ2k-hR_zxMkoAlpuS4xkT3XSAopMPB4PHnQrLzwr76AAuoYW-_q85jrSWKoq6e8jMOXD2cPlOhRnhB5H4JHbZHVHS09WBv-JN2bvpeKp-Qk2yuc2teA0HbZDE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="1160" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHMrX93wU9DHwjxCBO-a6z-dtXQqhwH_Jpg45l9v9gTI8nyTtdgy4wQaODoLA49WuhMjZ2k-hR_zxMkoAlpuS4xkT3XSAopMPB4PHnQrLzwr76AAuoYW-_q85jrSWKoq6e8jMOXD2cPlOhRnhB5H4JHbZHVHS09WBv-JN2bvpeKp-Qk2yuc2teA0HbZDE=w400-h284" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYodd-26SnZ96cofiAv-3vx3BMCEV_au6Ed2NWXzw3rp-KyCkmv2Yp3lYtHljPX_aTi9mgWsCqk1HS5bYErDy1vHo9zOxRnhTcC9I_ZXxCmJaYmZl7bRF_q61VCByRPPVwSMGwYY1li79DTvtTIB97fsPN16Y3M5zjXZQtWR2k_iWXHd-2JTbrtz5E3F0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="1160" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYodd-26SnZ96cofiAv-3vx3BMCEV_au6Ed2NWXzw3rp-KyCkmv2Yp3lYtHljPX_aTi9mgWsCqk1HS5bYErDy1vHo9zOxRnhTcC9I_ZXxCmJaYmZl7bRF_q61VCByRPPVwSMGwYY1li79DTvtTIB97fsPN16Y3M5zjXZQtWR2k_iWXHd-2JTbrtz5E3F0=w400-h261" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLibS1mS7SEo0nqNTH88H70gMK_5Ext7RAtjrmLo3Yu3TxBJ0SGvHgLXdY4HeGftx9nKRzcgwZyWqp9Jy_rynagz8zHtNths1keUGDQlS4MZsIJRqP2YzT2fcjSqR01z4C4mbBNcokBcqFIloZW4hOKAHgoqkRakdS3ndxm4ic0zP5G2CsmSa_kyA9ThM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="911" data-original-width="1160" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLibS1mS7SEo0nqNTH88H70gMK_5Ext7RAtjrmLo3Yu3TxBJ0SGvHgLXdY4HeGftx9nKRzcgwZyWqp9Jy_rynagz8zHtNths1keUGDQlS4MZsIJRqP2YzT2fcjSqR01z4C4mbBNcokBcqFIloZW4hOKAHgoqkRakdS3ndxm4ic0zP5G2CsmSa_kyA9ThM=w400-h314" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhTIKo4bxZ9bubAFwfR2g1jCzKHl1k4AaIrDqSkVbQJDkeCw3t_hRErYOr3-daL9t3L3fHQX1dZjs_SPHlfXuIcPFxBT2YI75cuaUzhzBcjTtrK61MRRMen3BA1PD-TDsoWXz9ZmLJLmFVijPyG-EHaeuSvdghe_-aEQuektR_6PoItqjkJewpZh6JP4M" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="1160" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhTIKo4bxZ9bubAFwfR2g1jCzKHl1k4AaIrDqSkVbQJDkeCw3t_hRErYOr3-daL9t3L3fHQX1dZjs_SPHlfXuIcPFxBT2YI75cuaUzhzBcjTtrK61MRRMen3BA1PD-TDsoWXz9ZmLJLmFVijPyG-EHaeuSvdghe_-aEQuektR_6PoItqjkJewpZh6JP4M=w400-h291" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiq_-rI2LIHwHllAeSjWjx4AyL67bx3boHMni5Fs8NSyyeb-STKpsbOOma6wg6jUbQCtSa66v_a47XiMEiUxGR0Aq1-J-WfvwBc16yDBCAfWfUw18XfXw-xe2gz9DxU6y6cLQpEvHFj_DlbHrF1-7ZwoiUnThImTy6l_numFF00WE15NeGaOsM7mGdx8AQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="937" data-original-width="1160" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiq_-rI2LIHwHllAeSjWjx4AyL67bx3boHMni5Fs8NSyyeb-STKpsbOOma6wg6jUbQCtSa66v_a47XiMEiUxGR0Aq1-J-WfvwBc16yDBCAfWfUw18XfXw-xe2gz9DxU6y6cLQpEvHFj_DlbHrF1-7ZwoiUnThImTy6l_numFF00WE15NeGaOsM7mGdx8AQ=w400-h321" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Images <a href="https://www.politico.com/gallery/2024/03/15/the-nations-cartoonists-on-the-week-in-politics-00147187?slide=1">courtesy</a> of <b>Politico</b>'s <i>Nation's Cartoonists on the Week in Politics.</i></div></div></div></div></div><p></p>DrChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07856204889560273637noreply@blogger.com