My Environment Seems A Bit Weird. Example 1

My Environment Seems A Bit Weird. Example 1

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Opinion

At times I feel that I am living in some weird world probably due to the Covid virus, or maybe not.  Following are some examples. 

Example 1:

I have a stock certificate that proves that I own 15 shares of a particular bank stock.  A different company sent me a letter indicating they will hold the certificate for me at no cost to best protect proof that I own that stock.  I called the bank investment information number and talked to a rather terrific man who confirmed that it was best to not keep the certificate in a desk drawer but put it into a fire proof safe or send the certificate to the company that offers to hold it.  But, he warned me that if the sending process was flawed, I could loose the investment.  He also suggested that I contact my brokerage firm to see if I could hand the certificate over to them in person.  I called my broker that day and was put on hold for 45 minutes before I hung up the phone at 5 pm.  On day two I called the brokerage firm again and this time I had to log in using my account login.  But the login failed to accept my password which I believe I entered accurately.  The cell phone web site allowed my to enter which was weird.  After waiting for someone to come on the line to talk, I decided to drive to the firm’s local office.  I arrive within about 15 minutes, all the while monitoring my cell phone.  The local brokerage firm only allows one person in at a time and someone is already inside talking to a large computer screen.  No other humane being is inside the brokerage firm office except one single customer carrying on a conversation with a person seen on the large computer screen.  Weird.  I have to wait outside the office to allow the person already inside to finish his conversation and leave.  I had to wait about 10 minutes.  Once inside I  told the person seen in the computer screen that I was on hold calling his company and no one answered and looking at my watch it just then showed one hour.  I hung up my phone and then explained that I needed some advice as to how to transfer my stock certificate into their system.  The man in the computer’s answer was to give me another phone number to call.  I then get an email that “Your password was blocked on 1/28/2021 at 5:46 p.m. Eastern time. You can reset your password on our website by visiting Customer Service and selecting “I’m having trouble logging in.””  I find this simply incredible if not profoundly incompetent.

 

 

Posted January 29, 2021
Updated February 2, 2021

Sedition Of January 6, 2021 – Some Surprising Issues Revealed

Sedition Of January 6, 2021 – Some Surprising Issues Revealed

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Opinion based on facts.

Sedition Of January 6, 2021 – Some Surprising Issues Revealed

As a United States citizen and trying to follow the news closely, I have been somewhat shocked to witness a very large number of apparent quick changes in what has taken place in the past 5 years when measured to the new direction that the United States is taking with the recent appointment of Joe Biden in 2021 as US President.  I decided to try to list all the switch backs and turns, that in my mind, really show themselves and there are quite a few.  I think this is a personal effort to first understand some recent events and then get over these tumultuous events that are bothering me to help retain some personal sanity.  

Let me state a bias I have.  I do like our democratic form of government.  I know that it needs to be improved but that is probably also true with each of us.  I just recently came to realize that our nation just might slide to becoming a dictatorship and I will fight like hell to not let that happen.  Part of making this a better nation is to reflect what took place, analyze almost everything, improve what we can for the betterment of all, criticize when necessary and praise good deeds and results.

My second bias is I personally feel good when I can help another person or animal.  This is selfish of me for getting this reward but it seems to be good.  This and my other blog articles are, I guess, my selfish desire to do good for you.

Following is not in any order of importance:

  • President Donald Trump was more stupid and selfish  than most had realized.  If he had not incited the rioters to march to the capitol building as part of his speech January 6, 2021, he would not be the first president in our history to be impeached twice.  If he had just kept his mouth shut about marching, history’s trajectory for the United States would not have  bent so badly. 
  • A number of Republican congress men and women are not willing to protect the United States form of government, which someone should tell them should be a democracy.
  • The Republican Party is fractured, way less cohesive now than it appeared in 2020.  The party is on the brink of breaking apart.
  • The Republican Party was poorly administered.  They allowed a self centered, selfish leader of the party to run amuck.  There was no supervision that amounted to anything from Mitch McConnell and other party leaders to control Trump.  History books may well measure these events as profound failures of a party and some individuals.
  • The January 6, 2021, attack on Congress really revealed what maybe the most singular reason our nation is divided because white people feel they are being outnumbered leading to beliefs and resulting fears of loosing power and control leading to efforts to cement white supremacy into our nation.   
  • Quite a few Republicans utterly failed to respect whole blocks of citizens votes during the 2020 election in an effort to perform an illegal overturn of the citizens will.  Republicans need to understand that this country is owned and administered by the people through the process of voting.
  • A really shocking revelation, up to the revolt, is how close the United States had come to being a dictatorship and some of us see how easy it would be to make this actual transformation in the future.
  • The complicity of large media giants toward aiding the shift away from democracy and away from the truth  was shocking to witness.

Alternative media (U.S. political right)

  • The rather large number of really lousy ways that the American public get their facts was revealed.

Americans Who Mainly Get Their News on Social Media Are Less Engaged, Less Knowledgeable

  • The actual beliefs that some American citizens hold are utterly false.  These people fail to understand the process of deterring facts and the follow up process of arranging good honest beliefs in their minds.

Americans’ struggles with truth, accuracy and accountability

  • A number of media organizations and web sites are apparently propaganda vehicles serving up false claims and false views is way more than most people realized.
  • It is interesting to witness some children of some very important parents swing toward the good or bad side of things.
    • Keith Rupert Murdoch’s son, James Murdoch, rejects some of the FOX “NEWS” approaches.  
    • President Trump’s children seem to support their father’s views and way of doing things. 
  • It is very telling to see more friendliness and smiles for the people who work for President Biden than for Trump.
  • It is a refreshing shift to now see presidential policies for special interests businesses and groups be rejected and Biden do a fast turn toward to what is best for the whole nation.
  • The prior administration of Trump rejected science.  The Biden administration seems to embrace the truth from science and is making policy adjustments accordingly.
  • For some citizens, this government and how it operates does not work for them.  This might be one of the reasons Trump achieved a rather large following of voters.
  • The White House press briefings are way more polite, respectful ,and overall more civilized with the Biden administration than the Trump.
  • The Biden administration’s department head picks appear to be excellent, way better than Trump’s picks.
  • If we look backward to how we got here there is one rather powerful factor.  The “Supreme” Court decision in the Citizens United vs Federal Elections Commission which allowed big money to take rather silent influence and partial control of this nation and this seems to be at the root of some political corruption.  It seems rather far removed, for some, from the 2021 attack but the foundations of Democracy are being spoiled by big money corrosion.
  • Republican congress members avoid metal detectors.  One or more Republicans have carried guns into the House floor.
  • Each citizen’s attained level of education seems to be a factor for sustaining or thwarting the success or failure of our Democracy.

Trump corrupted the CDC.

Another rather shocking thing to witness, these past 4 years, was the number of President Trump boot lickers there were.

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act pushed by Republicans and supported by Trump  is a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by the 116th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27, 2020.  But, the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) shows a massive windfall for a small group of wealthy taxpayers from a Republican provision in the coronavirus relief bill.  According to the JCT, 43,000 individual tax filers covered by one of the provisions would see their tax liability fall by a combined $70.3 billion in 2020.  The JCT analysis shows nearly 82 percent of those who will benefit from that provision make $1 million or more, with 95 percent making over $200,000.   The provisions  all together will reduce government revenue by $160 billion over ten years.   This is just another reason some refer to the United States as a plutocracy, not a democracy.

 

I reserve the right to add more items to the above list as I come to find them.

 

Document first created: January 21, 2021
Posted January 23, 2021
Updated February 1, 2021

Was The United States 2020 Election Fair?  Yes! And Resulting Consequences.

Was The United States 2020 Election Fair?  Yes! And Resulting Consequences.

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Opinion.

Was the 2020 election fair?  An official website of the United States Government shows the following:

“The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history.”

Evidently, poor baby petulant Trump can not be seen by others and himself  is being a loser.  So he lies to his base made up of the most gullible citizens in our nation who seem attracted to the notion of following a dictator; this includes Republican lawmakers.  These people are utterly unable to figure out what the truth is if they ever cared for that.  They get their information from propagandized sources such as Fox “News” and a very long list of alleged fake news found at Wikipedia: List of fake news websites.

Even though the election was fair, President Trump and the GOP have tried to overturn the 2020 election results and failed in every case.  Their lawsuits were brought before over 50 judges that make rulings valued against the truth after Trump and the GOP failed in their fictions.  In Trump’s alleged self centered mind, he is never a failure and he will go to any effort to prove that fiction.  But history, based on truth, seems to record the actions of a failed presidency and Republican Party.  The very audacity of many Republican Party members to go along toward overturning the true and fair election results just puts forward another fact that that party has reached a new low:

And President Trump is the only president in history to have been impeached twice.  This all came about from lies, ego, authoritarianism and stupidity.  The United States needs better than this and start by valuing truth.

 

 

Posted January 14, 2021

Possible Pending Sedition

Possible Pending Sedition

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Opinion:

I have, for the longest time, wondered if a dictatorship  could take place in the United States.  As I watch the progression of U.S. politics, it appears to me that we have quite a few individuals who are now and probably more in the future that support the United States loosing our democracy and sliding into becoming a dictatorship.  This view is promoted by witnessing all the boot lickers in government who fail to tell the truth and work toward a truthful end and pander to a president who is so self centered.

There seems to be a current process for the slide from democracy to dictatorship by President Donald Trump, to delegitimize our last fair election and overturn the results so he can stay in power another four years.

By most measures, the 2020 past election for president and vice president was fair.  So far, the most shining aspect of the American Democracy is how fantastic the legal system has worked to protect our Democratic system.  Just think for a moment of how it is that over 50 courtroom judges all came to the same conclusion that the 2020 presidential election was fair.   This single aspect stopped Donald Trump from becoming an alleged dictator.

One significant problem with a democracy is it is open to a lot of opportunities as compared to a dictatorship which is based on tight control of the citizens.  This democracy openness offers  corrupt politicians the opportunity to use the system against itself.  Here are some examples of corrupting methods used by politicians and political parties to gain and keep power:

  • bribery
  • extortion
  • cronyism
  • nepotism
  • parochialism
  • patronage
  • influence peddling
  • graft
  • embezzlement

The actual voting process is not always fair. 

Possible Corrupt Voting Practices:

  • Gerrymandering 
  • Hacking voting machines.
  • Voter intimidation.
  • Attacks on poling places.
  • Entitlement to vote is challenged.
  • Racial voter restrictions.

One more factor that supports a well running democracy are the values that come with that form of government.

  • Work toward the common good.
  • Honesty and truthfulness.
  • Knowledge of public affairs.

One more factor that hopefully goes against corruption is the factor of norms.  Norms are best past practices that favor a well working democracy.  President Trump has broken quite a few.

Let’s take the legal aspect one step further.  Once in power, a politician and a political party just might  try to overturn the results of an election.  The problem with this effort is how legal the process is.  As already stated, our legal system put a stop to this illegal attempt.  So is there a penalty for trying to overturn the rule of the people?  Yes there is:

Sedition: conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch.

Seditious conspiracy: (18 U.S.C. § 2384) is a crime under United States law. It is stated as follows:

If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.

As soon as the electoral college certify that Biden properly won the new US president election then the immunity of politicians who are fighting against Biden winning being president by political means should disappear.  Then, any actions to overthrow the election results, after the electoral college certifies that Biden won, could be construed as act(s) of sedition.  

Possible pending 2020 sedition actors:

  • Donald Trump who constantly claims he won the election. 
  • Any individual especially a politician who supports this overthrow.
  • Any media that promotes the overthrow of the current U.S. government:
    • Facebook with Mark Zuccerberg being the person responsible for allowing and possible enhancing the  a platform of overthrow.
    • Fox “News” for allowing and possible promoting a platform of overthrow.
    • Newsmax for allowing and possible promoting a platform of overthrowing the results of the election.

Another despicable factor in Donald Trump trying to overturn the legitimate election results is this process has seemed to undermine the confidence in American democratic processes for a significant group of American citizens.    This possible erosion for accepting our current form of government, right now, might impact the future of our nation.

 

 

 

Posted January 3, 2020

Men’s Jacket Manufacturers Seem To Not Understand.

Men’s Jacket Manufacturers Seem To Not Understand.

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Men’s jacket manufacturers seem to be making a mistake for me at my location for the following reasons.

I live in a rather temperate climate.

  • Average highs of 60°F (15.6°C) to 68°F (20°C) 
  • Average lows of 45°F (7.2°C) to 55°F (12.8°C).

I have been looking for the proper jacket for my location but all the stores near me have been a disappointment:

  • Macy’s = Cincinnati, OH
  • Burlington Coat Factory = New Jersey
  • Target = Minneapolis, MN
  • JC Penney = Plano, Texas
  • Kohl’s. = Menomonee Falls, WI
  • Nordstrom. = Seattle, WA
  • 32 Degrees =  New York, NY

As you can see the corporate headquarters are usually located in very cold winter climates.  My guess is they might expect everyone in the United States to have really cold winters.  My location seldom gets that cold and finding a jacket for my location has been a challenge.

Typical reason why jackets have not fulfilled my requirement is they all seem to be way too heavy and thus feeling way too hot to wear for my winter climate.  I think the usual reason is the company headquarters, who is selling these jackets, is located in a much colder climate and they seem to lack some concern for people living in other warmer locations.

My ideal jacket:

  • Thin outer shell
  • Wind resistant
  • Moisture resistant
  • Two rather large outside pockets zippered
  • One high outside breast pocket zippered.
  • Two inside large pockets.
  • Under arm zipper vents.
  • Back air vent.  (This is a very unusual feature.  My bicycle jacket has this.
  • Full front metal zipper with wind protection flap.  
  • Optional hood 
  • Sleeve thumb holes or velcro sleeve ends or good elastic sleeve ends.

After looking for days for my almost ideal jacket I did find one.  I found it at Target:  Men’s Woven Fleece Jacket – All in Motion™

  • Made for: cold weather, everyday wear
  • Moves with: ultra-warm, woven fleece fabric
  • Must-have features: side zip pockets, chest zip pocket, full-front zipper with high collar and hood, water-repellent construction, stretch thumbhole cuffs.
  • But, the zipper on this jacket is made of plastic and I have had two failures.  It takes a long time to get the zipper back working again.

This jacket is not ideal but when almost all the jacket manufacturers seem to be out of touch, this jacket, so far, works for me.

  • Thin outer shell. YES
  • Wind resistant. YES
  • Moisture resistant. YES
  • Two rather large outside pockets zippered.  YES
  • One high breast pocket zippered. YES
  • Two inside large pockets.  NO
  • Under arm zipper vents.  NO
  • Back air vent.  NO
  • Full front zipper with wind protection flap.  YES
  • Optional hood. YES
  • Sleeve thumb holes.  YES

March 6, 2021 I just discovered a near perfect jacket that is almost meets all my needs.  It is 32 Cool that I found at COSTCO.  But, so far I can NOT find any identification as to the item number that helps me to help you find it.  I picked a blue color, “NAVY” which has a very bright red inner liner.  The COSTCO item number is “1484906”.  Caution:  32 Cool fails to show this jacket item number.  COSTCO web site fails to show this item number in stock.  A COSTCO employee told me that the item number “1484906” did show in his store inventory but might not show as an inventory item in another store location.  You might want to call your local COSTCO to see if they have this in stock and confirm it is this jacket.  Also, this jacket is a seasonal item and I expect it to disappear from their current stock soon.

  • Thin outer shell. YES
  • Wind resistant. YES
  • Moisture resistant. YES
  • Two rather large outside pockets zippered.  YES
  • One high breast pocket zippered. YES
  • Two inside large pockets.  YES
  • Under arm zipper vents.  NO
  • Back air vent.  NO
  • Full front metal zipper with wind protection flap.  YES
  • Optional hood. YES
  • Sleeve thumb holes or velcro sleeve ends or good elastic sleeve ends.   YES. (It does have velcro at the end of both arm sleeves.)

 

 

 

 

 

Posted:  March 6, 2021

The USA Is Now A Plutocracy Not A Democracy.

The USA Is Now A Plutocracy Not A Democracy.

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Most American citizens think the United States is a Democracy.  It is not true any more.  Today, the United States is ruled by the rich and falls within the category of being a plutocracy or ruled by rich individuals and corporations.

A rich have the money to pay for political influence and resulting policies that ensure they keep their wealth and gain more wealth and power.  That is, if they calculate and plot accurately toward that end and they have.  

The dark slide of the United States from being a democracy to being a plutocracy really was propelled by the utter incompetence of the US “Supreme” Court decision brought to the court by Citizens United vs Federal Elections Commission.

Citizens United is a right wing, Republican, non-profit organization with an obvious agenda to allow money to buy political power.  This move resulted in the United States moving from being a Democracy to being a plutocracy.  The reason for this is that money buys politicians, both Republican and Democratic.  But, the current problem is that the Republicans have gamed the system way better than the Democrats.  

The current status is that the right wing have stacked the “Supreme” Court with conservative agenda sycophants that seem to believe in trampling on the poor and lower classes of citizens.

“… for five decades, the court has, with striking regularity, sided with the rich and powerful against the poor and weak in virtually every area of the law.”

 

 

Posted. December 25, 2020