Callous, Cold-Hearted, and Just Plain Stupid

Since the Trump-engineered shutdown of our national government, there've been reports of hardships caused by that shutdown to furloughed, working-without-pay Federal employees.  For instance, one gentleman stated he was unable to buy a headstone to mark the grave of his recently-deceased wife, because of the lack of a paycheck.

But here comes the OPM (Office of Personnel Management) to the rescue.  On Thursday, Dec. 27, OPM offered this advice.  In a tweet (what else?), OPM advised workers to consult with a personal attorney regarding financial difficulties.  In a more concrete suggestion, OPM speculated that a  furloughed employee might offer to trade maintenance services such as painting or carpentry work in exchange for a reduction in rent.

What freakin' delusional, insensitive, plutocratic planet do these people inhabit?

Just Keep Chuckin' Those Paper Towels

Donald Trump may live to regret the moment when, in a surfeit of insensitivity, he tossed paper towels to crowds in Puerto Rico who'd survived Hurricane Maria.

Every 10 Minutes

That's how often a child dies in Yemen because of the civil war there, a conflict in which the United States is supplying Saudi Arabia (and possibly Jared Kushner's BFF MBS) with the weapons that bring about this chilling statistic.

In late September, Rep. Ro Khanna (D - CA) co-sponsored a bill which would (finally) involve Congress, in its Constitutionally-mandated role - that of declaring war.  One of the resolution's Republican co-sponsors, Rep. Thomas Massie (R - KY) said  It’s long past time Congress held a debate and vote as to whether U.S. soldiers and personnel should be involved in this war.

U. S. soldiers and personnel are not on the ground in Yemen.  But our military supports the Saudi-led coalition fighting rebels backed by Iran.  The aid we give the Saudis includes arms sales and aerial refueling of jets, which then carry out airstrikes in Yemen, that in turn kill a child every 10 minutes.

Only a Tenant

I'm lucky enough to live in a lovely, green, open area of Delaware County, PA.  But I don't own the property on which I live.  I'm "only" a tenant.

Grand-dad Joseph

I use those quotes in order to emphasize how different my economic status is from that of my paternal grandfather.  Grand-dad Joseph had no education beyond elementary school, but spoke four languages other than English - German, Hungarian, Polish, and Slovak.  So, U S Steel made him a foreman in the Edgar Thompson Works in Braddock, PA.  His language skills allowed him to manage work-gangs that were a meld of eastern European ethnic groups.

Grand-dad parlayed this job into a small real estate business.  That in turn  allowed him to own a home, allowed each of  his four children to own one as well, and provided enough extra to educate two of those children at the University of Pittsburgh - each with advanced degrees.

But despite my having what amounts to a head start in career life, I'm still "only" a tenant.  I have a Master’s degree in Computer Information Science.  I taught for over 20 years at various institutions of higher education, in the United States and Canada.  The lack of a doctorate cost me jobs, though, and caused me to be unable to accumulate a sufficient down payment for a home, let alone one large enough to preclude PMI.

So much for the crown jewel of the American dream - owning a home.  I doubt I ever will. It's at this point that not-too-compassionate conservatives might tell me I should have tried a little harder, or that perhaps in another year or two, the most recent round of tax cuts for the rich might trickle down to me, or some other similarly insipid excuse.

I'm not bitter.  But those in the working- and middle-classes need to learn to see through the mirages of meritocracy and plutocracy.

We Shouldn't Be Surprised

Neither of the reports below should take any of us aback.

Patrick Shanahan, Donald Trump's rush-Jim-Mattis-out-the-door-early appointee as Acting Defense Secretary, has neither military nor diplomatic experience.

It appears Mr. Trump's most significant concern regarding our southern border isn't national security but rather his prospects for re-election

Duality

There's a bromide that says Those who fail to learn from history [ ... ] repeat it.

The New York Times reported today that the President hadn't actually read the letter of resignation written, and hand-delivered to him on Thursday  by, Secretary of Defense James Mattis.  That's why, in tweeting an initial  response to the departure, Trump praised Mattis.  Which mindset lasted for about two days. Upon seeing himself portrayed, even in right-wing media, as misguided at best in his approach to Syria and Afghanistan Trump actually read Mattis' letter.

Then he did his Janus thing.  Like the Roman god, he showed a new face.  Trump tweeted again, moving Mattis' date of departure from Feb. 8 to Jan. 1.

Way to stay classy, Donald ...