I paid more than $750

During the Reagan presidency I was surprised that we had paid more income tax than Reagan had.  Of course, Reagan’s taxes were available to the public; presidents did that before Trump was elected.

Now I learn that we also paid more income taxes than Trump did.  A lot more, since one year he didn’t pay any.  I also learned that he lied about being audited; the I.R.S. didn’t do what it was supposed to.  I also learned that he had foreign bank accounts, including one in China, exposing himself to financial pressure from foreign governments.  And most of all, I learned what a really crappy businessman he is.  In spite of all the cheating and lying he does, he really doesn’t have any business acumen.  It is obvious that he paid someone to take his exams at the Wharton School.  It is absolutely certain that he couldn’t have passed them.  What a loser.

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

How did I live to be this old and not have read On the Road.  Today I finished listening to the book.  Matt Dillon was the reader, and he was excellent.  The book, named one of the best 100 English novels of the 20th century, was published in 1957, and follows “Sal Paradise,” (Jack Kerouac) and Dean Moriarty (Neal Cassady) in their adventures traveling back and forth across the U.S., smoking dope, chasing women, and listening to jazz.  Other figures of the “Beat Generation” appear as well.  (Kerouac is credited with coining the phrase “Beat Generation.”)

The book is 65 years old, but it still makes wonderful reading (or listening).  I was amazed at how trusting Americans were back then.  You could hitchhike across the country and not only bum rides, but also often be taken in by strangers.  (I should add, if you were white,)  Kerouac himself seems to be without prejudiced and populates his book with out groups.

I loved the book.  It is probably a good thing I didn’t read it when I was about 20.  I might have hitched to Denver or San Francisco or New Orleans.   I have an urge to do it now.

Sikh Marines may now keep their beards

Sikh religion requires that its male adherents don’t shave.  Sikhs in the British armed forces were known for their military prowess; in World War II they served with distinction.  But the U.S. Marine Corps required that their beards be shaved for basic training.  

Now a Court of Appeals judge ruled that the unshorn beards would not be a physical hindrance to basic training.  Freedom of religion is guaranteed in this country.  American marines who are Sikhs will now be able to wear their turbans and beards.  The Marine Corps will be stronger.

Thank you Gov. Wolf (and a warning)

We owe Governor Wolf a great deal.  Over the last two years he vetoed a bill that would have skewed redrawn districts to the Republicans, another bill that would have allowed gun owners to carry concealed firearms without a permit, a bill to block the state from capping carbon emissions from power plants, and a bill that would have messed with early voting and expanded ID requirements and put restrictions on drop boxes.

In fact, he vetoed 17 bills in the last two years, and none were overridden.  

Now the Republican legislature is trying to make an end run around gubernatorial vetoes by resorting to constitutional amendments.  Next May be sure you vote NO on all proposed PA constitutional amendments.

Info on the vetoes is from “Spotlight PA.”

Opening Day for Deer Hunting

Representative Brian Smith of Jefferson and Indiana counties has introduced a bill that would move the opening day of rifle deer season to the Monday following Thanksgiving.  In an informal poll, a majority of hunters supported this move.  Here is my letter to Rep. Doyle Heffley on this issue:’

Please support Rep. Brian Smith’s proposal to change the date of the opening of the rifle season for deer hunting to the first Monday after Thanksgiving.  There are a number of good reasons for a Monday opening.

First, it will aid sporting goods stores, which often do a huge business on the Thanksgiving weekend.  Secondly, it will give hunters more time with their families.  Kids have off from school and spouses often have Thursday through Sunday free as well.  It is also true that for many people, a post-Thanksgiving hike in our state parks is something of a tradition, and they shouldn’t have to worry about hunters.  Finally, I believe a majority of deer hunters are traditionalists.  I know I am.  A Monday morning start just seems the right way to open the season.

My preferred pronouns

I was so happy when the term “Ms.” was introduced as an honorific for all women.  I could never remember if women were married (Mrs.) or single (Miss).  When you were addressing a letter to a woman you didn’t know, it was always a guess.  The term Ms. made life so much easier.  Women were Ms., men were Mr.

My latest American Civil Liberties Union newsletter arrived in the mail last week.  Six new staffers were introduced.  After each name were the preferred pronouns.  Do you understand what that means?  Not only will I have to remember names of people to whom I’m introduced (something I’ve had trouble with all my life), but I’ll have to remember whether they are he/him/his or she/her/hers or it or they/them. 

Not only that, but take a quick poll at Wal-Mart and ask people to define a pronoun.  Go ahead.  Ask them to define a pronoun.  Good luck with that.  

So while the world is going to hell in a hand basket, missiles are dropping in Ukraine, and the leading cause of death of children ins the U.S. is gun violence, I am simply not going to worry about pronouns.  Neither should you.  But if you do, I won’t use any pronouns for you.  I’ll just say your name each time.  I hope that’s ok.

Looking at campaigns

Rick Wilson, a Republican campaign operative, discusses how to win campaigns in his 2020 book “Running Against the Devil.”  He says that too many campaigns believe in miracles.  

There is no substitute for organization, planning, discipline, data, metrics, and accountability.  In campaign after campaign, the grinding power of those dull things isn’t cinematic; it’s not the genius guru, the insightful pollster, or the witty, dissolute ad man who’s the real star.  It’s the grinding organizers who get volunteers to make the calls, send the texts, knock on the doors, and do the shit work.

Those folks work outside the Twitter bubble or the N.Y.-D.C. horse-race media coverage club.  They work in shitty, temporary offices in shitty temporary strip malls.  They’re the last mile in the campaign, and likely the only real-life contact a voter will ever  have with the national election.