Ronald Reagan in his best role - we need Reruns!

https://youtu.be/ihUoRD4pYzI

Never thought I'd be posting a quote from Ronald Reagan! He knew where Social Security money came from and it wasn't an "entitlement". It appears that many of our elected officials are misinformed (or just don't want to know)
 The party in power, busy lining their pockets (and those of their friends and supporters) continues to moan about the country's terrible deficit (which they expanded with their generous tax cuts for the wealthiest). As they scratch their behinds looking for  "fixes" they inevitably come up with- "cut social programs".  Really!
 Election time is seven months away and if we get our act together (i.e. - vote, clean up the voting process) we can end  the orange man's swamp clearance project. It's time for new "cleaners" to clear the swampy DC muck of stagnant/sucking crooks!

Beto is running for the Senate - to replace this smarmy creature

Smarmy creature: Canadian born son of Cuban father; grew up in Texas, became a useless self serving senator and ran as Republican candidate in 2016 primary race for president. Das Trumpf called  him a liar, criticized his wife's looks and suggested that his father might have been involved in John Kennedy's assassination.  So the first thing he did when the orange man moved into the white house and invited TC (and his unattractive wife) to dinner was to accept and make nice-nice.

Remember his earlier comments during the primary: he called Das Trumpf "a sniveling coward", a "pathological liar", "utterly amoral" "a serial philanderer" and "a narcissist at a level I don't think this country's ever seen".  Then - big memory lapse (or is that normal for this Texas senator?) This week he authored a glorious piece of bull s..t praising the orange man (inTime magazine)saying this: "he worked with Congress to cut taxes for struggling families.....fought to bring back jobs...to our shores......" OMG - I can't even continue without throwing up.

This smarmy, whining excuse for a man - is Beto O'Rourke's opponent for U.S. senator from Texas! 

Beto is the ultimate "mentsch" who really cares about people, doesn't lie or throw platitudes around. If you haven't read anything about El Pasoan Beto O'Rourke, google him now. In a perfect world we'd have a Beto representing very state in the Union!

And the orange man in the white house? Just added a lawyer to his staff who has fewer clients than Michael the fixer. Rudy the Guly - who can really yell and excels at Gestapo tactics.

Name of the game: DISTRACT! DIVERT!

Every year. at the Jewish holiday Passover dinner the youngest at the table helps to remind us why we're there by asking "why is this night different from others?".

On Friday night, April 13, 2018 the orange man in the big white house said "tonight is different"; we're  responding to skinny Assad's inhumane treatment to the residents of his country. Tonight was different because "we had to distract Americans from my manic behavior and my fixer-in-charge's criminal actions". (BTW: more than 50 chemical attacks by Assad since he began this war; we reacted with a slap on his wrist one year ago. Wow - that really did a lot of good.)

The orange man picked the evening of Friday the 13th for a big media splash. How convenient! Now we can distract/divert Americans from my bubbling cauldron of criminal/lying antics performed and enhanced by buddy Cohen (sometimes referred to as "my attorney").

 And the orange man's future strategy? Hmmm - what does that word mean? Guess he'll have to tweet his Foxy friends to find out what to do next.

And our Congress - still sitting on their rear ends - probably yearning for more Benghazi trials and  private e-mail servers to distract from the orange man's "swamp cleaning".

Department of "good works" by Das Trumpf: in deference to West Virginia and other coal mine areas -  he really does have a plan for coal. (After he sells the Brooklyn Bridge.)
(thank you  New Yorker magazine)

Basta!

Addition April 5: Scott Pruitt - BASTA!  Sirens to rush him through town, soundproof phone booths, 24/7 security, First class travel - including trip to Morocco with 2-day stopover in Paris for staff of 7, and virtually free rent in DC thanks to lobbyist - and Das Trumpf says he's doing a wonderful job!

(This New Yorker cartoon has him pegged!)

Dept. of stupidity , circa April 3, 2018: Das Trumpf just announced military personnel on the border to protect us - should I laugh or cry? Wait! do I hear the caravan wheels from the South trundling northward?  Basta already!

Borowitz's recent New Yorker satirical column on Ryan/McConnell miraculously "functioning" without spines was timely - a medical puzzle; even more of a mystery - how do they function without guts?  Basta!

More basta: watching our evening dose of MSNBC I was struck by the deluge of pharma ads/promises of health/youth. "Tell your doctor" - who, unfortunately is often too busy, over screening, over diagnosing, over treating and over  prescribing. Medicalization of this country is furthered by sensationalist style medical reporting, horrific tv advertising and medical centers equally concerned with profits and cures. For those of us getting older - there seems to be no shortage of ridiculous medical procedures that will make absolutely no difference for an elder's remaining years - other than  relieving us of funds.

Must reading: every book written by Dr. Nortin Hadler (most recent: Rethinking Aging).He writes for the medical profession and the lay public with carefully researched statistics to back up his statements. 

On an upbeat note: the Netherlands doing their thing - fighting waste and pollution using products often thrown out. "Soups and chutneys made from wonky vegetables, beer from stale bread, cider from blemished apples and soaps from discarded orange peels are selling fast in a branch of Jumbo, one of the biggest Dutch supermarket chains." Gotta love their slogan: “Waste is Delicious”  (Verspilling is Verrukkelijk). Program is supported by a local university as part of a new national program, United Against Food Waste.

Seasonal Music (New Yorker magazine)