Monday, April 26, 2021:   Michisippi And Its COVID Rates
Much has been made of the COVID rates in Michigan of late. For me, the significant rise in cases is no surprise. Having been born in Michigan and lived there for all but 2 years of my 76 years on this Earth, I watched my home state go from a great place to live to a backwater. Michissippi is often the term that is now used to refer to the state but I fear that does a disservice to Mississippi. The fact that the current residents of the state refuse to cooperate with life saving measures simply reflects the type individuals who currently dominate the population.

The decline started with John Engler and has continued unabated since his reign of terror. The backwoods Republicans in the state legislature, with their typical do nothing policy, have insured that the decline would continue. They pander to the numb nuts that vote for them. Instead of working for the common good of the state, they have passed laws that eliminate the helmet requirement for Harley types and allow the pseudo-militia scum bags of the state to carry their semi-automatic weapons into the state capital.

Associated with this decline has been a mass migration of intelligence out of the state, and it hasn't just been the college educated youth, although, they have left in droves. No, it is people like me who frankly got fed up with the stupidity and moved to a state where (yes taxes are higher here) you don't have potholes bigger than tanks and you can have an intelligent conversation with your neighbor. We always joked that if you were driving up I-75 to Michigan from Ohio, you knew when you crossed the border by the road noise generated on the shitty Michigan roads. Then there is the fact that it is one of the most polluted states in the U.S. ranking in the top five states having the most hazardous waste sites. . Lansing continues to under fund both schools and local government, so Michigan public education, which once ranked at the top of the nation, now sits at 33 out of the 50 states and local governments are not able to provide some of the basic community services. Sadly, this is not the promise made when Engler managed to convince people to vote for a taxation system that he controlled.

Pure Michigan is pure trash. Granted, not all the residents are idiots. There are good people still trying to make a difference. Problem is they are now in the minority and the collective IQ in the state has dropped below 70.

Saturday, April 3, 2021:   Can American democracy Be Saved From Itself?
There are many great things about the American form of democracy, but when any of those great things are taken to the extreme, it does not generally end well. Let's take personal freedom. We've fucked that concept up so badly you can hardly recognize it. You can run out and buy an AR-15 assault rifle any day you like, but a woman can't control her reproductive rights. And the government can't tell me to wear a mask to protect my fellow Americans. Then there is freedom of religion which more aptly should be freedom from religion. This idea that we are somehow a "Christian nation" has led us away from the fundamental concept of the separation of church and state and given rise to a Christian taliban who spend their days trying to force everyone to their warped belief system. You want to say to them WWJD - Well he wouldn't vote for a Republican. I am pretty sure of that! Finally, the best one of all - freedom of speech. Yep folks, the assholes of the world can just get up and spew whatever absurd lies they want even to the extent that those lies result in an attempt to overthrow our government and we are suppose to believe that is OK.

Just to be sure that we keep up the good work of keeping America white, let's make sure the people of color lose their voting rights. After all, the founding fathers were all white, so isn't that what this nation is supposed to be - all white. I mean, didn't we basically wipe out the natives and bring in slaves to cement that?

American democracy is on life support and there are Republicans out there who are trying to pull the plug and insure that it finally dies. They are puppets of the Koch cabal and the cabal will be spending vast fortunes over the next 2 to 4 years trying to stop the Biden administration's efforts to save this country from itself.

President Biden is making a valiant effort at trying to repair the decades of neglect of our common infrastructure and the years of Republican assault on the laws and federal institutions that protect the common citizens of this country. Right now his administration must act as a social and political trauma team. To survive, the country needs bold and decisive action. While throwing money at the problem will help, it will not cure the social/political virus that has infected the country. That virus was created by the Koch cabal and has been slowly and systematically infecting a larger proportion of the American public. Unfortunately, it is a virus that is not easily eradicated. Like our fight against COVID, there has to be a war against this social virus as well. That means directly attacking the means and methods by which the Cabal uses to spread their vile messaging.