The New World According to Trump: You're on Your Own

Dismantling environmental regulations; changing the corporate
tax from 35% down to 15%; eviscerating the National
Monuments Act; wrecking health care law for the elderly and
those with previously existing  conditions--

Exactly how many more examples should I list before the
inescapable conclusion can be drawn?  We are on our own
out here from now on; a more benevolent society we have
enjoyed for many decades is quickly disappearing in the
interests of the rich and corporate America. Clean air
becomes a privilege, not a right; open natural areas, the
national parks and monuments, the envy of many another
nation, can slowly be converted to development. Good
access to good healthcare will become the rich's right,
God help you if you've had heart trouble or cancer --or--
are simply old.

Well, hear ye, Trump et al., we are not going down easy,
no indeed. We will fight, especially looking toward the
upcoming elections of 2018. If anyone has been watching,
Republicans in the U.S. House are awakening, albeit very
sluggishly, to the realistic threat that they may well lose their
current hegemony there. Some of this has filtered over to
the White House, where somewhat more conciliatory PR
and temporizing on previously  inflexible goals (the Wall and
healthcare) has been heard...

But be ever vigilant: realize we are on our own out here.
It behooves us to study, to be effortful in objecting to the
stripping away of our humane and aesthetic rights and
privileges...

While we still can.

Outed by The AARP: Backroom Deals Threaten the Elderly and the Poor

Yesterday on Chicago's CBS AM Radio, an ad paid for by
the AARP broadcast a concern of great moment to anyone
not blessed by unlimited wealth, health coverage rollbacks
and much higher expenses for the elderly and the needy--
which would mean no health insurance for precisely those
who really require it. Particularly stinging proposals involve
thousands of dollars more to be paid by anyone with a pre-
existing condition, or had reached a certain age. I believe
I heard the figure of $13,000/year mentioned, and an increase
of $8,000/year levied against certain demographic groups,
including low income 64 year-olds.

I am tempted to suspect many of these new-school right-
wingers have so little regard for those not rich that they
are attempting to kill them off by legislating impossible
to meet insurance cost and qualification demands. Today
(04/21/'17) a final version of the new health care bill will
(purportedly) be ready. Interestingly, GOP legislators
have asked for changes that won't alienate Democrats,
realizing their U.S. Republican Senate boasts a slim four
vote majority, not enough to pass certain legislation
requiring 60 votes, not a simple majority.

I predict the dreams of  the uncaring, soulless rich will
not all be realized, although sadly, some shall. AARP's
ad strongly urged voters to contact Congress with
a resounding NO, objecting to the hurtful provisions of
these right-wing backroom deals.

--TSK, tsk, outed by the ever-vigilant AARP again.
Notice that they have enough spending power to buy
time on venues such as CBS...keep up the good
work; keep us in the know, bless you, AARP.

Trump Wins One With Syria Missile Strike

Surprisingly, President Trump gets my support for his targeted
missile strike at an airbase in Syria last week. Assad's attack
on his own civilians with chemical weapons included children
among the fatalities, universally condemned.  The U.S. airstrike
hasn't completely immobilized Assad's airstrike capability, but
it did reduce his effectiveness while sending a signal that the
USA will not idly stand by, will not permit such atrocities to
continue.

Generally, foreign intervention is a bad idea, but genocide
and/or mass murder of ordinary citizens must not be ignored,
must be halted. Thank God President Clinton stopped the
Slavic genocide of the 1990s; he's said he regrets not also
doing so in Rwanda.

As long as the U.S. judiciously limits its military interventions
to situations like last week's, it merits strong support.

Trump wins one for a change. (-!)

Boycott Unfriendly United Airlines' Skies

The shady but permitted practice of overbooking flights
has hit a new low, according to the New York Times,
April 10, 2017. Yesterday, flight #3411 had overbooked;
officials asked for four volunteers to exit the plane so
that airline employees could embark. One man was injured
by United's private police in an attempt to forcibly remove
him. Hey, airline execs, do you not realize the PAYING
CUSTOMERS must be put first ahead of employees who
ride for free??  Put your people on other flights, dummies.
Memo to Charlie Hobart, United spokesperson: I don't
care how "politely" you all asked people to leave the
plane--your PR statement, policy and practice are as trashy
as they are indefensible.

There are, at minimum, several serious concerns
here:

(1) How is it legal to sell the same seat twice?
(2) Why would employee convenience trump that
of  paying passengers?
(3) What sort of "major" corporation hires police
to remove passengers who have done nothing
wrong?
(4) Why has Congress ignored this problem?
(5)  United Airlines, are you so tone deaf regarding
your image that you will continue to pursue this wrong-
headed policy?

Dear readers, why not teach United Airlines a
telling, bottom-line lesson--boycott their
dangerously unfriendly skies. If sufficiently
outraged, why not call your U.S. Senator and
House Rep requesting this practice be outlawed?

You can bet I will.