Constructive criticism

Well maybe not…

Just read an article (actually yesterday) that talks about the incoming administration and the transition. The article is: “Who will really be the next President of the United States?” by David Rothkopf and can be found on Foreign Policy Magazine online.

I wanted to comment on this article and make some of my own comments on the transition based on this article and other thoughts I have. Instead of trying to break it down piece by piece I am going to just go through my usual running dialogue style. You might want to read or peruse the article to help get an idea of some of my framework or make sense of some of my comments. And I promise this won’t be in a constructive well written format that follows a set pattern. Yeah… it is me writing.

To start I am going with my first criticism. Republicans have always touted they want to reduce federal spending. Well looking at Trump’s burgeoning team, this should be a problem for any real spend thrift conservative in Congress. I truly believe that as a conservative we can and most definitely should find a better way to spend our taxpayers’ money and still maintain an effective government where needed.

What is developing, according to the article, in my opinion is Trump’s administration is going to fail on both counts. The article discusses large development of overlap of many of the executive administrative functions. So first off, more bureaucracy is going to cost more. And more important with all the competing elements this article describes the effectiveness of policy is in serious trouble. (not that I want Trump to be effective) If the many elements discussed are put in place who truly is going to have the President’s ear? And if all these different groups are fighting for his ear how much is he going to hear that is honest. With Trump’s ego needing to be fed at a constant rate, people will be skewing all sorts of information that any decision Trump makes will be seriously watered down in its effectiveness.

How many “yes men” does a man need to succeed?

Imagine a major foreign policy development that needs an immediate response. There were at least five different organizations mentioned that will be vying for their idea to be the dominant one within the sphere of influence, yet with that much competition how can we trust he will be getting a truly holistic assessment of the situation.  And if Mr. Priebus is the gate keeper for contact with the President, what happens when he is overwhelmed with the situation. His experience is kissing the back end of people to become the head of the Republican National Committee. How does this play out when various interests are trying to convince the President what needs to be done when Mr. Priebus’ loyalty is to all the people that helped him along the way.

And does Trump’s closest confidants bypass Mr. Priebus so no one has an idea of what is being said to the President. He, by action, is already proving what works for him comes first. Unfortunately, what works for him by far is not going to be best for the people, and maybe not even much of his own administration.

This problem is growing daily and he is not sworn in as President. And even by chance if some of what is being told to him is effective policy, how much buy-in will he get from the competing factions within his administration. At some point, someone must implement.

And back to cost…. Not only do the taxpayers have more bureaucrats to pay, more computers to buy, more telephones to be bugged, more emails to be hacked; we should worry that there is no flexibility in policy so if everyone is going to bend his ear the same way so they can be heard, what message is sent to Congress, the Press, us, to assure us the best option is in place or at least one that can be managed and evaluated. Do you think anyone in his administration will listen to outside opinions? Will we be ramrodded with one sided policy that our Congress will be ineffective in blocking?  What cost then?

I know we always have partisan politics. That is one cost that we hope and pray someday we can actually overcome. Imagine this problem on steroids.

I am a stout believer our federal government is way too large. There are too many overlapping agencies etc that can be meshed into something more reasonable and still achieve at the very least what they do know and maybe with some streamlining more. Yes, less is more and this really applies with the Titanic that is our government. To be effective in the modern world we must be able to act and react very quickly. Adding layers upon layers of people that touch the problem only adds to the problem. And as discussed above gets in the way of a solution that is somewhat effective for our country.

Everyone always complains about Benghazi, well part of the problem was no one wanted to take charge of the information because of: A) accountability B) who defines the decision maker) C) who contacted who and host of other problems not associated with the actual scandal of what happened.  This had something to do with Ms. Clinton since she is the top, but it also had something to do with the whole labyrinth of our government. And now a “Republican” is going to add to this problem. And yeah, he is the decision maker of ……”his brand” The “brand” comment is from the article and I agree he will spend more time creating the brand of his Presidency, but what product do we get from this brand. There is going to be a cost to this that has more to do with the size of the federal budget.

The article also talks about how people coming into a new administration set themselves up for success. There was a bit of history in the article that made for some enjoyable reading. We need to learn from this history to get an idea of who might be the major player(s) as the administration takes shape and takes off. Of course, as I say this, I know there will be people watching for this so they know who to go to for their own benefit.  Again, who is the gatekeeper and are we sure it is him? Mr. Priebus is new to the inner circle of Trump.

And I have made some outlandish statements in the past as to why people seem to be so beholden to Mr. Trump. If anything comes close to my paranoia posts, who is going to stand up to him when it matters? Or even if I am wrong, given Mr. Trump’s history for self-appreciation who will argue a counter point if Trump historically shuts down. As previously mentioned partisan politics is bad enough… here we really go.

Overall the article makes some good assessments and points about the transition. We can only hope he (and I) are way off the mark…..or the cost of fixing post Trump is going to be much more than the cost of his tax breaks to the wealthy. Oh yeah, you know the people he is putting into his cabinet.

If the middle class is the backbone of democracy, then we can all start singing Don McClean’s American Pie……. “bye bye Miss American pie, I drove my Chevy to the levy, but the levy was dry, them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye singing this will be the day that I die…” the music is fading fast on our country, our values, our people, our Constitution.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

HAPPY NEW YEAR

and

PEACE ON EARTH

Dallas stuff, insanity, garbage and well….

Just another crazy unproductive day at work. And yet worked hard all day….mostly

The better half and I were driving around Dallas this past weekend doing some shopping, eating, and running around. We drove past some places that bring back memories; unfortunately, many long gone.  Does anyone remember Abbey Inn by the old Medallion Center? I was definitely craving a hamburger after driving by where they use to be. Keller’s is still nearby, but an Abbey burger, boy those were some good times.   Did a bunch of driving around middle east Dallas; just one memory after another. The Village had all the trees lit up along Southwestern. Long time apartment area primarily for singles and young couples. This area has been around forever. Old Town is nowhere near the same, yet still relatively popular. Dallas’ first Fridays was in Old Town and there has never been a Fridays like it since.

Northpark is still one of the prime retail areas in Dallas, but you know you are a true Dallasite if you remember the Orange Julius there. Or even better, the fact Woolworth use to have a shop in Northpark. Now sheesh   people would have a heart attack if someone tried to put a discount similar store anywhere near the place. Heck, there just isn’t a store like Woolworth’s anymore.

I haven’t looked at the news,,, did the electoral college vote. I am pretty sure Mr. Trump is going to be President even with all the hoopla.

Only real concern is if the Russians did hack the election why are so many alt right and conservatives more concerned with their egos instead of realizing we do need to find out. Just friggin insane. You know I don’t want Ms. Clinton either, but you must be sure. Or just think: Putin got Trump to do his dirty work with China, and will probably get better relations with China once Trump blows it completely and Putin leaves him out in the cold. Too easy to think of all the disasters facing this country if Putin is helping and or benefiting from a Trump Presidency.  And yet our most wondrous so called patriotic people are all on board for Russian supremacy via a Trump disaster. Can’t the electoral college still vote for someone else besides Trump not named Clinton…. Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And still upset about corporate world trying to tell me how to be a customer. At some point there needs to be a consumer response to being herded like cattle into corporations making more money and giving inferior service. It is my money till I spend it, yet most people except that the corporations want them to spend it their way. Once upon a time we believed that businesses had to earn your money with a good product and good service. “the times they are a changing”   and different from what Bob Dylan meant. Hell, treating the customer as number one priority is the only swamp that is being drained under Mr. Trump.   

And back to Trump,,,,,,,, I hate saying I told you so when I said he was a false prophet and would only really support his billionaire friends, but look at his cabinet choices and well I told you so.

Go Cowboys, still impossible to believe.

Go Stars, hang in there and

Well Go Mavs, please hang in there

Couple more things, but not Trump

Well good afternoon everyone, a bit of winter these last few days here in North Texas and yet they are saying high in the 70’s tomorrow. It may not reach that high, but probably will be close.

As you know I am not a fan of corporations pigeon holing my into behavior that benefits them. Hey I am the customer and a person and if I am spending my money I would like to be treated as such. I guess woo is me, whine whine whine,.,,,

Anyway, I struggle with tipping. I know there are certain jobs where tipping is to be expected such as wait people, bell hops, valet, hair dressers or barbers etc,, it is just for the majority of people you need to tip I have no idea how much to tip. I certainly understand what to tip a wait person, but that is about it. I know there are some internet articles that give you an idea or framework. I just need to go and read them I guess. It is maddening though for the average person. I do not know how much to tip the person that cuts my hair and it gets really crazy inside my head when I pick up my wife from getting her hair done and she says to me when I am paying don’t forget to tip. Seriously? Or about when she gets her nails done??? Or when I pick up her and the daughters,,,, I never know what to tip.

So, what is the big deal? There has been a trend building that people that work at counters are now expecting tips. I am not sure how I feel about this. I know they are working for minimum wage or just above so earning extra money is necessary for them. And yet why do I need to be their extra source of income? Are fast food companies and the service industry forcing me to subsidize their labor costs?  Should I? I feel guilty when I don’t and pissed when I do. Am I a scrooge here? So,,,,, this goes back to my corporation argument. Are they pigeon holing me into a behavior that benefits them only? Do they tell their people part of their pay is the tips? And if so, what expectations are they giving their people?

I do not begrudge the workers, but seriously all they are doing is what they are paid to do in the first place. Never was the expectation that everyone working as a cook or register person or order taker or whatever should be tipped. Occasionally you might tip if someone went above and beyond or if you saw someone regularly you might give them a Christmas present or Christmas bonus, yet at what point should we tip all the regular workers vs the people whose main source of income is tips?

Again, am I out of line or do I have an argument that I am indirectly doing what the employer should do and pay their workers more? And If I am being suckered into this behavior what are my expectations to tip? Good service? Every time? Just my change? A dollar? My discretion? (Yeah that works! Ask my kids they’ll tell you,,, I am cheap)

I have no problem tipping well for good service at a restaurant or for a bell hop that truly anticipates my needs or even the person that cuts my hair (still don’t know much, but I give some) and yet I do not know where to draw the line anymore and quite frankly that bothers me. So where is it the companies’ responsibility to pay their employees enough vs me supplanting their income? It drives up my costs just to go there now and do companies realize if they keep adding costs back to me sooner or later I may quit coming and then what. If others feel the same way I do, then business is lost, employees are laid off and eventually the company goes out of business. I do not understand where is the line that says okay company I know you want to make money, but pushing off so much of your responsibility to provide me a good experience back on me is not going to make you money if I stop coming.   

And I won’t get started on parking fees, sheesh, that is another monster issue. I live near downtown and I see what some parking lots will charge per event. These people need to go to jail for extortion.

And my second issue is about an article I read recently about the State of Georgia’s election site hacked…… and by our own DHS*. I am not sure if this is correct. I read it in passing so I don’t have the details on the top of my head. This does frighten the heck out of me. Is our own government really interfering with different organizations within our country? And under what right or direction? This is not good news if true. And if true how do we manage this? Who is responsible for monitoring what our government is doing? Our Constitution and us, as people, are in trouble and people just don’t seem to care.


*This is updated. Originally I remembered as NSA, however saw a blurb that said Department of Homeland Security

Okay I’ve calmed down a little…

I think

Earlier today I had an idea for a blog post about something that ticked me off. And at this point I am going to come back to it at another time. Right now, I am pretty upset.

I choose my words carefully right now. Earlier I was going to title this post: “quit being insulted” or “quit insulting me” or “it is time to quit the insults”   The reason comes from Mr. Trump (of course?) and his comment about the election fraud and millions voted illegally. And it is not because millions voted illegally or he said it. It is because there does not seem to be anyway to hold him accountable anymore for such outlandish statements.

To me it is insulting to have him make these wild proclamations and there are no consequences. It isn’t that his followers don’t seem to be fazed. It is the whole idea of accountability. One of my worse fears for democracy is leadership lacking integrity. And now we have it on two levels.  

First we have Mr. Trump’s statements and then worse (second) we have people like R Priebus saying it is possible millions could have voted illegally…IT IS POSSIBLE?!?!?!?!?!?!? Heck it is possible I won the lottery, but that doesn’t mean it happened, nor is it justification for me spending money I do not have. There is no justification for a statement purported to be fact by using generalities as rational. Or as a “possible” reasoning. This is insulting as heck to my intelligence. And yet they are getting away with it. Paul Ryan doesn’t stand up to this and tries to brush it off, Seriously,,, he is the third most powerful man in the country and he is not fazed by this craziness?!?!?!?!?!?!!? Or tries to act like it is inconsequential?? Seriously??

I know I am not the only one feeling this and more are trying to say something, but how does this continue without the consequences.

Where is the little boy from the story of the Emperor’s clothes? I mean Mr. Trump is flat out naked, butt ugly naked with these kinds of comments and no Republican or establishment leader will call him out.  How do they sleep at night? Then again, the bars do good business in D. C.

The Press tries to call him out, yet they fail. There was one story where they say Mr. Trump contradicts himself by having his attorneys fight against the recounts in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania stating there is no fraud in these states. The story argues he can’t say this, yet Mr. Trump claims the fraud happened in California and other places. His attorneys are saying the votes in the contested states had no fraud. The Press cannot read their own stories to realize they didn’t put two and two together well. I am sure sometime in the next day or so if Trump’s people even try they will make this same argument. It may sound minor, but it is this lapse of paying attention is how he can convince his followers the Press doesn’t know what it is doing or they are picking on him.  They fail at the obvious.

And like I mentioned in the previous post, there is a line of people waiting to wallow in Mr. Trump’s victory. They have absolutely no shame in courting favor with him. What gives? Is it shallowness or is everyone so tainted this is easy pickings for Mr. Trump?

The Democrats are walking around with their heads up their backsides all complaining about this or that never admitting the loss is their own fault. I use to watch full frontal with Samantha Bee. I maybe a conservative, yet when something is funny it is funny. Now she is a moronic kid who had her favorite toy stolen. After the election all she did was whine about the world is mean because we didn’t elect a woman for President. Wake up Democrats you nominated one of the most hated women in America. Just because you didn’t see it, didn’t make her a better person. People do not like Hillary Clinton and were/are tired of hearing how great are the Clintons. She had no inspiration and a very tired platform. And to this day, her and the rest of the liberal elite do not get it. The NY Times claimed they tried, well how is that going? They are more clueless than the Republicans in 2012. And they have no future. Who is going to lead the party? The two names that come up most are in their 70’s. This is a party of change?

And the only people willing to come out and say they will criticize Mr. Trump are the alt right groups. And they are already sending out marching orders to make sure Mr. Trump stays true to his campaign promises. And for them it will not be mostly about the jobs. It will be more about the underlying tone he projected to them. And if we do not call him out about the illegal voting propaganda, who is going to call him out the next time or the next time as he continues to try and please them while keeping him and his Goldman Sachs cronies from being accused of “conflicts of interest” Yeah, much noise in the Press, but who stands up to all this when the truth hits the fan.  Who actually says something or exposes enough so the majority of this country realizes the emperor has no clothes?  

The stuff falling off his Teflon back end is so revolting I am having a hard time grasping why there isn’t more outrage from the average person in this country. I know we are pissed at the establishment, but he still hasn’t proven he is working for us and more importantly he is proving he is working only for himself. So how do I diplomatically tell you, you are being insulted beyond belief by this false prophet. 

I really want to know this…

or do I?

The answer may be more trouble than I should get into

Yet……..have you noticed how everyone, okay not everyone, is cow towing to Mr. Trump now that he has won the election. Of course, this was made extremely infamous with Mr. Romney’s picture having dinner with Mr. Trump. And there are many others coming to pay homage to him and presumably being considered for various positions within his administration.

Just seems weird.. is it because we are so shallow that we drop all our values and scruples because we have to be associated with a winner? Are all these Republicans now going with the bandwagon without any thought to who they are as a person?

Or?.... did Mr. Trump just have something on everyone? Is there so much garbage out there he can control people at the drop of a hat because they are now afraid of any bombshells he may drop in the media about them?

Boggles this person’s mind as to how fast people are changing their tunes about Mr. Trump since he won. And Mr. Trump is acting like this is the way it is suppose to be. Something strange or shallow in Mudville folks.  Either way it is a sad state of affairs that so many are crumbling under his victory. No wonder people have no respect for D. C.

And on completely different note and I do not know how this is going to come across, and yet I was not expecting what I saw. I need to be honest and follow up. I recently went to my first WWE event.  And the audience was much more diverse than what I expected. And again I do not know how this may come across, but you have to be honest with yourself. I was very impressed, well except for the fact it was WWE.  People really enjoyed going; that is a definite fact. Kind of strange to see how excited people get including tween age girls. They were making just as much noise as everyone else. Quite a few families were there so all ages of children were represented. Some were too young to care, yet most were very attuned to the event and had their favorite. Anyway the diversity threw me off, good to see especially in light of the many events in our country where diversity has become an issue. So strange that we can all come together for sporting events, yet the more important issues do not seem to get the same attention.

And our first real blast of winter is going to hit us this week. Going to be a bit different around here in North Texas. Unfortunately no snow………drat