SURPRISE--IT IS VERY COMPLICATED!!

Our leader has discovered that the issue of health insurance is kind of complicated and he was very shocked to learn that.  Now, understand, we elected a person who has no clue except he hates it and will find something he defines as "better".  The more than 20 million people covered by the Affordable Care Act are waiting.  Meanwhile, even Conservative Republicans are jumping ship after experiencing some very tough Town Hall questions.

This is what happens when millions of people without insurance need medical care:  They will go to ER's and we (you and I) pay for it anyway since hospitals pass on that expense in the rates they charge insurance companies.  In turn, guess who the insurance companies pass the cost onto?  Me and you.  Health care is complicated but he should have know that but did not.  Worse than pathetic.

ODDS AND ENDS
--He may or may not be anti Semitic (my vote is yup he is--remember the story about the religion he wanted his accountants to be?) but he sets a tone which allows supporters to phone in bomb threats to JCC 's and desecrate Jewish cemeteries.  And he does not issue any kind of forceful response.  Same goes for the Kansan who murdered two engineers from India whilst telling them to go back to their country.  No moral outrage.  The cultural message there is worse than the political one.
--Did you see his press conference on 2/16?  Ok, even if you are a supporter, weren't you reaching for your meds?  Or at least an aspirin?  He did not answer one question and treated those media folks with such disdain.  Know what I think?  That is like red meat to his people--they hate the media too.  He only confirms what they already believe.  Remember those three old codgers I mentioned in an earlier blog? They love it.
--But Kelly Anne did get kicked to the curb a bit and got put on a hiatus from TV.
--And I like Molly McCarthy more than Sean Spicer who is busy checking every ones phone to see if they are the leakers.  Great job if you can get it.
--Cuts to Medicaid reflect that generalized hatred of the poor while the dilution of transgender rights is just another way of saying, we do not like "the other".  Remember the Kansan--he just took it to an extreme.
--His nominee for Israeli ambassador does not believe in the two state solution and spends much rhetoric on blasting progressive Jewish group who support that effort.
--I believe talk of impeachment is just fantasy island--unless things change in the elections of 2018.
--Ugly:  Jerry Sandusky was the Penn State coach sent to jail for sexually abusing children.  His son just got arrested for doing the same thing.
--Ugly Part 2:  There have been 52 allegations of rape perpetrated by athletes at Baylor in the last 3 years.  And that fine Baptist college covered them all up.
--Hooray for LH and her upcoming big event.

SPORTS TALK
Last nights Celtic's game was a very negative revelation of their weaknesses.  When they cannot shoot well, they are in trouble since they also do not rebound well.  And I have begun to think Horford is a very soft player.

Shalom

THE BOWLING GREEN MASSACRE AND OTHER ADVENTURES IN THE ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE

No that never happened and I wake up every day to other things that never happened but the man whose name will not be mentioned believes they did happen--along with his acolytes:  Bannon, Miller,and Conway. These 3 are especially dangerous because they did not need congressional approval and they are a direct link to that alternative right universe.  Like Massachusetts voters were bused into NH to vote and that's why he lost.  Like he lost the popular vote because of fraud. Miller, this past weekend, flat out stated that some of the Prez's decisions are not reviewable judicially.  The mouth called Sean told State Department employees (especially those protected by Civil Service and therefore not appointed) that if they disagreed with the decisions of the Prez, they should resign.  There are now groups of federal employees from multiple agencies meeting off hours to discuss strategies of resistance.  And, oh by the way, they all got kicked in the privates by those Left coast judges.  I mean "so called judges".  This is scary stuff. Scarier still:  his support has not wavered about his hard core backers.  They buy all of this shit and in their paranoia believe it confirms all too well everything they hate about us.

So we have a Secretary of Education who does not believe in public education.  An EPA Administrator who does not believe in climate change.  A HHS Secretary who wants to destroy Obamacare.  An Attorney General named after Confederate generals who wants to dilute voting rights.  Flynn was forced to resign because of trust not because he got caught being cozy with Vlad and the boys over there in Moscow.  Mitch and Paul have no guts and continue to acquiesce.  So, we end up thinking Lindsey Graham and John McCain are "good" senators.  At least our neighboring Senator from Maine voted against Devos along with her Alaskan colleague.

I do, however, want you to know that I have prayed for Ahh-nold to succeed on the Apprentice--just like the Prez asked me to do.

Money is pouring into the coffers of our states Republican state committee to build up big bucks to defeat Elizabeth.  Problem is they seemingly cannot find anyone to run against her except that fool Curt Schilling. BTW, why did she get censured only to have Mitch let her male colleagues read the same thing?

The Post and the Times are really going strong and their readership has actually ticked up.  But, much like the rest of us, I wonder how this can be sustained.

Enough.

Reading two new (for me) mystery writers from Northern Europe--Sara Blaedel who writes about Copenhagen and Asa Larsson who writes about Stockholm.

SPORTS TALK
I admit I did not see all of the Pats victory.  Missed most the second quarter and half of the third but then was all in.  I am clearly a fair weather fan--when the seas got rough, I went for a walk but obviously, like them, did not sink.  We are so lucky to be the city of victory parades.  Hate, hate, hate Bob, Bill, and Brady (hows that for alliteration?) for their personal side; but oh my they have created quite a franchise.  Goodell and some NFL owners whine anonymously about not liking Kraft's remarks as he hosted the trophy and they did not like the clown T-shirt worn by Matt Patricia.  You know what--tough shit.  Win 5 super bowls and we can talk.

Shalom