WILL GAMBLING RESCUE EDUCATION?

Our city has taken a hit lately, in terms of population. Consequently, enrollment in elementary schools has dwindled, and several are being shut down. Fewer kids being born is a bad sign for the tax collectors. Worse yet, college enrollment at our local State university is on a downward spiral. From a high of 11,000, spring enrollment now stands at 8,000. We’re struggling from a loss of revenue, and trying to figure out what to do. There’s a proposal to raise taxes to build new high schools, but that referendum may not pass. There’s only one ray of hope. A new casino was finally granted a license to operate here next year. The politicians are desperately seeking new tax revenue, and it looks like that may be their best bet. Will gambling rescue education in our city?

First, let’s look at college enrollment. Young people don’t attend college simply for educational purposes. The typical freshman often doesn’t even declare a major. They are looking for a new experience away from home. The social life. Parties, clubs, sports, fraternities, sororities. Meeting new people from other places, who have similar intellectual interests. Often, finding a husband or wife along the way. And the unspoken status symbol of having gone on to college. At our university, a majority are first generation college students. That is, the first in their family to attend college. They’re moving up! And they spend a lot of money at local restaurants and businesses while they’re here..

But the Covid-19 pandemic has changed all that. Online classes aren’t glamorous or exciting. And who wants to wear a mask everywhere you go? How many men and women are attracted to someone when you don’t know what they look like? Unless you are academically talented, you’re apt to skip college all together in favor of a highly paid job that doesn’t require a college degree. Restaurant servers often make $500 a night in tips.

The casino had to be voted in and approved by our citizens. Many people objected, foreseeing an increase in gambling addiction and organized crime. Still, the referendum passed, because it’s our only hope to generate new taxes. Will gambling rescue education? It looks like it.

January 24, 2022January 23, 2022

PLEASE NOT CLINTON VS. TRUMP 2024

Just when I thought things couldn’t get much worse in this country, I see news flashes that the Democrats and Republicans have gone bonkers. They’re talking about a Clinton/Trump rematch for the next presidential election. Someone tell me this isn’t true. Please not Clinton vs. Trump 2024.

Since I’m older than both of them, I guess I can say this without it sounding like ageism. Why in the world would both parties run a couple of broken down, scandal ridden has-beens? Everything from White Water, to the fake Russian dossier, the Benghazi debacle and good buddy Epstein hang over Hillary’s head. From there, we go to Stormy Daniels, Trump University, the Covid debacle, and current investigations for fraud by the New York attorney General–all a dark cloud following Trump. And those are just a few of the problems each of them have faced. Enough already.

Someone once said that the best training for a future president of the United states is having served as a state governor. I’m not so sure of that. Reagan from California was a success, and former Texas governor Bush did get re elected. But look at poor Jimmy Carter, former governor of Georgia. He didn’t fare so well.

Nevertheless, I took the time to review the governors of every state in the union. The majority are Republicans. A lot of them are in their sixties and seventies. None of them strike me as red hot presidential material.

Naturally, I favor our own Indiana governor Holcomb, who is 53. He’s extremely well liked in Indiana, but I don’t think he’d stand a chance on the national stage. For one thing, he comes across as too honest and sincere. The media would see him as a dud. Others have mentioned fellow Hoosier and former mayor, Pete Buttigieg as a Democratic possibility. Maybe, but I’m not sure that a gay man could be elected president by the majority of the population.

That takes us down to the Senate and House of Congress. There must be dozens of young, charismatic office holders scattered throughout the country. Surely, the Democrats and Republicans can pick a winner out of that pool. Somebody. Anybody. But please not Clinton vs. Trump 2024.

January 12, 2022January 12, 2022

REPORTERS’ DIGS FASCINATE ON TV

One of the interesting things that came out of the pandemic was individual news reporting away from the studio. Instead of reporters or discussion panelists sitting around a table, they’re broadcasting live from their own homes. Their glitzy digs often steal the show. Especially on national news programs like Washington Week in Review. The moderator, Jamiche Alcidor, is in the studio. However, that’s not too interesting. But when we see the panelists inside their homes, it grabs my attention. Especially with high profile journalists in glamorous settings. I devour every detail. The plants, pictures, furniture, lamps, etc. Often, after the person has finished speaking, I can’t remember what they said. All I can recall is that beautiful sofa, the dramatic fiddle leaf philodendron, those upscale cabinets and other decorative highlights. Reporters’ digs fascinate on TV .

Consequently, you wonder how much time they spend setting the stage. Do they have a decorator come in and paint the walls—usually white—and arrange the furniture? Or is this how they really live? . After awhile, the backdrops seem to follow a pattern. At least half of them will have a bookcase in view. I guess that is supposed to indicate that they’re educated and well read. There’s often a plant. Do they actually water them, or were they just ordered from a florist? Pictures on the wall are carefully arranged along with interesting accessories.. I love it when someone is sitting in their kitchen, because I get to see all the sparkling, new fangled appliances

It’s even more fun watching home grown news programs like Indiana Week in Review. The Midwestern backdrops are modest in comparison to national news.. But it’s interesting to see the image they’re trying to project. Ann Delaney, the leading Democratic panelist, started out with upscale décor in a sophisticated setting. Now she’s switched to an egalitarian persona in a plainer room with a sloppily arranged bookcase. Mike Obrien, the major Republican panelist, has a patriotic, business like space, with plaques and flags and the usual white walls. I love reporter Mickey Kelley’s pink walls. Sometimes you can even spot a microwave in her kitchen.. Now, there’s a lady everyone can relate to. John Schwantes, the legal eagle, also sits in front of a bookcase where the books are slanted, not straight up as if unused.

If things ever get back to normal, I’m going to miss seeing how famous reporters live. Their digs fascinate me on TV news shows. .

January 2, 2022January 2, 2022

UNSUBSCRIBE TO BIDEN & TRUMP

My emails have been piling up incrementally during this pandemic. I used to get about 10 a day, but lately, it’s been closer to 100. Not being too tech savvy, I tried to unsubscribe the hard way: by slowly opening the email on my desktop, then searching the fine print that lets me unsubscribe. Very time consuming. Just found out that my smart phone makes it much easier. Most of these spam emails on my iphone have a bright blue UNSUSCRIBE link at the bottom. One quick click, and the pesky ads from clothing and insurance companies vanish, and don’t return. Now. I wish to unsubscribe to any news flash coming across the screen that contains the name Biden or Trump.

There was a time when I was actually interested in hearing about what those two were saying or doing. That was way back before the pandemic began. Everyone either hated Trump and loved Biden, or vise versa. You had to stay on your toes to defend your president of choice whenever the subject came up—which was often. But the truth is, nobody really cares anymore.

Trump rants and raves, but his base is dwindling and you pretty much know what he’s going to say. Biden only got elected because of Trump’s handling of the Covid Crisis. Just about any of the more viable Democratic candidates could have won. Biden’s made mistakes and he’s not getting any younger. You get the feeling the country is being run by a bunch of suits in a back room who are telling him what to say and when.

So, what I’d like to do is block anything coming across my newsfeed or email that has the name Biden or Trump in it. That would probably cut down of at least 50% of my spam e mail and Iphone news flashes. . But where would I find out what’s going on? How could I keep up with current events? Probably, the old fashioned way. By reading newspapers and magazines, I could go back over any story and sort out fact from opinion.. Most big city newspapers are pretty liberal, And you know that certain magazines are predictably conservative. But at least you can cut through the chaff and figure out for yourself what’s going on without relying on Twitter and AOL.

I wish I could unsubscribe to Biden and Trump. But I can’t.

December 16, 2021December 16, 2021

CITY BYPASSED WINDBLOWN SENIOR TRASH CANS

In case you haven’t heard, we’ve been getting some pretty scary weather here in the Midwest. Like, tornados in Kentucky. And high velocity winds barreling through towns . Last night, the wind was so strong that it blew down the trash cans I had set out along the street. Remember, we’re seniors who finally persuaded the city to give us two smaller cans instead of one big one. That was a fight we finally won. However, the waste management company isn’t happy with us. They showed us their ire by refusing to pick up our trash this morning. The city bypassed windblown senior trash cans.

There are usually two, strong, able bodied men in the trash collector’s truck. However, they rely totally on automation to pick up the cans. A big old vise that reaches out its claws, picks up the cans, then dumps the contents. Often , they then throw back the empty cans, leaving them on the ground. At any rate, when the truck passed our driveway early this morning, they could easily see that the strong wind had blown over our skinny trash cans, leaving bags lying in puddles of water. Did they care in the least? Hardly They turned up their noses and drove right on by, knowing full well they were leaving two seniors in the lurch. What were they expecting us to do? And why couldn’t they have stepped out of their comfort zone, got out of the truck, and set the cans upright?

I took a few deep breaths to control my anger, got dressed, walked out in the rain and set the cans upright, closing the lids. Then I called Republic at some out of state number. The person answering the phone thought I was calling from Indianapolis. I guess that’s what my address in Indiana made her think. Anyway, I told her what had happened, and she was kind enough to get in touch with the local office, She said she would take care of it, and she did. A few minutes later, I looked out the window and saw the cans had been emptied. Thank you, ma’am.

What if I hadn’t been awake early this morning while the trucks were still in the vicinity.? What would we have done about our trash for the coming week? It’s disgusting that the city would bypass windblown senior trash cans.

November 8, 2021November 7, 2021

VOTERS FINALLY GOT NORMALCY IN VA

Most people who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 did so because they didn’t like Hillary Clinton. Then, they decided they really didn’t like Trump all that much so they voted for the only alternative—Biden. But neither president has had much appeal for ordinary people. Trump’s name calling, orange hair, frequent firings and bizarre phone calls didn’t look or sound very presidential. By the same token, Biden’s hair smelling, whispering, hiding in the basement, and breaking wind at the COP26 climate summit, don’t exactly make us proud. Finally, the voters got what they’ve been looking for in the VA gubernatorial race. A normal, middle aged guy. No pancake make up. No napping in public. No hair spray or fake smile. Youngkin came across as a down-to-earth person who calmly and clearly articulated the concerns of average men and women.

voters finally got normalcy in Virginia — VOTERS FINALLY GOT NORMALCY IN VA. They elected an ordinary middle aged man with common sense.

I’m really hoping this trend will continue. Trump accomplished a lot during his presidency, but then he messed up the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. In his defense, I’m not sure anyone else would have handled it any better, because no one had been through such a crisis. However, Trump continues to draw crowds and give speeches. He undoubtedly has a base, but as the saying goes, “every dog has its day.”. Why can’t he be content with that and go on with his very privileged life?

Everyone knows that Biden’s election was mostly due to a strong disapproval of Trump—especially among women voters. But honestly, I believe several of the Democratic contenders for the presidential nomination could have won. And it seems to me that someone like Amy Klobuchar would have done a better job with border security and handling of the pandemic, for starters. And I doubt she would fall asleep on television during important meetings.

Okay, it’s done. Our country will survive the current chaos in the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the US government. We’ve been through worse. Time to move on and elect younger, smarter, common sense candidates who can unite and inspire us. And it won’t hurt at all if they don’t wear a shirt and tie when campaigning.

Voters finally got normalcy in Virginia. We have it here in Indiana with Governor Holcomb. Hope it’s a coming trend throughout the United States of America.

October 27, 2021October 27, 2021

DO CELEBRITIES COMMIT MANSLAUGHTER?

Usually, if someone accidentally kills another human being, there is some kind of investigation to determine if charges should be filed But, when actor/director, Alec Baldwin, accidentally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, the sheriff immediately stated it was an accident and there would be no charges filed. This type of exoneration doesn’t usually happen to an ordinary person. Here in Indiana, I know of at least two cases where accidental deaths resulted in someone going to jail. I guess it depends on who you know, how much money you make, or how famous you are. Do celebrities commit manslaughter?

The first case that comes to mind is a young woman who accidentally killed three children running to catch a school bus. She was taking a child to the baby sitter, while rushing to her low wage job. The sky was pitch black and it was raining. She mistook the light from the school bus for something else. She wasn’t drunk or drugged. Didn’t intend to kill anyone. It was a terrible, tragic accident, but she was sentenced to four years in prison.

The next case was an accident involving two teenagers. The older boy’s mom had left a loaded gun in her bed table, and gone on vacation , leaving the kid with the house all to himself. Naturally, he had a party and yes, there was drinking. Sometime during the night the kid started fooling around with the mom’s gun, thinking it wasn’t loaded. But it was, and he killed his best friend. Yes, he did go to prison, but his parents must have hired some good lawyers because he got out on probation after awhile.

These three scenarios have all the earmarks of manslaughter. But only one has escaped culpability for being involved in a tragic accident. I’m sure all of these people are immensely sorry, and probably none of them will ever be the same. But two of them went to jail and other one won’t.