QUITTING THE NEWS COLD TURKEY

Okay, I’ll admit it. I’ve turned into a news junkie since the pandemic hit. Forced to stay home, I’ve read and listened to more news than ever before. It usually peaked out Friday night, what with Washington Week in Review, Indiana Week in Review, in addition to cable news. But last night was the last straw. When they started talking about Trump calling war heroes losers, I just could not take it any more. I have no idea if this was fake or real news. But after a summer of protests, riots, federal executions, covid-19, and politics, everything you see and hear in the media has become very depressing. Too much news can affect your mental health. This morning, I decided to empty my brain. I’m quitting the news cold turkey over Labor Day.

Here’s how it’s going this Saturday morning:

I've stopped being a news junkie. Going cold turnkey from the news over labor day. — Has the pandemic turned you into a news junkie? It may be time to quit the news cold turkey..

8: 30 a.m. Starting with the newspapers. We subscribe to two: local, and Indy Star. Before taking my first sip of coffee, I resolve not to read any story about the election, Trump, Biden, or any politician. Same for riots and protests. None of which I can control. What is left? Start with the comics. Typically, I skim over them, pausing to read one or two favorites. Today, I read most every cartoon and comic. They actually are somewhat entertaining . We usually don’t read the sports section. But now, I’m surprised to find some interesting stories. One about some parents whose son plays for Purdue. Another about a rookie who signed a four year deal with the Colts. I might even watch a Colts game to see him play. The virus statistics still merit my attention, since our city’s positivity rate is so alarming.

9: 45 a.m. My daughter arranged for me to watch my grandson’s cross country meet , live streamed on Facebook. Seeing all those fine young people running their hearts out gave me so much hope. I think of him when I see other youngsters running in the park. When that generation comes of age, I believe America is going to be just fine.

11:15. Since I can’t swim during the pandemic my, arthritis has gotten worse. Now, I’ll take some time to go back and do some of the exercises I learned to do in therapy. Yes, they’re a pain, and boring too. But they are much needed if I want to keep walking in the park.

Walking in the park ,i phone in my pocket. Every time it dings, I’m tempted. All those apps—NY Times, Drudge, Reuters, Yahoo, CNN. I’m fighting the urge to sit down and read the depressing news of the day. But I made it home without giving in.

12:30. I’ve made it to lunch time without checking “Breaking News” . Not even those alarming emails that flash across my iphone all day long. Our snail mail came, with forms to request absentee ballots, sent by the Democratic party. Tossed them in the wastebasket. If I decide to vote, it will be in person.

This afternoon I’ll go to the library. Here’s hoping I’m off to a good start. Just for this Labor Day weekend, I’m quitting the news cold turkey. I need a little break before I can face it all again and find some balance between being informed and overwhelmed. . And who knows? Maybe there’s some good news on the horizon.

August 31, 2020August 31, 2020

SHOULD A ROBOT RUN FOR PRESIDENT?

Have you ever said something stupid? Or done something irrational? If you’re a human being living on this earth, it’s safe to say you have a few regrets. However, if you’re a politician, the voters won’t cut you much slack. I can think of many cringe worthy moments and major mistakes made through the years with every single president of the United States, starting with FDR. It makes you wonder: Should a robot run for president?

Some scientists think artificial intelligence would make better presidential decisions — Using artificial intelligence, robots might make better presidential decisions.

For example: John Kennedy made a mistake during the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba . He made up for it during the Cuban Missile Crisis, But he was assassinated before he came up for re election. Harry Truman had a public hissy fit when someone made fun of his daughter’s singing. Richard Nixon was dumb enough to order a break in at the Democratic headquarters. Bill Clinton had an affair with an intern. Presidents are just way too human.

While you may think it sounds outlandish, a robot for president isn’t a new idea. Some scientists say politics is a “multidimensional, nonlinear problem of optimization.” Consequently, they believe we should put a computer in charge of the country. They’ve concluded that artificial intelligence could make big, complicated decisions better than a real live president.

Let’s take this idea a step further. I suggest that we have two robots running for president. Robot Dem and Robot Rep. Each party would key in the basic aspects of their platforms . The Democrats would tell their robot to make decisions favoring Medicare for all, and open borders Naturally , the Republicans would plug in closed borders, and private health insurance. Decisions on war and peace would be based on outcomes of conflicts throughout the ages. Mathematical statistics would decide the best economic policies.

Others things a robot president wouldn’t have to worry about:

Age. A robot is never too young or too old.

Hair: Orange hair, baldness, hair plugs—none of it matters. A robot has no hair at all.

Sexual harassment: Robots don’t smell women’s hair, have sex with interns, or get accused of raping a girl at a college frat party.

Health: Robots don’t suffer from back pain, heart attacks, cancer, high blood pressure. IT technicians can keep them in good working order.

Embarrassing relatives. Many presidents have had to deal with them. Remember Jimmy Carter’s brother, Billy Carter?

Emotions. Robots don’t have character flaws . They aren’t greedy, lusty, or narcissistic. They make decisions strictly on the facts.

Therefore, It seems as though the American people might be better off with a robot for president.

August 17, 2020August 17, 2020

WHERE HAVE ALL THE BAD GIRLS GONE?

If you were young and single in the fifties, there were a lot of bad girls out there. Unmarried females weren’t supposed to have much of a sex life. To do so, would be at great risk to your reputation. Intimacy allowed in unmarried relationships was limited and clearly regulated. Kissing was about the only thing a girl could do if she wanted to have a “good reputation.” If you were going steady in high school, pinned during college, or engaged after that, you might go a little further. But going “all the way” was verboten. Nevertheless, a lot of so-called trashy girls, did. But now, we’re into the 21st century, and you have to wonder. Where have all the bad girls gone?

Of course, the real reason for all the abstinence was the fear of pregnancy. If a bad girl did get pregnant, the young man responsible was expected to marry her. However, there was no DNA testing available. Consequently, If a man wanted to contest a paternity suit, all he had to do was take five of his buddies with him to court. That was the magic number. Five. If five males swore under oath that they, also, had sex with the pregnant girl, the man was off the hook. He didn’t have to marry her or pay child support. The assumption being that promiscuity precluded the ability to ascertain which man was the biological father.

In 1963, availability of oral contraceptives began to change all that. Girls could have sex without worrying so much about pregnancy. The pill was a far more reliable method of birth control than condoms. Then, ten years later , the most important thing happened: Roe Vs. Wade made it legal for women to get abortions. Finally, women were free to act like men always had. Call it free love, free sex, whatever. All of a sudden, girls and boys started living together even if they weren’t married. If a girl got pregnant and had a baby, it was because she wanted to, not because she had to. Now, 40% of all births are to single moms. There are no bad girls anymore.

Where have all the bad girls gone? Kamala Harris would have been considered one back in the fifties. — Where Have All The Bad Girls Gone? Back in the fifties, Kamala Harris would have been considered one of them.. The Times, They Are A Changing.

Which brings us around to the love life of Kamala Harris, the vice presidential candidate for the 2020 election. It’s public knowledge that she had a long time affair with Willie Brown, the former mayor of San Francisco, when she was twenty-nine and he was sixty.. Fifty years ago, a woman who had a very public affair with a married man would have been considered one of those “bad girls.” There were names for women who did such things—four letter words ending with T. Certainly she would not have been seen as fit for the 2nd highest office in the United States. The Times , They Are A Changing..

Where have all the bad girls gone? I’m not sure there ever were any.

June 3, 2020June 3, 2020

POLLSTERS: DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL ME

Do you believe in polls? Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don’t. Like most people, I believe what I want to. If I see a poll favoring my candidate of choice, I’ll hope it’s right. On the other hand, if a poll favors a disliked candidate, I’ll doubt its accuracy. When I am asked to take part in surveys and polls, I always decline. Pollsters: don’t ask my opinion, don’t tell me your skewed results.

Most polls are conducted via cell phone or landline. Those are possibly the most irritating calls one could receive. Anyone with common sense refuses to answer calls from an unfamiliar phone number. Consequently, A poll based on the opinions of those who do answer doesn’t really tell me anything.

Many polls are taken over the internet. Poll takers and politicians invade my Facebook, Twitter, and Email accounts. If I log onto various online news reports, I’m often interrupted by a question about Donald Trump or Joe Biden.

The bad part about answering a survey or poll is that you’re now on someone’s sucker list. First, you will be inundated with requests for contributions. Next, you’ll receive numerous newsletters and e mails meant to alarm and enlighten you .

How do these people get access to my social media? I’m tired of spending so much time deleting them. I click on unsubscribe, and beg them to leave me alone, to no avail.. No, I don’t want to hear from their relatives, either.

Back to the accuracy of polls. A poll is just a picture of what people are saying or thinking on a particular day. Voters are fickle. They can easily change their minds the next week or month, depending on current events. For example, the coronavirus pandemic. Or the protests after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis..

Every day, the polls tell us which candidate is favored, disliked, or disapproved of . But you know what? I’d just as soon believe the odds coming out of Vegas.

Pollsters: Stop calling me during dinner, or any time at all. Discontinue invading my social media online. Don’t ask what I think or tell me how I feel..

March 4, 2020March 4, 2020

DEMS HOUSE DEVILS, STREET ANGELS

We’ve probably all had at least one house devil, street angel in our lives. It may have been a parent, sibling, spouse, or boss. They’re charming when in public. So much so that we often have to hear how wonderful they are. But having lived or worked with them, we know better. We’ve seen them lose control of their temper and take it out on others. We’ve endured their verbal or physical abuse. And yet, at the end of the day, they still have their followers who think they can do no wrong. Bloomberg and Klobuchar were Dems House Devils, Street Angels.

The most famous House Devil, Street Angel is Harvey Weinstein, recently convicted of rape and facing the rest of his life in prison. Does anyone remember Meryl Streep accepting an Oscar award in 2012? When she said “ Harvey Weinstein is God,” in her acceptance speech? We have to assume that she didn’t know he was a sex abuser, He may have known better than to cross the line with such a talented and respected actress. But can you imagine how all of his victims felt when they heard her say that?

Amy and Bernie have former employees who claim they were Dems House Devils, Street Angels. — Michael and Amy appeared charming in public, but their employees said they were Dems House Devils, Street Angels.

During the past month, Democrats Amy Klobuchar and Michael Bloomberg were popular presidential candidates. When you saw them in the debate mode, they appeared composed, smiling, and charming.

In Klobuchar’s case, her former employees went on record as saying she was a mean boss. For years, she reportedly was abusive to her employees—throwing things at them, and making them pay back their parental leave when they returned to work. Once, when on an airplane, she berated a staffer for bringing her a salad without a fork, and proceeded to eat the salad with her comb. Uck. That’s not just nasty, it’s dirty and disgusting. Why couldn’t she have asked a flight attendant for a fork?

Several lawsuits have been filed against Bloomberg for his mistreatment of female employees. As an example, Bloomberg yelled at a woman who was complaining she was having a hard time finding a nanny for her newborn. The lawsuit claims that he yelled at the employee during a meeting: ,“It’s a f—— baby! All it does is eat and s—! It doesn’t know the difference between you and anyone else! All you need is some black who doesn’t even have to speak English to rescue it from a burning building!”

It’s amazing that these people, like so many others in public life, are able to command respect from any voters at all.

November 15, 2019November 15, 2019

WHY POLL TAKING IS OBSOLETE

The only people who believe in the benefit of taking polls are the organizations that take them. It has been proven time and again, especially in the last presidential election, that polls aren’t reliable. I’m sure some polls are accurate if they show a huge majority in favor of a certain political candidate. But in a close election? Not so much. There are reasons why poll taking is obsolete:

Polls aren't nearly as accurate as they were 20 years ago. — 90% of people don’t answer their phones.

90% of people don’t answer their phones. Remember when it was exciting to hear the telephone ring? Unless it happened to be a wrong number, it was always from someone you knew. Now, no one in their right mind automatically picks up their phone when it rings. Most of us receive six or eight spam calls a day on both our landline and our cellphones. To answer is a big mistake. So, if someone does decide to speak with a stranger, there’s something a little bit unusual about that person. Maybe they’re incredibly lonely. Or just not playing with a full deck. Whatever the reason, I wouldn’t trust the validity of their answers to a poll.

Only about 35 to 40 percent of registered voters in the United States actually vote. And so, if you’re polling that group, you have approximately a one out of three chance that the person you’re talking to is actually going to vote at all.

Why don’t people in the USA turn out for the vote? It’s hard to say. Maybe it’s because too many people believe the polls. Voting is easier in some states than it is in others. In states like Indiana, where we have early voting, it’s not nearly as difficult as in states that only allow same day voting. And so, if the polls say your favorite candidate is going to win, you might think there’s no point in going to the trouble of voting.

Often, I’m asked to participate in online polls. That’s the last thing I would ever do. Why not advertise your political leanings over the internet? It could be downright dangerous. At the very least, you will be bombarded with requests for money to support your candidate of choice. Don’t you get enough e mails already?

If you really want to know who is going to win the election, your best source is probably with the bookmakers.

November 8, 2019November 9, 2019

WAKE ME WHEN IT’S OVER

Public hearings in the U. S. House of Representatives impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump will begin next week. But I won’t be tuning in. I know it’s going to be upsetting and revealing and all that awful stuff, and I’m just not up for it. We’re the greatest country in the world, and we should be proud of our politicians. Instead, we’ve been subjected to three years of nasty, vicious politics and infighting. I’m glad it’s finally coming to a head, but I don’t want to see or hear the gory details. Wake me when it’s over, please.

Public impeachment hearings are an embarrassment to our natiion — Public hearings in the impeachment inquiry of Trump begin next week.

Maybe the British have it right, after all. I’ve always wondered why they support the monarchy, but I’m beginning to understand. The monarchy doesn’t change. The royals represent everything that’s good about England: Dignity, Class, Courage, and Grace under Pressure. They may have a Donald Trump clone for a prime minister, but it doesn’t matter. No one outside England pays him much attention.

When we think of England, we visualize the magnificent Queen Elizabeth. She’s always the same. Regal, restrained, and strong. Charles blew it with Diana, but the queen got everything back in control. And now we have the future king and queen, Kate & Will, who always do their duty and look glamorous while they’re at it. Poor Meghan doesn’t understand the importance of a stiff upper lip, but perhaps she’ll come around.

Once upon a time, people felt passionate about the candidates they voted for. Presidents like Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama, stirred our souls and warmed our hearts. But now, most of us vote for the candidate whom we dislike the least.

Whatever happens, Congress needs to act swiftly. As a nation, we’re anxious, depressed and tired of it all. Worse yet, we’re ashamed of our country.

Wake me up when the national nightmare is over.