New rant... new subject

[Clearwater AL]

I know two people who are financially well off who went and waited in the
long line of cars to get free food boxes. This is abuse of the system.
There are real people who really need this food. Not them.

It takes me off to no end.

My problem... I can't say anything because they are relatives.

When I spoke to some one else about it the reply was, "Why not!"

I was so frustrated I couldn't reply.

What in hell are people coming to now?

 

[Nikki J]

If they can otherwise get food ( delivered or picked up at grocery store if they are afraid to enter a store to shop) that is terrible and beyond selfish. If they can’t source food otherwise then I would excuse it only if they donated greater than the value of the food received back to the organization. I doubt my scenario applies and am sorry that your relatives chose this path. Do they go to food panties in normal times? Eat their meals at soup kitchens?

I terribly miss decency, compassion and charity and human kindness to name just a few things.

I belong to an online group where some members are very financially secure. There was discussion about how they would/ did use the stimulus payment which some received ( they were retired with savings but not a lot of taxable income). Most, I am happy to say , gave it away in some fashion - to organized charities, to people they knew in need and to local service workers. A few added it to their savings or bought something they would have got anyway.

 

[KimT]

I think the best and the worst is coming out in people. Al, most of the greed I see is from those who want for nothing. Our priest is literally giving people the clothes off his back and goes without to help those in need. I have some relatives who are very stingy but I don't think they would take from those in need......I hope not.

I saw that Andrew Yang organized a charity for Covid victims. Not just people who were infected, but people who were out of work and in desperate need of financial assistance.

I'm mostly sad about all this but I do get angry when I see the rich get richer and the poor ignored.

 

[lisa g]

This irritates me to no end people who need the help are falling through the cracks. My husband and I are lucky enough to have a pension. When they gave out the last stimulus checks we made sure to write checks to our local food bank and to the Red Cross to help people that needed it more than us.

 

[Clearwater AL]

A billion here, a trillion here, fake businesses that got caught stealing
from the PPP, (over 10 so far) businesses with billions stashed
in off shore accounts who dipped into the PPP and others doing
outright fraud.

But... it has been established if the Republicans would pass a
bill that would put $5 Billion dollars (just $5 billion) into
Social Security it would be solvent until 2030/2035.
Ten years is ten years. Just think what $10 billion would do
over Trillion numbers being tossed around.
How many Billions does it take to make a Trillion?

If Trump gets his payroll tax deduction... Social Security will be
bankrupt within 2 (TWO) years. That includes... Medicare.

Someone getting free food, who really shouldn't, is just a grain
of sand compared to the above.

 

[KimT]

I'll say it again: These administration's decisions will affect PALS in a negative way unless we can get him out and get the Senate under control.

 

[Clearwater AL]

Today, Trumps biggest whooper, untruth, outright… LIE.
(Of the hundreds before.)

He said (today) at a super spreader rally…

“Eighty five (85) percent of the people who wear masks
still get the virus.”

To any of his cool aide drunk followers, the greatest gift
God gave us is our brains… use it! Or go into rehab.

This lying, carnival barker, con man, mentally disturbed,
cult leader, conspiracy spreading (yesterday going after
President Obama saying the killing of Osama bin Laden
was possibly a huge hoax! The Navy Seal who was in the
raid said, “All Trump has to do is… go over to CIA
Headquarters and look at the pictures of him holding
bin Ladens DEAD head.”) out of control wanna be
dictator.

Even today William Barr put out a statement that indicated
he may consider leaving his position. Oh... please!

I can’t wait ‘til this election is over. Two scary nightmares…
he gets re-elected or the two and a half months after until
the Secret Service escorts him out of the White House…
maybe even physically.

 

[EricInLA]

Al, you are ON FIRE this week. Bold font and all. . . I love it. Keep going.

First Trump tried to delay the election. Then he thought he could suppress the vote tally by kicking the U.S. Postal Service in the shins. That didn't fly, as it turns out the Postal Service is the most popular agency in the entire federal government. Now Trump's own Justice Department says there's no evidence of crimes in the unmasking and surveillance of Trump's campaign aid (you know, the one who was cavorting with the Russians and plead guilty to lying to the FBI). So, the Justice Dept. will NOT be indicting Barack Obama or Joe Biden before the election. Uh-oh, the Mussolini playbook doesn't seem to be working! What to do, what to do!?!? Maybe keep harping about "court packing", because a country reeling from CoronaVirus, a cratering economy, and racial unrest REALLY CARES about "court packing". Or if all else fails, lets get back to those anarchists in Portland! Maybe that will catch on!

 

[Clearwater AL]

Ericin, ok, I lay off the bold font.

Cable news hosts have been hammering Joe Biden because
they say his not being transparent if he will pack the Supreme
Court with a nominee of his choosing.

He has said twice he will announce his decision before the
election but after “if” Amy Barrett is confirmed.

Why? All the Republicans have to vote yes. But (big but)
there are Republicans who may not go along. All the
Democrats need is 4 or 5 facing re-election to say “no”.

What I haven’t been able to find out if any of the Republicans
may just not vote going with a “absentia” vote.
I do believe that is that is available to them.

Best I could find was…”has not been informed or convinced
of the matter on which he is being recorded and has
requested that he be so recorded”. It's happened before.
Shades of grey.

That is why Joe Biden was refused to answer that question
these cable news talking heads have been hammering him
over.

There just might be a huge surprise next Thursday.
I kinda doubt it but… stay tuned.

PS. My voter ID card says “Un affiliated”… been that way
for 20 years. I still have my old “Standing Member of the
Florida Republican Party. I helped with the campaign of
Florida Republican Congressman “CW” Bill Young who has
since passed. The longest serving Republican serving 22
terms.

When the Republicans sold out to big business and the
1%... it is no longer the party I can support.

 

[KimT]

Al,

Believe it or not, I was a registered Republican until Reagan got elected and I got a taste of trickle-down economics BS. I was the only Republican in my family. Then I switched to Independent, then Democrat.
I think, for a time, I was under the influence of the Business Department at the college. All Republicans. My grandmother would have come out of her grave and given me a major slap down if she had known. She marched for the right to vote in NY and was a strong advocate of MLK and the equal rights movement. She voted the straight ticket (D).

Trump pulled that number out of his A$$. It still amazes me that anyone in their right mind would want him for President. The Republicans should have nominated Romney or Kasich if they wanted a decent human being in the running.

Did you see the interview of Kamala Harris and the ALS advocate? It addressed universal health care.

Please let this freak show end. Even Christie is telling people to wear masks and said he got careless with that one event. "People are saying" Trump was the super spreader at the event. I'm glad his family all recovered but there are many who did not and it would be nice if he had one once of empathy.

 

[KevinM]

Al and others, I’ve got to add my two cents and a little background. Long post, but what the hell...a lot on my mind today.

I have been a registered Democrat my entire life and have many progressive philosophies, but I also have a couple of conservative perspectives. I would probably be classified as a left of center democrat.

By contrast, I came from a career military that was solidly Republican. They were principled conservatives that strongly supported the Reagan years and the G.H.W. Bush term.

We had many debates during the Clinton years (they opposed his character more than his policies), and they were thrilled when “W” squeezed out the 537 vote victory—which I still have heartburn over as a Floridian at ground zero of the recount—and my Dad enthusiastically voted for him again in 2004 (Mom had passed in 2002).

Dad and I had very spirited debates about the invasion of Iraq, but I know he was seriously pissed as a military veteran who served in two wars when it started to became apparent Bush sent our troops in harms way based upon flawed WMD info to justify that ill-fated and terribly destructive war, from which Iraq has never recovered. Dad died in late 2007, but I imagine he would have strongly supported John McCain in ‘08 because of mutual military respect as much as anything.

So here’s the thing. Although we were at opposite sides of the spectrum, we could debate policy issues—tax cuts or increases, the level of our involvement with other countries, national debt, social and environmental policies, etc.—but we NEVER questioned the fitness, or frankly sanity, of whoever was in office.

Like them or not, every president over those decades acted presidential and had enormous respect for the burden and responsibility as the elected leader of the free world. Some were certainly more cerebral than others, but they all looked to military and agency staff for vital information without claiming that they were out to “get” them.

And then came the cult of Trump. I have no doubt my folks would have been big Romney supporters, and they have been spinning continuously in their graves since reality show/carnival barker guy squeaked out an electoral college win, with the chaos, corruption and conspiracy laden craziness that has followed. I am also convinced they would, for the first time in their lives, vote for the democratIc ticket this year. Dad was a big George Will fan, and his total rejection of Trump—along with the laundry list of some of the most respected military generals on the planet—as unfit and dangerous would have resonated deeply.

More than anything, I believe this country needs a healthy, principled Republican Party that actually returns to the concept of establishing traditional conservative policies, instead of devolving into a party without policies or any kind or moral compass, apparently willing to do anything to retain power.

I told my colleagues after Trump was elected that it wasn’t the Republican Party I opposed...it was the fool they nominated. Lindsay Graham was right when he said in the 2016 Republican race that The Republican Party would be destroyed if Trump was elected (I can’t believe I’m quoting Lindsay Graham!). But he was right.

I might have been disappointed at a Republican victory, but I would still have slept like a baby had Mitt Romney, John Kasich, or Jeb Bush won the nomination and subsequent election. These were sane, smart, presidential quality people that would have accepted science, managed and stayed informed on the incredible amount of complex details of the office, and not acted like a third grade bully that only cares about 30-40% of the country’s population and rants about conspiracy theories all hours of the day and night.

That did not happen, and here we are. I am quite pessimistic about this election, and agree with Gov. Cuomo that the polls are wrong, and I fear that the voter suppression and what will surely be an attempt to toss out hundreds of thousands of mail ballots will result in Trump being claimed the “winner.” The thought of my wife and daughter having to live through this, if it occurs, fills me with great despair.

I hope I’m wrong...

 

[KimT]

Well said, Kevin.

My cousin, Lt. Col. Patti Boone, was working in the Pentagon on 9/11. She was against the war and retired shortly after getting 20 years in. She had a stellar career but is a Democrat through and through. We've talked about the lack of respect 45 has given to military and the audacity of giving the likes of hate-monger Rush Limbaugh a medal in a televised ceremony made us both sick.

Lindsey Graham is such a disappointment. I made a contribution to his opponent three times this year. Besides Moscow Mitch, Graham is my pick to throw off the island.

How can anyone with daughters approve of Trump? I have backward cousins in upstate NY who honestly believe God appointed Trump and Trump will save their guns and make Christianity our Country's religion. I told my priest this and I thought he was going to lose it.

These people only rely on the constitution when it supports their belief and their belief is marred by error. Christian or not, does anyone here thing Jesus would vote for Trump?

Then there are the Trump 2020 people who go in the pool at 2pm every day. One of them asked if someone was keeping an eye on one of our contractors (painter) who happened to be black! I called him out for being a racist and the whole group heard me loud and clear. There is no getting through to these people. Cuomo may be right.

Sometimes I try to imagine what would have happened if Al Gore got elected. He wasn't one of my favorites, but he got my vote.

 

[vltsra]

This is the first time I have been frightened living in the US. We live in San Diego and it has been 87 degrees this week at the coast. These are temperatures we used to get once for a week in August. We've been hot here for 3 months.

I am afraid of what's happening in my home state of Michigan and other places. These white supremacist militias have essentially been called out by Trump to "stand by". His calls to prosecute Obama, Biden, and the Clintons are straight out of the dictators playbook.

Most of all I'm afraid for my PALS. He us not doing so well and losing Medicare would bankrupt us. This administration's shameful response to Covid19 has made life more dangerous for all of us. I fear that if I become ill I won't be able to care for him, and there is no one else. If he becomes ill I don't think he will survive.

Like Kevin I'm not optimistic. I saw a website today that made the election looks so close so the Trump-selected Supreme Court will likely decide it. Meanwhile my sister in law who us completely dependent on social security, medicare, and a government pension is a total Trump supporter. Go figure.

V

 

[Clearwater AL]

I believe there is good and evil in the universe, God's creation,
and of course here on earth.

I beginning to wonder who's winning.

These Christians who believe God sent us Trump leaves me
stunned. Remember.... "Do not put false Gods before me".
Did Christ holster a dagger on his robe rope?

Trump does not go to church. Any church... which would be
happy to have his Sunday contribution envelope.
Biden goes to church every Sunday.

Trump was once asked if there was anything he would ask
God's forgiveness for... his reply, "No... not that I can think of."
That ought to be a TV ad to these Trump Christians who all
claim they have been "Saved" by asking for forgiveness.

His former Chief of Staff (Kelly) just stated in private he ridicules
Evangelicals. And more. Won't find that on Fox News.

Right now... who's winning?

 

[KimT]

V, I'm so sorry you are going through this as a CALS. I know your load is heavy and your worry very real. The only good thing is that you are in California, not Florida. At least your governor and representatives BELIEVE in climate change. I know your cost of living is higher but, at least, your lawmakers care. Ours are robots and Trump clones.

All we can do is vote. I voted by mail. My housemate, who is gone for a week, also voted by mail. My brother and his wife voted by mail. My brother has Alzheimer's but he was able to sign his ballot and find Joe Biden's name.

It's bad enough to deal with ALS. It makes it worse dealing with Corona virus. It will be a living/dying nightmare to live/die if Trump wins another four years. Our Country will crash in a big way. He has no plan for anything.

I will never understand how Marco Rubio, who has family members that came here as refugees, supports Trump. Our other senator, Rick Scott, I can understand because his businesses were as corrupt as Trump's.