ROBBING TIME

Well, I got to thinking about life in general, and realized that in the big picture we only have so much time on this earth before we hit the road.  So I have looked at one of the most pervasive of our lost time elements, the proverbial commute to and from work.  And in Los Angeles, that is BIG.  I got so excited about some obvious solutions that I developed a whole presentation on what can be done, and then I put it into book form.  In summary, use of a special system of mass transit can save the commuter 50% in time spent, 80% in cost, and reduce commuting pollution by 96%.  It also is inexpensive to implement, and starts payback in under  years from implementation.  Sound good?  Well, take a look at my book, TIME FOR A "FREEDOM" RIDE, and the interesting details will unfold. 

Trouble in the World

Well, I have to figure out whether the Trumpster is stirring up trouble or whether Iran is really the initiator.  Trump dropped us from the Nuclear Accord and re-instituted more sanctions, so clearly that action would upset Iran.  But, if he did it for proper reasons, then that should have brought the rest of the world into accord with his actions.  Did he relay the info to everyone, or is there any info to relay?  Nonetheless, actions attributed to Iran, such as continuing support of terrorism, such as damaging oil tankers in the Straits, such as downing a US unmanned drone ( in international airspace?) are all loud and clear provocations of Iranian intent to be a major player and a taunting rather than vaunting enemy.  But the consequences are scary, because Trump plays a threat-and-bully game, akin to Iran's provocative stances.  Who will back down, and if no one, then we are possibly headed for sever trouble in the mid-east, which may cross the Atlantic!!!
Oh boy, I hope not. 

Priorities

OK, there it is.  Once again Trump is in the forefront.  This time with Cohen on the one hand and Kim on the other.  Let's see- a lawyer who violates his client/lawyer privileged relationship and who admits to doing all the wrong moral things, versus a chance to begin defusing a whole massive area of the world and making things safer.  Sort of like the choice between integrity on our borders with a lawful way to apply versus who cares?
Least common denominator to both these issues is good of the country balanced against hatred of our elected president.  And the culprit is:  the low mind of the Democratic Party.  Yeah, they are by all means the champions of emotional over-ride.  Give 'em a prize. 

Concern

So that is it.  Squaring off is easy to do, thinking maybe not so easy.  Loud and brash is easy, thought is not so easy.  Focus on what government should do under the constitution and the declaration should be easy, but apparently the idea of requirements creep is alive and well.  Oh well.

The Terrible Partial Shut-down

Well, the stand-off between the President and the Democrats, which resulted in the partial shut-down, has progressed to an interim condition.  End the shut-down, and then discuss the "wall".
But guess what, it is now obvious that the President had the interests of the country in mind, because he supports the concept of border integrity, which goes along with self-determination, and by backing off, he recognizes that this shutdown is hurting Americans, which he is sworn to protect and support.
Not so with the Democrats, who saw this shutdown as continuing hatred of their president, with any means necessary to attempt to humble him.

Well, look at the balance- our security and our welfare vs. hatred filled obstinacy.  I really hope that people can step back and look at this in such a framework, and then react accordingly at the next election.

Happenings

Happenings is an always bunch of things. But lately, what's happening is not normal bunches of things, because the political world has become controversial to the nth degree. All of a sudden, it isn't platforms, it's people- and now the two are so enmeshed that the most awful hatreds are manifesting. I can't say that the Donald is lily-white, nor can I say that Pelosi/Schumer are any better. But I feel that the country is suffering and dividing and polarizing to such a degree that recovery is going to be tough, and may not even happen after the 2020 elections. Issues abound- how can there be any question that illegal is illegal? And morality works in the following way- if a thing is illegal and you don't like it, then change it legally. Don't start in with this aren't these good people? Of course most are, and on that basis funneling them through the immigration procedure, which starts at validated border check points, then requests for entry or asylum, are certainly valid methods. But sneaking over, under, around, and through are not what a sovereign country can accept. So let's get it resolved through diplomatic mind-set as opposed to political appeal to emotion. Forget about the names, and look at the platforms. Recognize that a platform consists of a large number of subjects, and the chances are high that you might approve of most, but not necessarily all. Then recognize that when you support a party, you support all of it, and you have joined mob mentality if you blindly accept even the 1% that you do NOT agree with. Use logic, use thinking, funnel emotion into positions that are tenable. Don't just say "no or heck no", say "let's have an adult conversation about this and see if we can come to a compromise. Politics is power compromise, diplomacy is win-win conversation. Let's do it.