Rick Kinnaird

Monday, January 29, 2024

Remember the Steve Martin routine – “How to make a million dollars and never pay taxes?”

He said you need to know two simple words.*

To end poverty you need three.

I was reminded of all this by two things I saw on the font of all wisdom for people my age – Facebook.

Younger people use X or Tiktok.

So three simple words to end poverty, but first what was it that I saw on Facebook that caused me to think about this? Jon Stewart and a seperate thing about making $14.00 an hour.

Let’s start with $14 an hour. The premise was you make $14 an hour. You had a kid and your rent was $1000.00 a month. Well, the math says that you have to choose between food and rent. Landlord evicts you. You can only take what you can put in your car. The sheriff finds you sleeping in your car, calls child services, takes the kid. Downward spiral.

With Jon Stewart’s return to The Daiy Show I saw a thing where he played video clips of Fox hosts saying things about the government and sarcastically asking, “What do you think the government should do?” and then positing various things like health care and rent help, etc. All of which Stewart said, “yes” that’s what “we” as a government should do.

This gets into that discussion of socialism and capitalism. Socialism is the government providing services, like building roads, giving money to corportations, and providing health care to those who need it.

Capitalism is people or companies making money.

The dream is that everyne can make enough money to live. The truth is that is not true. 

So what to do? Three simple words. These three simple words, if enacted, would end poverty instantly. Not only that it would rasie the standard of living, make us as a country healthier, and would be cheaper than what we are currently doing.

What are those three simple words you ask? Well, let me ask you, “What is the root cause of poverty?”

The root cause of poverty is that people don’t have enough to live. Don’t have enough what? Well, in a modern society that would be money. In older times it might be food to grow or animals to kill to eat, but neighbors would not take kindly to hunting parties slaughtering on their property or growing corn in their backyard, so it’s money.

So let me ask you, “if the root cause of poverty is people don’t have enough money what could the government do about that?”

What?

What?

Did I hear you say, “Give People Money”?

Bingo. Now you know the three simple words.

But…but…but.

Actually, there have been multiple studies that show that this is cheaper than the alternatives.

This isn’t rocket science. Think about the $14/hour example. The problem here is that a person can’t feed their family and put a roof over their head. Forget whose fault it is. That doesn’t matter. What does this person need? Money for food or rent – about $1,000 a month, maybe $2,000 when you think about dentists, doctors, medicine. Let’s say the sheriif takes the kid, arrests the person in the car and throws them in jail. How much is that going to cost? The jail business in Arizona was charging several hundred dollars a person a day if I remember correctly, and child services for the kid? I’m guessing you are looking at a burden on the government, and therefore the taxpayer, of ten grand a month easy. 

So what’s the cheaper way to go?

Give People Money.

Oh I know, they may go buy drugs, booze, and lottery tickets.

Hey, here’s an idea. Maybe, we don’t give them the money cash but instead provide help like free clinics for health care, and food stamps for … um … food. Yeah, that’s the ticket. Or rent help?

Lots of 18 year olds come out of foster care and end up in jail shortly thereafter. Maybe, we could help them? One idea was to put dorms near community colleges for young folks struggling to get a start in life. And, oh yeah, give them education at that community college. 

Home Depot is running ads saying there are 400,000 jobs in the trades that need to be filled. Maybe, the community colleges could teach trades?

We also know that there is a pilot and air traffic controller shortage and it’s huge and it’s going to get worse. Maybe, the Republican idea to cut government funding for programs in those areas isn’t a good one? Maybe, if we want enough pilots and air traffic controllers we, the government, should help out? We’ve got an air traffic controller school that graduates 1,800 potential controllers a year. The problem is that’s not enough bodies. But Republicans want to cut funding to the FAA, which means that school will have to shut down. Maybe, giving the FAA more money so they can expand the school would be a better solution?

Then there’s the problem at the border. Maybe, we should fund border security and not do everything we can to stymie the situation? But then Republicans and Trump would not have this as an issue. I mean Joe Biden took away their economic bitching because the economy is doing well so they had to switch to the border. One thing I saw said, “Razor wire doesn’t hurt you if you don’t try to climb over it.” To which I say, “You wouldn’t need the razor wire if you passed a sane (even conservative ) border security bill, like the one before congress now. But no, can’t have that, what would Republicans complain about? Better to bring legal action to make the border more chaotic and try impeach the Homeland Security Secretary for doing his job, which you’ve done all you can to stymie.

Then there’s drug prices. Maybe we should stop having a middleman set prices on drugs and maybe we should have the government stop paying these people and the drug companies and also having the drug companies charge people exorbitant amounts? Maybe we should let the market decide the prices? What’s that called? Oh yeah, capitalism. And maybe we should throw in a touch of socialism by not allowing drug makers to play games with patents so they can keep extending the life of a drug? I mean I already suggested getting rid of the socialism of having the government pay the rug companies so this is not a wash but actually a win because it would cost less, a whole lot less.

Health care? Provide it. Why? it’s cheaper than letting people get sick and go to the ER.

So to summarize – Give people money who need it.It’s cheaper than the alternatives. Provide services to people who need it. It’s cheaper than waiting til the last minute and creating a crisis. Provide childcare and education because then people will be more productive and less a drag on society.

Three Simple Words.

*How to make a million dollars and never pay taxes: 1) make a million dollars, 2) Don’t pay the tax. When the IRS shows up remember these two simple words, “I forgot.”

Saturday, January 27, 2024

Fox News economic guy whatshisname said of Joe Biden’s economic numbers, “If I had those numers I’d be crowing too.”

While Republican politicians have been blaming Joe Biden for the economy and saying how terrible it is, Joe has racked up numbers better than their god Reagan. While economists predicted gloom and doom just around the corner the U.S. economy kept chugging along. It is in better shape than any other global economy – by far. 

Meanwhile, Republicans in the House are working hard to derail whatever they can: be it the economy, our allies, our citizens, other people – doesn’t matter, just destroy. What’s their plan? Plan? They don’t have no stinkin’ plan. Well, correction: keep chaos at the border by not voting for anything that might remotely help. Bring law suits to try and shutdown border stations to make it worse, and trying to impeach the head of Homeland Security for doing things that would actually help. That’s one thing. Then there’s the abortion ban stuff. Do most people want women to be able to make their own decisions? Yes? Screw ‘em. We will try to force women to have miserable lives while preaching about the sancity of life. Like, when you threw kids in cages and seperated the from their families? Making some kids orphans? 

Meanwhile their leader walked out of a courtroom as the case was winding down. I guess he didn’t like to hear the graphic description of what he had done to a woman. But enough of that, let me return to 1989 when an all woman hair metal band made a video with him in it. He was to get paid $10K for being in the vid. Everything went well during the shoot then they did PR shots. He put his arm around one of th women and said, “You’ve got a hot body. Not a bit of cellulite on it.” This was 1989. She was creeped out. Then Donald demanded $250K, said he hated the thing, etc. etc. etc. They reshot with a Trump stand-in. Blah Blah Blah. The band was on the cusp of making it and musical tastes changed. 

Remember when he ran the first time for President and all these women came forward saying how he had inappropriately touched them? “Touch” in this case is euphuistic for “grabbed them by the …”

I saw a replay of Meryl Streep at an award show saying how when a person in power uses their power to mock someone less powerful it gives others permission to do the same. Violence begets violence and mocking a person with a disability gives permission to cause violence against that person. (She was much more elogent than I.)

But now we’ve come to the point where we are no longer mocking, we are outright threatening. Shooting shoplifters. Not treating people arrested too gently. Blaming our ills on others. This is not the America of opportunity, but of revenge and blame.

While Donald Trump was treated to some real justice this week, it was a long time coming. He can claim it’s ridiculous and anything else he wants. (Except maybe he doesn’t want to call E. Jean Carroll anymore names?) But here’s where it will get interesting. Within thirty days of the $83.5M judgement against him the convicted rapist, four time indicted, 91 felony charged, ex-President, and loser of the House, the Senate, and the White House will have to put up the money in escrow, if he wants to appeal, or he can just pay. If he does neither than the law can seize it. I can hear him now, “Very unfair,” “Ridiculous,” “Nasty,” etc. etc. etc.

And what of his supporters? “Gosh gee. I dunno. I mean he’s a smart businessman right? Maybe, he should have shut up?”

Oh, and another thing, under New York State law he is not allowed to have someone else put up the money. Well, that’s okay, right? I mean he said in a deposition that he’s got $400M in cash and it’s going up every month. We believe him right? (No. No we don’t, but that’s okay.) So $83M from $400M isn’t even 25%. Go ahead Donnie open your mouth some more. You can afford it. Unless, you can’t. I’m betting there are going to be some quick (illegal?) transfers from some political action committee fund or maybe a Russian bank (or Saudi?) to help him meet the nut. Man, if he’s caught doing that, what’s the penalty? 

And then there’s the New York fraud case which is due on Tuesday, I think. Now we are talking major bucks. She was seeking $250M, but upped it to $370M. That should clean out the rest of his $400M, if he has it, and probably more. Then he’ll start selling stuff, and it will be at fire sale prices. Who wants New York commercial real estate right now? They’ve got gobs available. 

Oh but wait, there’s “The Trump Brand.” Estimated value $400B, by none other than you-know-who. So all he needs to do is sell a slice of that. Yeah. Right.

You know. Reality can be a cold place and Donald may be getting a glance of that. Me? I’m waiting to see the spiffy orange track suit.

Friday, January 26, 2024

If you are a supporter of DJT then I want to know if you support his stand on shoplifters?

If you are then I want to know how it would work. I mean the implmentation details. Who would do it. Where they would do it. Et cetera.

Now I can’t see how you say you don’t believe it or it’s just talk because words have consequences.

I mean when a former President of the Unted States says shoplifter should be shot you got to take that as being what he would do if he became President again.

So I ask where would the people be shot? In the store where they were accussed of stealing? Or outside in front of the store? Maybe against a pllar so if there was any blood it would run down the column? Or if it was a mall would they have a firing wall where every day at an appointed hour the caught and accussed would be marched out and executed?

Just asking.

In other news, I was reminded that Trump said on day one that he was rich and he was financing his campaign himself. Ever since that day he’s been begging for money from anyone and everyone. He’s been caught taking money from Russians. 

So if you are a supporter are you ready to see a son or daughter of someone you know excuted for algedly stealling a cheap necklace or pack of gum?

Are you wondering why, if he’s so rich, he keeps asking for money like he doesn’t have any?

Yesterday, Joe Biden was in Wisconsin at an announcement of money that Wisconsin was getting to repair infrastructure. He was standing in front of the bridge that politicians have been saying for, not years, but decades they were going to repair. Biden is getting it replaced. Remember, Scott Walker? Yeah, he was going to do it. It went the way of Trump’s infrastructure and health care bills. Which is to say that after making grand and sweeping announcements – nothing. I mean nothing happened. That was it. Big announcement and then everyone went home. 

So the question for you Trump supporters is do you want to liv in fantasy and deceivement or would you prefer to see your life and the lives of others improved?

The other day there was a graphich showing some of the Republican politicians who have been educated at Ivy League schools: Ted Cruz, Scott Hawley, Ron DeSantis, Cotton, Kennedy (the one from Louisiana), and several others. The thing is they all espouse really bad policies and hoist up terrible ideas. I didn’t know this but Kennedy went to Oxford as well. He came back with a British accent and now he plays the hick from the swamp. WTF?

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

The day after the Dow hit an all time high one of the morning talk shows was interviewing their business reporter. He was asked if it was true that Republicans always have a worse economy than Democrats, and he said yes. The figures are clear. Democrats outperform Republicans everytime. Now, why would that be? Even though Republicans are thought to be great business and economic geniuses, the truth is they are not.

In this century alone they have created and courted two huge economic disasters and then left the incoming Democrats holding the bag. But even with that the Democratic administrations have managed to turn the situation around. Remember Bill Clinton left W with a $265B surplus? It was enough to make Social Security solvent into the 2030s. What did C student Bush do? Gave the money away. He said it would stimulate the economy. It didn’t. When W left office there was a real estate bubble that was bursting and GM was on the verge of bankruptcy. Obama cleaned it up, handed off a great economy to Trump, which took him a year or two to ruin. Remember the cutting off. of grain shipments to China? Thus ruining the markets to our farmers. Or the tariffs on Chinese goods? That cost us the American public more. Trump doesn’t seem to understand that. I mean he keeps boasting about doing it in his speeches. I don’t think it’s a case of saying on thing in public and another in private. He believes he socked it to China, when in reality, he socked it to the citizens of this country. Then he ignored Covid. Did nothing and people were dying at a rate 250 times worse than South Korea. He left Biden with not only that mess, but he made sure to screw up Afganistan so there was nothing Joe could do. Trump is proud of that.

Then there’s the overturning of Roe and all the Republican states trying to get rid of a women’s right to be in charge of her health care. What 65% of the population wants is a woman to have the right to have an abortion. Year before last Texas had over 50,000 abortions. This past year it was 35. Wonder what will happen in 18-20 years when those kids come of age? We know from when Roe was enacted that eighteen years later the crime rate dropped. Rudy Guiliani and that Chief of Police in LA (the one having an affair that stole money from public funds to pay for his mistress’ apartment) took credit for whatever they did, but the bigger point seems to be that there weren’t as many unwanted, neglected, and unable to be cared for kids.

So if you want a bad economy, and freedom impinged and rights taken away and a crime wave in 18 years then by all means elect a Republican. 

Nikki Haley did okay in New Hampshire. She’s staying in the race. Her main selling point is she’s younger than Trump or Biden. Don’t look too close. She has few ideas, and the ones she has aren’t good. She’s been described as being mushy and bad if and when you can pin her down. She’s real good at the bob and weave. She didn’t know that the Civil War was about slavery, and that is not her fault. She went to a school that purposely lied to their students. So is that the kind of person you want in charge? A person that was miseducated and has mushy bad ideas? 

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Today I used Google to search the news. I had searched a few days ago to find out about HAARP. I forgot to erase that acronym before I hit the “news” button. So Google found me news about HAARP. Oh boy. I’m sure fiction movie writers and novelists are really pissed off because they can’t make this stuff up.

I thought the child sex prostitution ring in the basement of a pizza joint that was built on a slab was ridiculous, but this? Oh man. The worst part is that the lead candidate for the Republican nomination is pushing this stuff and maybe the #2 in line is too.

Okay so what is going on? Well, there is an antenna array in Alaska called HAARP. It is used for experiments about space, looking at stuff in the upper atmosphere. The scientists announced they were doing experiments over a four day period that might cause an aurora type effect in Alaska. 

I’m happily to read that someone on the far right reads, but they decided this caused a snow storm in Iowa and that it was done deliberately to stifle the vote at the caucuses. I mean, really? Wow. 

Now, said front runner for the Republican nomination is facing 91 felony counts. Is in the middle of a civil trial for damages due to defamation and he’s spouting this nonsense. But worse than that he’s claiming the person who is chasing him for the nomination was in charge at the Capital on January 6th. The person in charge at the Capital that day was Nancy Pelosi. Nikki? Nancy? What’s the diff? Well, for one thing Nancy has a long record of helping her constituents and the American people writ large. Nikki on the other hand has trouble keeping facts straight. Maybe, it’s not all her fault as she was the product of a flawed education, but so what? Do you really want someone in charge who doesn’t know the truth? Who says mushy things? 

Why is Trump in the lead over his opponents? Look at who his opponents were. Not just this time, but the time before. They were all terrible.

Ah yes. Well. Here we go. Another round of idiocy. 

I keep thinking of the chess champion of the 19th century who jumped up on his chair, pointed a finger at his opponent and exclaimed, “Why do I have to play this idiot?”

*The mummy pictured was discovered at a sideshow museum in Buffalo, New York. It eventually got sent back to Egypt, and is believed to be the body of Rameses I, who started the 19th Dynasty and ushered in one of the great periods in that country’s history.