Sunday Morning Coming Down

Greatest line until I hear something better:  "Ass down, heads up, and push forward".

This morning in Winnipeg, Manitoba the temperature was (-15 degrees F.).  It was colder during the night and I'm sure that if they could many Winnipeggers would spend the winter somewhere warmer.  My father grew up on Lipton Street in Winnipeg and often spoke about how cold it was and how difficult it was going to school during the winter and how easy it was to get frostbite. When the family moved to Miami, Florida he often said he had accomplished one of his life goals of living in a place where the winters were warm and he could golf all year long. At this time of year we who live in Florida are paid a Sunshine Dividend.

President Roosevelt in the State of the Union Speech in 1941 laid out the four freedoms that he and the United States stood for. 1) Freedom of speech and expression. 2) Freedom of worship. 3) Freedom from want. 4) Freedom from fear.  We have a way to go in implementation.  I don't think 1941 with WWII already on in Europe and Asia the good old days but it is clear that there were still ideals in this world to strive and sacrifice for.

What goes around comes around. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. A command based on words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount : “All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” The Mosaic law contains a parallel commandment: “Whatever is hurtful to you, do not do to any other person.”   Believe in the worth and dignity of all persons, the interdependence of all things and continue to search for truth and beauty in the world we live in. 

Money follows power and the power to tax is almost the most important thing congress is supposed to do but fails to do on an almost yearly basis. Let's go back to the future and really limit campaign contributions.  It might require some level of public funding which will cramp the style of some but it might also refocus those elected to legislating, doing real oversight, and end the donor class from its overwhelming influence on policy because they fund candidates and issues through very opaque methods. We, the people didn't get much from the last presidential election so far and based on the latest round of tax reform it is unclear that enough will trickle down to deal with inequality issues and possible increases in the national debt.

Yesterday there was a special collection at church to send some money to a sister church in Puerto Rico.  I'm not sure how much was collected and the money will do some good but there are so many issues involved with fixing stuff in Puerto Rico that it is symbolic at best and keeps reminding the folks in Miami that here are folks that got slammed by Irma or Maria or Harvey and there are unmet needs in a lot of places including the fires in California. Life without electricity isn't exactly like just a weekend camping trip.  The pumps that provide water and move sewage and in the tropics refrigerates our food is something we take for granted. A local roofing companies are still busy fixing minor damage on our roofs, our condominium needs work on its emergency generator and trees still need some trimming and that may finally cost upwards of $20,000 that will need to come from reserves or a special assessment. In Miami after a hiccup you can flip a switch and there is light...

Giancarlo Stanton was the National League "Most Valuable Player".  He certainly was the MVP for the Miami Marlins as his contract was both long term and the highest on the team.  The previous owner signed "Mike" to a long term deal (13 years) that was worth reportedly about $25,000,000 a year, it was a guaranteed contract and it had a no trade clause that allowed him to pick a team should he decide to leave the Marlins.  Giancarlo had all the cards and the new owners had none. Derek Jeter/Sherman et al could not afford Stanton.  Even with historically low interest rates they could not pay for the face of the franchise as they were already leveraged to the max to buy a team that hasn't been to the post season for a decade.  They now have a comfortable stadium and what maybe a minor league roster for the foreseeable future in a city that has very rich zip codes and a lot of folks that can't even afford cable tv. Last year's 59 home runs by Stanton are ...

Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter have unloaded Giancarlo Stanton to the New York Yankees and Dee Gordon to the Seattle Mariners.  I wonder how long it will take to unload Yelitch and Ozuna. I have been to a few games at the new stadium and it is a nice, comfortable, and convenient place to watch a baseball game. Beyond the creature comforts as a fan I'm not very sure this dumping of contracts to save is in the best interests of the game that used to be the "national pastime".

Regularly I make a couple of Key Lime Pies for dessert when the Moose Lodge has a fish dinner.   I’ve gotten good reviews and it is a good end to a nice dinner. You need per pie: lime juice (4 ounces), three egg yolks, a can of sweetened condensed milk, a nine inch graham cracker crust pie shell.  Mix the lime juice, egg yolks, and the sweetened condensed milk, pour it into the pie shell and bake it for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.  Let it cool and then refrigerate until ready to be served.  It's that simple.  You can top with whipped cream if desired. I use Nellie and Joe's Famous Key Lime Juice or Key Limes from a friend, or Realime Lime Juice.  The Key Limes seem to be a little more tart than the bottled juices.  Shopping is part of the process. 

I have no idea what John Conyer's son is like.  I have no idea what Ian Conyers is like.  But it seems according to reports that there may be two Conyers on the ballot to replace John Conyers Jr (88) who has served 52 years in the House of Representatives and has been viewed as an icon and someone who should have retired a while ago.  John Conyers Jr has endorsed his son to fill his shoes I could draw a parallel to the need for term limits. Michigan has a penchant for replacing long term members of congress with relatives lately.  John Dingell who served 60 years in office was replaced by his wife in 2015. It's difficult to drain the swamp.

John Anderson was at one time a conservative republican, a moderate republican, a liberal republican and finally an independent and third party candidate for the presidency in 1980. A fiscal conservative while being liberal in many social issues as his career in politics progressed he was a politician that defied simple labeling. His passing at age 95 was reported.  His politics were increasingly quixotic after 1980 but it is clear that he was dissatisfied with what politics has become,

Commenting on recently passed "tax reform". Senator Grassley  said“I think not having the estate tax recognizes the people that are investing, as opposed to those that are just spending every penny they have, whether it’s on booze or women or movies,” he told the paper.  I'm positive folks that are worried about the estate tax spend more money than I do on booze, vacations, or "date nights". I drink beer but the greatest majority of my money goes to supporting my family, paying for housing, food, medical care, insurance, education, utilities, taxes, gasoline, and a car payment. The good Senator has a point about spending stuff that he thinks is silly but I doubt that the average American thinks that adding to the deficit is a great fiscal policy either. Too many folks are living paycheck to paycheck as it is.

Typical Republican behavior in the realm of public finance has been to call for a "balanced budget" where expenditures do not exceed revenue and a smaller government. Typical Democratic behavior has called for more governmental expenditures to do things that governments are better able to do. The result has been very few budget surpluses and more than a few years when there was a deficit and in some of those years really big deficits like the years from 2009 to 2013 when the unemployment rate was high and many folks had dropped out of the labor market entirely. The current labor force is approximately 161,000,000 and the unemployment rate is 4.1%, while at the depth of the last recession(2009) the labor force was smaller (153,000,000), the unemployment rate was about 10%(15,300,000).  The Federal Budget deficit is smaller, but still large and no where near running a surplus.  Things are much better than they were in October 2009.  On a related front should we as a count...

Back before the turn of the century I got a bright yellow coffee mug from the Bristol Bank when I opened an account and set up a Certificate of Deposit.  The building was convenient, it didn't look like a bank building and I was pissed off at the local Bank of America that closed/moved.  No credit card just an ATM machine and a cooperative arrangement with Publix.  I really liked the mug. Bristol Bank was bought by the Bank of Florida which failed in 2007 or 2008 and with the help of the FDIC was bought by Everbank of Jacksonville, which became part of TIAA (Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association). The coffee mug has survived until Wednesday when it went missing.  Coffee in the morning without the yellow mug.  Ok, it might be in the bedroom, by the couch, hidden in plain sight.  Thursday, the mug was still AWOL and I really started to wonder if there had been foul play. I've taken it outside since Irma visited and it has spent time in the car. Did t...

The Bush Family got a vote or two from me.  George Bush had a distinguished resume serving in Congress, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency(under Nixon), Ambassador to the United Nations as Ambassador to the People's Republic of China,(under Ford), Vice President,(under Reagan) and President of the United States succeeding Reagan.  He was defeated in his quest for a second term by William Jefferson Clinton in 1992. You might think that would be the capper for a political family,  but it was only the beginning of another generation of Bushes to start on the political trail.  George W. Bush became Governor of Texas after beating Ann Richards in 1994 but only after an unsuccessful run for the House of Representatives in 1978 and side work in the oil industry and partial ownership of a Major League Baseball franchise.  In 2000 George W. Bush became the 43th President of the United States in a disputed election final with Albert Gore Jr. the second son of A...

There is still a pile of hurricane debris in front of my condo.  I believe my roof has been repaired, the water system works, the electricity was restored eventually, and while it was inconvenient it could have been much worse for me and others where I live in Florida.

Current politics is antithetical to draining the swamp.  It might be money, it might be the family name, or it might be the electorate. Who ever thought there would be such a thing as the political class when the country was formed.  It's not completely new.  The constitution of the United States did not guarantee the right to vote when it was passed.  Women or slaves were not granted the franchise until much later in our history.  Land ownership was felt to be necessary to vote.  Before there was a President Trump there was the Founder of our country George Washington and at his death he owned between 45,000 and 50,000 acres of land and some of it was in very good locations. The Rockefeller Family started out by getting very rich in the oil business and then the business of politics by way of marriage into the Aldrich Family that had their political roots in Rhode Island.  Abby Aldrich became a Rockefeller by marrying John D. Rockefeller Jr. ...

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2017   From the Blood Horse SONGBIRD TO BE BRED TO ARROGATE IN 2018.   Breed the best to the best and hope for the best. No guarantees but that is going to be an expensive baby.

The United States taxes incomes but not all income is treated equally.  I'm not sure this is the best way to go in practice but in theory it makes sense.  Some incomes in size and source should be treated differently by the tax man.  One size does not fit all and actually one size does not fit most.  The idea of a flat tax where a person pays a percentage of his income isn't always as progressive as it might seem.  Folks with a lot of income may pay more in taxes but the other question of how much is left  after taxes and if all the bills are paid still needs to be answered. Some folks think the power to tax is the power to destroy.  If you taxed a person's income beyond 50% of the last dollar earned there is less incentive to increase earnings because they might think they are "working" for someone else. Marginally that is correct and if a body needs to work harder to earn the last dollar than first dollar, problems will soon come. A part of the p...

I actually know a guy who went on a big game hunt in South Africa late last year and I know he shot something and was having trouble bring his "trophy" back to the United States because of expense and regulations.  The ironies of what he does for a living and how he paid for his trip are mind boggling. President Trump and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Friday night announced that the administration’s reversal of a ban on importation of elephant hunt trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia has been put on hold until further review.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had announced the policy shift just two days earlier, with officials signaling in a statement that they would expand efforts to promote trophy hunting as a form of conservation. The United States has passed the Endangered Species Act in 1973 and is a party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Whether you like the laws or not, they are efforts to to prevent species fro...

There have been several institutional ads regarding Florida Power and Light's response to Hurricane Irma.  One ad connects a veteran and the folks reconnecting folks to the grid after the hurricane. It's a good ad.  Mostly we take stuff or granted when it comes to utilities like electricity, water, and sewer services.  The economic theory is that a monopoly is granted to cover the cost of the infrastructure, the cost of generating the power and others expenses and a rate of return after expenses are paid.  Sometimes the government itself runs the utility.  In either case the rates charged are publicly determined and reviewed.  And as it goes the devil is always in the details. I will tend to give them the benefit of the doubt.  I don't know what assumptions they made regarding all the variables related to storm damage, repairs required, staffing available and or materials available.  The alternatives for their customers are bad.  Some can a...

The University of Miami's crushing of Notre Dame was complete and to a seasoned viewer of college football kind of unexpected.  Maybe Miami would keep it close and sneak out with the W.  I don't even think the folks at the Hard Rock thought that the Canes would take advantage of a huge home field advantage that just kind of bubbled to the surface after last week's beating of Virginia Tech and crush ND. Touchdown Jesus couldn't save Notre Dame last night.  Canes 41- Irish 8.  The undefeated remaining are Alabama, Wisconsin, Miami, and UCF.  Georgia tumbled like Notre Dame while Alabama, Miami, Clemson and Wisconsin moved on. Miami will control its fate.  It's all about winning. Ironically, I caught Bob Costas doing a number on football on CNN.  He is correct in saying that the game of football is hazardous to your health.  Ask the "kids" that got to wear the take away gold chain last night what they think about CTE.  They might ask what'...

There was a time that the University of Miami beat Notre Dame so bad that the Catholics of the "Catholics vs. Convicts" cried: "Uncle" and both teams went to their respective corners for a time out. Even though Notre Dame won their last regular season game with the "U" in 1990 there was too much bad blood between the programs.  Notre Dame has an overall record of 18-7 against the University of Miami and has won their last four meetings with the Canes. The two teams did not play each other for twenty years until matched up in the 2010 Sun Bowl where the UM was thumped 33-17. Today is the first time in a very long time that Notre Dame has come back to Miami to play. Mark Richt may be undefeated this year, but until the Canes beat the "Irish", it's still a work in progress. I'm expecting a good game and a late night. Again thank you to all that have served this country, this Veterans Day 2017. 

Tomorrow is November 11, 2017 and it is Veteran's Day.  In my lifetime the Viet Nam War  the Gulf Wars and the War on Terrorism have taken place or are ongoing.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has served this country to keep us safe and free. I can only imagine what it means to wear the uniform in service to this country.  Too many take the service of others for granted and are blissfully unaware of sacrifices that military families make.

There are probably three things in the world that can be taxed to pay for government or to use a different term public finance which covers in a larger way all sorts of collective goods.  Wealth, Income or Users.  In combination taxing wealth and income or charging users determine how well a society a society functions.  A lot of folks think that free market capitalism does a wonderful job distributing wealth, income, and regulation of the use of public stuff.  A discussion of these issues is happening now in congress as tax reform and health care are being discussed and will be voted on. Wealth is what a person owns and it may be cash, stocks, bonds, land, housing, boats, intellectual property and how wealth is valued makes taxing it an interesting proposition.  Where wealth is located is also important in how it valued.  To the extent that wealth is taxed it is less valuable, and to the extent it is used wisely it is more valuable.  The exploitatio...

Hong Kong has always been Chinese but for the period between 1841 and 1997 it was a British Crown Colony and part of the British Empire.  In 1997 the British handed back sovereignty of Hong Kong back to the Chinese.  It became a special administrative region after its transfer because of its economic importance. The idea of one country, two systems allowed much more economic freedom in Hong Kong. The times they are a changing. China has extended a law banning disrespect of the Chinese National Anthem to Hong Kong and Macau. "If you mock the March of the Volunteers you can be locked up of fifteen days".  Hong Kongers have booed during the Anthem at sporting events for the past few years protesting various changes in Hong Kong's regional powers.

You might think that an elected representative would live in the district they represent.  Daisy Baez has been forced to resign from her seat in the Florida because she lied about her legal residency.  She will be fined $1000.00 and banned from running for office while she is on probation for one year. She said she lived in House District 114 while she actually lived in House District 112.  Renting an apartment after the fact in District 114 and then lying about it will send her back home. Ms. Baez was considered a good legislator, a rising star in the Democratic Party.  I voted for her assuming that she was a neighbor who knew the neighborhood. Meanwhile, the guy she replaced, Erik Freesen decided that filing federal income tax returns was less important than doing other stuff. (While serving in the legislature it was reported he never filed a return.  He has been sentenced to 60 days in jail, in 15 day periodic increments so he can make some money to pa...

If there were no Breeder's Cup there would still be races to go watch all around  the country. The idea that there is 28 million dollars worth of races run at one track over two days means something to folks that like horses and are already fans of the sport,  owners, trainers and breeders. It will also be a big day for the folks that own the track where the races are run. It will mean little to just about everyone else in the sporting world of the United States.  Just a blip on the radar.  More folks will go to football games on November 4th.  More people will go to casinos, and basketball, hockey and soccer matches throughout the country as well. The Breeder's a great party if you float in and around that circle that can afford million dollar horses and it has spawned handicapping contests that lure folks that can afford them have a chance to make some serious scratch if they can get that right combination of long shots and favorites so they have won mor...

NPR, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public conducted a poll of 3053 people, and majorities in many ethnic, identity and racial groups in America believe that discrimination exists against their own group, across many areas of people's daily lives, according to a poll from NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Q1. Generally speaking, do you believe there is or is not discrimination against (Respondent's own group identity) in America today?   Table X: Percent of Each Group Saying That Discrimination Against Their Own Group Exists in America Today African Americans 92% Latinos 78% Native Americans 75% Asian Americans 61% Whites (Non-Hispanic) 55% LGBTQ 90%  

There are lines where free speech, civil discourse, public service and doing your job are a mashup that just doesn't work. Folks should know the difference and act accordingly. If the Hurricanes or Dolphins won it always made for good conversation. Sunday and the National Football League have had a steady date for quite a while.  The stadium where the Miami Dolphins play has been subsidized with public money or tax benefits to the owners of the team. In some ways the players are chosen because of their skills in playing the game that people pay to watch in person, on TV, or on your telephone. Bars, restaurants and grocery stores benefit from stuff sold that we eat while our eyes watch football. Today it was reported that 270 rather than the optimal 400 police officers would be working the Dolphin-Jet NFL game.  It was reported that a lot of officers did not volunteer for this off duty job. Police at this venue direct traffic, crowd control including breaking up fights be...

After hurricanes Irma and Maria and for a while before a lot of folks left the various islands in the Caribbean. There have been diasporas from Cuba, Hispanola, and now Puerto Rico. Anita (aka Rita Moreno, Puerto Rican) sang not very lovingly of her homeland in the the Song "America" in the musical West Side Story.   Puerto Rico . . . You ugly island . . . Island of tropic diseases. Always the hurricanes blowing, Always the population growing . . . And the money owing, And the babies crying, And the bullets flying. I like the island Manhattan. Smoke on your pipe and put that in!  And the song goes on complaining about the roads, intermittent electricity,and the back and forth goes on between Rosalia and Anita: R: When will I go back to San Juan? A: When will you shut up and get gone? R: Everyone there will give big cheer. A: Everyone there will have moved here. This diaspora may be different this time because as the song says: "Immigrant goes to America, M...

A friend in good shape said, " Out digging up hurricane tree stumps at 9am. Heat index 96 degrees. Give up at 10:15 too damn hot. The storm was easy, recovery hell. Disaster: Any event “concentrated in time and space, in which a society of a relatively self-sufficient subdivision of society, undergoes severe danger and incurs such losses to its members and physical appurtenances that the social structure is disrupted and the fulfillment of all or some of the essential functions of the society is prevented.  Abraham Maslow talks about the need to breath, drink, eat, sleep, and excrete, sex, and homeostasis on the basic level, in addition a certain amount of health and security is necessary to move forward. The term logistics means moving stuff where it is needed and avoiding delays in delivery.  It is a science these days that relies on having the goods. a transportation system, personnel, and a communication and accountability system. States of Emergency and sta...

What is the difference between the very rich making campaign contributions to influence political races and football players taking a knee during the National Anthem before a football game.

For the first time in a very long time the National Hurricane Center is saying that tropical cyclone activity is not expected in the next 48 hours. But I woke up to the largest mass murder in the history of the United States.

President Trump is proposing eliminating the "death tax" which will allow his family to inherit a lot of money and assets without paying taxes on it.  The sources of his incomes don't seem to have produced much like the farms, factories, or small businesses which he talks about protecting but something else. There is a "moral hazard" to the absolute lack of an inheritance tax.  Some folks that inherit money will stop working and producing things before they might have.  Some folks may never work at all.  And that doesn't include some folks that will actually have trouble managing their wealth and cause problems because of their wealth. Meanwhile providing money to support and protect everyone is short changed or must pay higher tax rates or the debt increases. The marginal tax rate on productive labor should be reduced and other tax rates should be reviewed to insure they provide positive benefits and good jobs.  Slaving away at low wages is a form of ex...

This needs some serious attention from the highest parts of  the federal government and the logistical support of the U.S. Military.  NOW!!   BULLETIN Hurricane Maria Intermediate Advisory Number 13A NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL152017 800 AM AST Tue Sep 19 2017 ...POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE MARIA HEADED FOR THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO... SUMMARY OF 800 AM AST...1200 UTC...INFORMATION ---------------------------------------------- LOCATION...16.2N 62.8W ABOUT 85 MI...135 KM W OF GUADELOUPE ABOUT 170 MI...275 KM SE OF ST. CROIX MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...160 MPH...260 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT...WNW OR 300 DEGREES AT 9 MPH...15 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...933 MB...27.55 INCHES    About six days ago Maria hit Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The hurricane was the strongest storm to hit the island since 1928 and reports from the island indicates that there has been flooding, and virtually no power on the island since th...

Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria will put a strain on the electrical utilities and almost everyone else.  I'm wondering who will be left in Puerto Rico if the initial estimates for restoring power are correct.  A few days is a long time and and a few months would be a real game changer for an island that has little money and not many options. The Florida Keys are advertising that Key West has power and is open or business.  The drive from Miami to Cayo Hueso will never be quite the same, even if the locals can get a cold beer while they are waiting for the adjuster and the contractors to fix stuff. The piles of tree debris are everywhere in Miami Dade.  Yes the roads are almost entirely clear, the football season has resumed, almost all the signalized intersections are working, and just about everyone who can be reconnected to the power grid is up and running. The new drama will now move to the lawyers, contractors, insurance companies and the federal, state, ...

Hurricane Irma will be long remembered.  A glancing blow that might have been much worse.  Downed trees, an  extended power outage, a failed generator, traffic disruptions, worries about friends and relatives on Florida's West Coast, and a lot of other little things. Sleeping was difficult without AC, fans, or lights to guide one to the bathroom for a midnight cold shower. I actually watched the hurricane blow through High  Pines through hurricane resistant windows. The power of nature to "trim trees" is awesome but it is also a little bit random. Last night the bitching about power restoration reached a fever pitch as the Coral Gables City Attorney threatened to sue Florida Power and Light because they did not restore power to everyone in the City Beautiful by 11:59 PM, Sunday Night as initially promised.  FPL countered the claim by saying Coral Gables didn't do their job by trimming trees to minimize line damage. Each storm is different but it seems FPL ov...

Hurricane Irma is approaching slowly.    For those watching the storm since what seems like almost three weeks being tired is the order of the day.   This morning there was a gust of 50 mph in South Miami and I guess we are off to the races. There have been three forecasts about the hurricane.   #1 had it going through the Keys and up the middle of the state, then #2 up the east coast causing destruction from Homestead through Miami and Fort Lauderdale, then maybe #3 tracking further west and further west until this morning it looks like it is going to go up the west coast from Marco Island, north through Naples, Fort Myers, Sarasota, St. Pete, and Tampa.   Miami seems out of the cone of destruction but it may be a really wet time, not like Harvey, but enough to cause some serious flooding on the beaches and in low lying places. Individually I thought about bugging out, staying with a friend with a newer roof and hurricane resistant windows and go...