Sunday Morning Coming Down

World Wars, Politicians, Singers, Sports Heroes, Television, the Bomb, Terrorism, and more than a few other subjects are covered in the Billy Joel hit song "We Didn't Start Fire". This weekend could have been a sequel but sadly it's just a continuation.  "It's always burning, since the world's been turning. 1989 seems like a long time ago for some and maybe just yesterday for some others.

There is already a lot of gambling done in Florida.  And how the players shake out in this State Constitutional Amendment is any body's guess in the long run.  Those who already have a gambling permit are against the amendment because it will restrict the way they have been able to control their operations and possibly expand them. The amendment would give the right to expand gambling to the voters of Florida on a statewide basis. I believe the way slot machines have been approved and their coupling with dog racing, horse racing, and jai alai has  been problematic from the beginning.  The state wants tax revenue and for the most part the lottery, parimutuals, slot machines and whatever the next type of gambling that may be approved will be sold as a provider of jobs and badly needed revenue and a voluntary tax to replace some other tax cut for some other group.  The story that this will adversely affect education is way overblown. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Trump said eventually. “We won.” It doesn’t matter. Nothing really matters. Is this, finally, the Trump Doctrine? Most presidents have governed from the standpoint of things mattering. Individuals matter. Words matter. Life matters. “Show up,” Barack Obama said during his farewell address. “Dive in. Persevere.” “Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself,” George W. Bush said during his second inaugural address. For about the last ten years or so politics hasn't been about compromises or working across the aisle or much of anything like debating the issues like taxes, issues of war and peace, health care, rebuilding roads, bridges, airports, international cooperation, immigration policies, climate change, agricultural policy, trade policies and any number of other issues.  It's been about getting to the barest of majorities necessary to pass legislation and do a number on your political opponent. The...

There is a yard sign near my place that has a check mark next to water.  This isn't a republican or democratic issue but the people that live in Florida need some action to limit algae blooms that are becoming more frequent and more intense.

The day the music died Richie Valens, Buddy Holly, and the Big  Bopper died they were not on a plane called American Pie in spite of what the daily quiz you might have said this morning.  And so it goes with the meaning of its lyrics as well.  The  lyrics are open to interpretation at more than a few levels. This afternoon I will be playing some songs that have American or USA in the title on a juke box. Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Diamond, Grand Funk Rail Road, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Bruce Springsteen and maybe some others will be featured.

Methodologies for choosing judges is at best problematic.  I'm not sure if electing judges gets you a better judge and having a governor pick a judge after reviewing resumes from a group like the bar association isn't foolproof either. Experience as a lawyer is vital, and court room experience is also very important.  I wonder, even after saying that, if there might be other characteristics like impartiality that might also be important. Socrates said a judge must listen courteously, answer wisely, consider soberly and decide impartially. Easier said than done but overall there seems to be an awful lot of politics in the selection of judges and the parties have brought this on themselves as just another battleground where it doesn't belong. 

This post is about our current president.  I am disappointed for the millions of folks that voted for our president thinking he was a great business man.  According to the New York Times much of his wealth was accumulated by avoiding taxes and loans from his father and some creative bookkeeping. My father was a CPA and a person who voted for republicans because they favored lower taxes and smaller government. I'm almost positive my father would have liked to see the president's tax returns so that he could judge both the income and deductions that was reported and taken to see if they were reasonable and why they did not raise any red flags that would trigger an audit. I'm reminded of Leona Helmsley and some testimony during her trial for tax evasion: " During the trial, a former housekeeper testified that she had heard Helmsley say: "We don't pay taxes; only the little people pay taxes," which identified her the rest of her life. Incredible!