Our Government at Work

I really a being a bit facetious with the title because as I write this i have been advised that appropriations to fund the government have lapsed again and that we are in yet another shutdown furlough.

We just did this a couple of weeks ago.


Congress continues to unevenly attempt to fund the government and the President  seems to enjoy the on and off-again form of government that shutdowns create. 

Chaos!

Waste! The amount of money that goes into planning for a shutdown, whether one actually occurs or not is phenomenal. 

As I write this, the New York Times is reporting that the shutdown is over! 

House Passes Budget Deal to Raise Spending and Reopen Government - The New York Times

But has the President signed the bill? Are we going to have to do this again in a few weeks? 

The questions remain.

Fundamentally, this is not way to run a government. We are rapidly becoming a third world country in terms of consistency in government. If this continues, our credit rating will slump and it will cost a lot more to fund the debt.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

I Love a Parade

A large military parade to demonstrate how powerful the U.S. military is for all to see.

It is like an adolescent game of who can spit the watermelon seed the farthest. 

Or a game of my army's bigger than your army!

Ugh!

Have we not gone far enough with this insanity? The need to demonstrate how big and bad we are seems a bit lost on the world. Our military is becoming a shell of its former self due to the continuing budget crises.

The last big military parade in Washington D.C. was during 1991 to celebrate the end of the Gulf War.

Military parades are about ego and power. Of course Trump wants one. - The Washington Post

What would we be celebrating this time?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Budget Train Wreck

Here we are again!

Some bad dreams just do not end. 

Congress and the President are playing a dangerous game of Chicken with the future of the country.

This republic deserves responsible leadership!

Soon, I hope.

The threat of another government shutdown is looming large. The brinkmanship is horrific. 

"I would love to see a shutdown . . . " The President said.

This is not the right way to run the government. And another continuing resolution is not the way to do business. 

We need consistent and committed government. 

There is a glimmer of hope. Some Senators are talking about a two year budget. It will actually be a year and a half budget, but it would mean we do not have to do this again--next month or next year.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Orioles Outlook

Spring Training is just days away. 

Orioles pitchers and catchers report to Sarasota on February 13th. The remainder of the team is only days behind that. 

I wish I could say that the outlook is hopeful, however, the team has failed to make any meaningful moves to shore up the pitching and the circus that has become Manny Machado's tenure with Orioles will be a continual source of distraction as the season progresses.

Frankly, I do not believe that the Orioles will be a better team than the one that finished 5th in the division with a 75-87 record.

Manny on Opening Day - Will This Year be His Last in
an Orioles Uniform?

The other teams in the division have improved their teams overall, while the Orioles have done precious little.

It certainly appears that the Orioles will finish last in the division again and may not even win 70 games. I know that is a dire prediction--but reality is setting in. I need to go to baseball games for their innate entertainment value and stop hoping that my team will win the division and goto the World Series. I just do not, at this time, see that happening this year.

There is still time for the Orioles to acquire a couple of pitchers to shore up the starting rotation. 

But time is getting short.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - February 5, 2018

1. What a weekend it was. Cold and ice storms. The trees were covered with ice by the end of the day yesterday. I'm sure there are many broken limbs around the area this morning. 

2. Because of the ice, many of the schools are delaying opening for two hours to give time for ice removal/mitigation.

3. The Super Bowl was super! What an exciting game which remained undecided until the last play. I am happy that the Eagles won and secured their first Lombardi Trophy. 

4. Orioles pitchers and catchers report in 8 days! Baseball is going to get started again and that isa good thing. My Spring Training trip is planned and i will begin reviewing the Orioles soon.

5. Ice, why did the weather have to bring ice. 

6. The weather in February is what? Cold and icy!

7. Another government shutdown looms as early as Friday and the Congress and President are playing their violins as the country burns. 

Headlines

Eagles defeat Patriots, 41-33, to capture first Super Bowl title - The Washington Post

Trump steps up war against FBI, Democrats have their own memo plan - CNN

To Counter Russia, U.S. Signals Nuclear Arms Are Back in a Big Way - The New York Times

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

"The task that has fallen to us as Americans is to move the conscience of the world, to keep alive the hope and dream of freedom. For if we fail or falter, there'll be no place for the world's oppressed to flee to. This is not a role we sought. We preach no manifest destiny. But like the Americans who brought a new nation into the world 200 years ago, history has asked much of us in our time. Much we've already given; much more we must be prepared to give."

Remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference Dinner, February 18, 1983

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

D.C. Autoshow 2018

The event of three day yesterday was a trip into DC to attend the Auto Show at the convention center. The DC Convention Center is huge, I had forgotten how large.

We saw lots of cars and had a great deal of fun. Chris and I went with the Mike, Nicole, Ethan, Jax, Jack, and Jim. Wandering the show was a lot of fun. And we saw there new Jaguar SUV/crossover. What a great car.

I got some great photos of cars and had a funny Kia video made with Ethan. 

The cars were the stars however. 

2019 Mustang Bullet

And I really enjoyed them.

--Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Into the Wormhole

Depiction of a Wormhole

I discovered a new fun fact the other day.

30 seconds can equal 6 minutes!

Amazingly enough I had suspected this fact for a long time. It is almost like a wormhole situation when things are just right.

In this case the right combination of events involves me leaving the house 30 seconds too late and meeting up with the dreaded school bus!

I hate the school busses that ply our streets. The kids  that board them in the morning are especially slow and nonchalant about even being at the bus stops on time. That said, if I have to wait for the bus at the end of my street, I get the added benefit of waiting through two more stops and then painfully waiting for the bus to make a right turn at the end of the community onto US 1. 

Having been 30 seconds too late on a couple of occasions this past couple of weeks I have computed the net time of the delay to be about 6 minutes. Unfortunately, I cannot see the bus when I leave my driveway and so it is not like I could pour another cup of coffee and relax while the bus picks up its "self-loading cargo."

But instead, I am stuck following along behind the big yellow bus as it waddles down the street. And time passes through the wormhole.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Happy Groundhog Day!

One of the uniquely American festivals or celebration; or is it an observance, is upon us once again.

Groundhog Day.

The day when the rodents rule!


When we find out, at least in our minds, whether there will be an early Spring or six more weeks of Winter.

It is Americana at its best. A festival to celebrate something during the coldest and almost darkest time of the winter. 

And it is just fun!

Where else does a rodent own the day--for even just one day?

I hope there is no shadow today. The winter has been too long and too cold already.


Happy Groundhog Day! May all your rodent problems be groundhogs!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Back into the Deep Freeze

Punxsutawney Phil and handler

In a twist of weather February is arriving. After a relatively nice day today, the weather is turning more winter-like for the next week. It is February after all.

Tomorrow is Groundhog Day! We will receive the rodent-generated weather forecast. I suppose it will be as correct as our local weather forecasters.

There will not be any golf this weekend. 

After we hit 50 today, temperatures will not be above 40 again until Wednesday next week.

The cold means that Finnegan will not be able to exercise his youthful exuberance outside. Frankly, his high-pitched bark, when playing, is incredibly aggravating. 

And the weather is grounding Radio Flyer, my drone.

I wish the cold was over and Spring had arrived.

On the warm side--the Spring Training trip is planned, the Spring Break trip is planned, and the summertime cruise is planned! All of them are to warm weather areas. And sandy beaches!

Here is hoping for an early Spring. It is time for the warmth to return and for us to get on with our outdoors life.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

My Take: State of the Union

Last night President Trump presented his State of the Union address. 

The President stated his case for the improvement that the country has seen since he took office and also his four pillared vision for the future.

I was encouraged by The President's cross-aisle gesture:

So tonight, I am extending an open hand to work with members of both parties -- Democrats and Republicans -- to protect our citizens of every background, color, religion, and creed. My duty, and the sacred duty of every elected official in this chamber, is to defend Americans -- to protect their safety, their families, their communities, and their right to the American Dream. Because Americans are dreamers too. (from CNN.com)

But, his wide ranging claims of achieving prosperity for all (do I hear a chicken in every pot?), rising wealth, huge tax cuts, and increased jobs sound like he is doing a great job.

The evidence would suggest otherwise:

“After years of wage stagnation, we are finally seeing rising wages.”

Analysis from The Washington Post: Trump once again takes credit for something that began to happen before his presidency. Wages have been on an upward trend since 2014, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and in fact their growth slowed during the first year of Trump’s presidency.

“Just as I promised the American people from this podium 11 months ago, we enacted the biggest tax cuts and reform in American history.”

Trump repeatedly claims he passed the biggest tax cut in U.S. history, but it’s just not true.  He’s earned Four Pinocchios for this claim before — but repeated it 57 times in his first year as president.

The best way to compare tax cuts (or spending plans) over time is to measure them as a percentage of the national economy. Inflation-adjusted dollars are another option, but a percentage of gross domestic product helps put the impact of the bill into context. Trump’s tax cut, according to Treasury Department data, is nearly 0.9 percent of GDP — compared to 2.89 percent of GDP for Ronald Reagan’s 1981 tax cut. Trump’s tax cut is only the eighth-largest — and is even smaller than two of Barack Obama’s tax cuts.

From my perspective, here is what I see:

Congress is unable to pass a budget and we have already suffered through one government shutdown with another looming a mere 8 days away.

Leading via the Tweet is not a way to run a government.

Making the news to control the news is effective but counterproductive.

The U.S. military is suffering because of the budget crisis and lack of emphasis.

Federal workers are bearing the brunt of abuse about the inefficient government, when the problem lies with political appointees.

My Take: The State of the Union is not a good a portrayed, but needs work to develop a collaborative sense of purpose and then combined action to achieve that purpose.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD