Some People Get it Right the First Time

The House of Representatives voted on and passed another Virus
Relief Package.  This one for another $3 trillion.  It has happened so
often these days that I am not even stunned by the amount.  I lie,
I am staggered by the amount.  My mind cannot comprehend numbers
of this magnitude.  Our country will face a debt of five trillion
dollars, let me say that again five trillion dollars.  And CBS news
estimates the total cost to the nation at $19 trillion.

What are we getting for this?  A piecemeal handout directed shotgun
style to whomever.  Everybody gets money, whether they need it or
not.  The L A Lakers get money, large food service franchises are
getting money, I got a check.  Did I need that check?  No, I did not
need that check.  And I venture to say that neither did the L A Lakers.

But the poor family who doesn't pay taxes because they don't make
enough money to give 10% to the government, they will not receive
a check because the government doesn't know who they are.  And
unless they contacted the IRS before last Wednesday, they won't be
eligible for a check until September.

The stimulus also called for giving the unemployed a supplemental
check amounting to $600 in addition to their unemployment check.
In most cases that would mean that folks would be getting more money
as unemployed as they were when they were working.  Not much of
an incentive to return to work, is it?

There appears to be no oversite on how and who is receiving these
payouts.  During the last relief package, passed in 2009, called the
Economic Stimulus, the government handed out $787 billion in
bailout money to corporations.  That seems like chump change today.
Many of those corporations used that money to buy back their stock
and park the cash in overseas accounts.  It did however, prevent the
recession from turning into a full-blown depression.  So we were told.

Other countries are passing stimulus packages also, however they are a
bit different.  The UK is paying companies to keep their employees
on the payroll, to prevent wholesale unemployment.  Canada has
passed an unemployment package to continue thru June, July, and
August, called the Federal Wage Subsidy, which pays 75% of a workers
salary up to $847 a week.

Canada also, has just passed a stimulus package for corporations, but
it comes with strict conditions.  Specifically, any firm applying for
the loans must impose limits on dividends and executive pay, and
agree to abide by Canada's climate change goals.  Also any firm
convicted of tax evasion will not be eligible. It is explicitly stated that
this money is a loan of last resort, not a bailout.

The money is available to all large for-profit businesses, including
oil and gas companies and non-profits like airports.  But the companies
must have significant operations in Canada.  To avoid loaning to firms
who have been engaged in tax avoidance and tax evasion, the companies
must provide the government with their complete financial structure
when they apply.  To quote P M Trudeau, "I think Canadians expect
companies that get support from public dollars to have been responsible
around paying their fair share of taxes."  Wow, now there is a great idea
for you.

The companies receiving the government loans would be required to
publish annual climate-related disclosure reports showing they support
national climate goals.

What a way to run a country!  

                                                                I'm just sayin'

And the Title Goes To...

This past Monday and Tuesday, PBS aired a special on George
W. Bush's presidency. It ran for four hours over the two days.
It was a frank recalling of W's life, beginning with his parents
George H.W. Bush and Barbara, and ended when he left the
White House for the last time.  Though it was a scant eleven
years ago I forgot all the nation went through under his presidency.
Beginning with the 9/11 attack and ending with the worst
recession since 1929.  But through it all, Bush was a man who
did his best under insurmountable odds, a man who loved his
country and the people in it.

There were those who said the United States would never
recover from the damage done in those four years.  The
world, which was with us after 9/11, turned away in disgust
when it became  apparent that we had given up our
principles for a false sense of security.  Our reputation and
leadership role were badly damaged.  We were no longer
considered the leader of the free world.

But slowly, in the ensuing eight years of the Obama
admininstration, we began to restore both our economy
and our image in the world.  And with the exception of
the cock-up in Libya, our foreign policy was once again;
'we mean what we say and we say what we mean'.  But the
economy wasn't improving for all sectors of the
population.  The gap between the haves and the have-nots
was growing at an alarming rate.  And into that void
walked a snake-oil salesman who promised these poor
people the moon.

Donald J. Trump, the consummate showman, made his
living talking the good talk, but he bailed out when it
came to walking the walk.  He convinced certain
segments of America that their misfortunes were not
of their making.  It was Mexico, China, NATO, and the
world, they were out to get us.  We were suckers, chumps,
the whole world played us for fools.  They took our money
and we got screwed.  And if he was elected, he would make
them all pay.

Trump was crass and he was crude.  He called the government
a 'swamp',  and said he and he alone could finally clean house.
He insulted our allies and exulted the cruelest of dictators.  He
attacked his political opponent and called her a felon who should
be in prison, and said he would make sure she would be if he
was elected.

He bragged about sexually assaulting women.  He said he could
shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose one supporter.  His
campaign stops looked more like revivals, with chanting and
cheering, all the behest of the candidate, Donald Trump.

And in November of 2016, Donald J. Trump was elected president
by the electoral college, his opponent received three million more votes,
but not in the states that mattered.  The world was mystified.  Trump
began his presidency by lying, about everything, from the size of
the crowd, to the fact that the sun shone down on his inauguration
ceremony.  And he has lied to the American people over 18,200 times
since.  His inaugural speech was a diatribe listing all the perceived
ills of America.  In stead of lifting up the spirit of the country he
put it down.

From that day, there has been a progressively downward slide in
opinion of the United States throughout the world.  Our president
has been laughed at, and mocked  whenever he leaves America to
attend meetings with other world leaders, and not without justification.
His behavior is appalling, his demeanor is condescending, his dress
is inappropriate, along with his manners.  As my mother used to say;
"Were you born in a barn?'.

But his cluelessness is not just apparent amongst our allies, it extends
to our adversaries also.  After his meeting with North Korea, he proclaimed
to the world that it was safe from nuclear war because of him.  Really,
how did that work out?  Kim is still busy building and testing nuclear
weapons as we speak.  His best buddy, Putin, is still busy interfering in
our politics, and not in a good way.  And his ever-expanding trade war
with China is destroying farming communities across the country.  He
blunders though world like a bull in a China shop - pun intended -
destroying everything he touches.  His saving grace is, most countries
believe his administration will end soon and America will return to it's
leadership position, if China doesn't usurp it.  But that hope is wearing
thin also.  How long can our allies demure in our favor?

As bad as the first three years of the Trump presidency was these past months
have been horrific.  His total mis-handling of the coronavirus is criminal.
He has traded the economy, on which his re-election depends, for the lives
of thousands of Americans, his total lack of empathy for the suffering and
deaths of the people whom he was elected to serve is appalling.  And once
again he is admittedly choosing the economy over the health and safety of
the rest of us.

He refuses to listen to the experts who are telling him that to open up America
at this time, before all the safety measures are in place, would cause the virus
to come back, perhaps worse this time.  What kind of person admits to trading
lives for monetary gain?

And late this week, the virus struck close to home, Trumps personal valet has
come down with Covid-19, and a person close to the office of the Vice-president
has also been shown to be infected.  While there is still not sufficient tests for
those who need a test for the virus the White House personnel is tested daily.
Whoops, how did that work out?

Trump has said that it just goes to show, testing is not the answer to combatting
the pandemic.  Perhaps he is right, the answer appears to be; get rid of the main
problem in America come this November, if the county is still here.

I never thought I would say this; but I miss you 'W'!  Hands down the title of
"Worst President of the Century" goes to Donald J. Trump.

                                                       I'm just sayin'

She said, He said, Now we have a say

For those of you who don't know, I coordinate a class for senior
learners in Reminiscence Writing.  It is generally for older adults
who wish to leave a written legacy to their children and grandchildren.
It is not teaching as much as it is mentoring, directing writers in
grammar, punctuation, and clarity.  Some times the writer just wishes
to expose a personal tragedy, because it must be brought to light,
finally.  And so it was three years ago.

The classes are not large, and are usually split equally between men
and women, this class consisted of six women and five men, myself
included.  We are pretty much in the same age range, early to mid-
seventies, so many of our remembrances are of the same time period.
This particular story was precipitated by something that occurred, and
was widely reported in the news.

The woman writer was recalling her first days on campus as a freshman
in college.  She came from a small town out east and was leaving home
for the first time, attending a university in a much larger city than the
one in which she lived.  On her second day at the university, she sought
out one of her professors after class to ask a question.  He invited her to
his study later that evening when they would have time to go over her
question in detail.  Of course, what he had in mind and what she had in
mind were two different things.  Shortly after her arrival, she was pushed
up against the wall and was grouped and focibly kissed.  She managed to
get away but she was badly shaken, so much so that this was the first
time she revealed what had happened to her.

Amazingly enough, she remembered the day it occurred, the first name
of the professor, the furnishings in his room, and the cologne he wore.
She remembered what she was wearing.  After almost sixty years these
things were as fresh as if they happened yesterday.  The other writers in
the room listened in silence, and then, as if a dam had burst, five of the
six women all recalled similar incidents, myself included.

The men in the room were dumbstruck, they found it difficult to believe
that so many women had suffered the same or similar trauma.  Why this
is so, I do not know.  Most women live with this male conduct to a
greater or lesser extent their entire lives.  I was attacked while still in
my teens.

I had blocked it out of my conscious memory for years, told myself it
was over and done and maybe it never really happened at all.  You can
fool yourself into believing that.  Then one day, an arrogant man brags
that he can grab women by their genitals  and get away with it because
he is famous.  And it all comes flooding back; the humiliation, the
degradation, the helplessness, the nausea, and you remember, and you
can't kid yourself anymore.  This is the problem I am having with
Ms. Tara Reade.

I fully understand that she suffered a traumatic event, I am not saying
that what she said happened did not happen.  What I am finding difficult
to understand is why her recollection is so poor.  You can forget whether
it happened on the third floor or the second floor, but you do know what,
when and how.  I remember it all, the man who attacked me had cigar
smoke on his breath, and when he forced open my mouth, I could taste
it.  To this day the smell of cigars on a man's breath makes me physically
ill.

There is one other problem I have with Ms. Reade's recounting of the
incident.  I was working in an office at the time  Ms. Reade was working
at the Senate Office Building.  Most conservative places of employment
had strict dress codes, particularly for the woman.  Some did allow pant-
suits for women, many, especially if one was in contact with the public,
required a dress or a skirt and jacket.  Uniform of the day included dress
shoes, and that usually meant wearing pantyhose.  If  Ms. Reade was so
attired, what she said happened could not have happened.

I have another reservation to Ms. Reade's claim.  The kind of attack that
she suffered is not usually a one off.  Men who prey on women in that
fashion are prone to attack more than one woman, case in point, the man
who occupies the White House currently.  He has had numerous women
come forth with the same story - it's like bed bugs, if you see one there are
a whole lot more lurking in the shadows.  The man who attacked me was
a supervisor overseeing many women in a factory setting.

When I broke away from him, I ran to the ladies' room and there I
encountered two of those women. Sobbing, I told them what happened, they
tried to console me by saying he was harmless, he does that to all the women.
However, they needed their jobs so they put up with it.  That was my
introduction to the world of sexual harassment, some of it brutal, some of
it more subtle, but always there none-the-less.  I took the cowards way out,
the women asked me not to say anything, it would only mean trouble for
them, so I quit that job. And to add insult to injury, when I used the company
as a reference for my next job, the man who attacked me gave me a poor
referral.  I often think about those women who had to go on enduring the
assaults just to keep a paycheck coming.

But the women in Joe Biden's Senate Office have nothing but good things
to say about him, and Ms. Reade is the only woman to bring such accusations
forward against him.   Are the rest taking the cowards way out?  Perhaps, I
can't be sure.  I do know that when Biden was confronted with his 'touchy-
feely' behavior, he has made a genuine effort to control himself, and he has
apologized for his actions.

Now let me say something to the men who may be reading this - if you wouldn't
do it or say it to your male colleague, don't say or do it to a female one.  Don't
touch her hair, obviously smell her cologne, or hold on to her arm when you
are speaking to her.  If you wouldn't go up to the guy at the next desk and say,
"Damn, you look hot today!", think twice about saying it to the woman at the
next desk.

                                                           I'm just sayin'

 

What Price Freedom

It should come as no surprise to anyone that the United States is
suffering a recession due to the current pandemic, and that the
economic output has dropped almost 5% in the first three months
of the year.  That is faster than anytime since 2007.  This signals
an end to the longest economic expansion - 126 months - on
record.  And as of today, over 30 million Americans have filed
for unemployment benefits since the beginning of March.

And this is just the beginning, because the first two months of the
years were not affected by the coronavirus, as the virus only began
to surge in March. Only then were the shutdowns beginning to affect
the economic outlook.  The second quarter will most probably show
that economic activity will likely drop at an unprecedented rate.  And
like ripples in a pond, unemployment is spreading out across the
economic sector.

Worse yet, economists project the GDP to drop to an annual rate of
30%, that is more than triple the drop that occurred in 2009.  So far,
Congress has passed more than $3 trillion in emergency relief and is
looking at another $1 trillion more.  This is in addition to the Federal
Reserve's trillions for lending and credit programs.  We are cranking
out money at an unprecedented rate.  But the Stock market is still
holding it's own.  Just more proof of its total disconnect to the
economy in general.

Some states are yielding to pressure from protesters and are beginning
to reopen non-essential businesses, while others are holding firm.  A bit
like having a no peeing section in the pool.  There has been no leveling
off of new cases or deaths from the virus, in fact many states are finding
more cases daily.  However, the Trump administration has said that the
increase in new cases is due to more testing.  Duh?  No, the number
of cases is not increasing with the tests, the tests are finding cases of
the virus that are already there.  It's like counting kittens in the dark,
if you turn on the light, you can see many more kittens, turning on the
light didn't increase the number of kittens in the room, it just allowed
you to count them more easily.

I can understand that people are frustrated, they are out of work and have
bills to pay. That one-time payment of $1200 won't go very far to pay the
mortgage and feed the kids.  What I don't understand is, that they would
risk the health and safety of those children to demand that the government
open up businesses so they can go back to work.  Yes, some governors may
yield to their demands, but believe me the virus will not.  The virus will not
go away because you want it to, because you are tired of staying home, and
you want your children back in school.  The virus will not back down from
your assault rifles or signs demanding it to go away.  It laughs at your chants
and the singing of the National Anthem.  It doesn't care if you say you have
freedom to do anything and go anywhere.   It will strike you down just the
same.

May I ask those of you who are demanding your right to do as you wish, when
you wish to do it?  Who are you fighting, the government or the coronavirus?
Do you think that just because you say you have rights, you should be able
to leave your house whenever you please, that you won't get sick and perhaps
die from an unseen and undetectable enemy?  An enemy that will seek you out
and follow you home to infect everyone you love and hold dear; your parents,
your spouse, your children.

You say your rights trump my fears, but your rights end when they begin to harm
other people, when what you want to do compromises the health and welfare of
the citizens in my state, I say enough!  Take your guns and your signs and go
home.  Hug your parents and your children and tell them that today you gave
up just a little of your freedom so that they could live.

                                                                                        I'm just sayin'

Some Thoughts on the New Normal

Today begins my eighth week of voluntary (?) lock-down, and
I do believe I am relatively sane, thought I would be a poor
judge of that.  I have been observing the required social
distancing guidelines of staying six feet apart from others,
however that does not mean we can't sit on the deck and
share a drink and a laugh.

This weekend I helped a friend with her Spring yard work.
I can't tell you how good it felt to get outside with a rake and
a shovel and do some honest work again, (blisters notwithstanding).
We got about half the yard done and I made her promise to call me
when she is going to finish the work.  It beats the heck out of walking
alone and lonely to get my required amount of daily exercise.

I got a notice in this morning's mail that the community garden is
open, and we may begin working the soil, all-be-it with a list of
caveats to keep everyone safe and prevent spreading the virus to
our fellow gardeners.  Of course, it came right on time to coincide
with two days of heavy rain.  But hopefully by the weekend I will
be able once again to grab a handful of warm earth and squeeze
it through my fingers to test it, and smell the glorious fragrance, and
the promise of a rich harvest to come. Never have I so looked forward
to getting down and dirty as I have this year.

This week I had to break down and go to the grocery store, not my
favorite thing to do in good times, and even less when garbed in face
mask and latex gloves.  The weather was warm enough for me to wear
just my hoodie and a tee.  I had my 'Bloomberg for President' shirt on as
it has long sleeves and it is fairly heavy-weight.  Emblazoned on the front
of the black shirt, in bright silver letters, it says: "New Year - New
President", my sentiments exactly.  Pushing my cart down the aisle,
I was met by a woman who gave me a thumbs up and said, "I like
your shirt".  A man, probably 10-15 feet ahead of us heard her
comment and turned to look.  He began walking back to us muttering
something, and as he was not wearing a mask, I asked him not to come
any closer.  He kept coming, and I asked him again, only louder this
time, not to come any closer.  He looked around and thought better of
it, and said in a very loud voice, "Stupid bitches!". I do think some folks
are not faring too well in this new normal.

I took my usual walk this morning, it takes me past our little park.  On a
beautiful day such as today, it would have been overrun with children of
all ages, on swings and teeter-totters, merry-go-rounds and bouncy rides.  The
air would have been filled with their laughter, what a joyous sound, the sound
of children laughing.  But the park was empty, not a soul, the silence was
deafening.  It is surreal, and I find it more than mildly disconcerting.  I
have a new great-grandson; he was born on January 17th.  I have yet to
see him, his big brother turned two last week, I sent a card and a check.
I didn't want to send something that couldn't be sanitized.  What a strange
world this has become.

What I wouldn't give right now to be able to go to my favorite gin joint
and have a beer and play a little pool or maybe a game or two of darts.
Just to laugh and take a kidding on my really bad aim; at least I never
hit a bystander as someone else did, not mentioning any names.  Funny
how somethings take on such importance when you are denied them.

I really miss my pickleball friends, by now we would be playing outside.
It might be a bit cold in the early morning, but once the sun is full up, it
warms up nicely.  We start our games at 6:45am, all grumbly and grouchy
until play starts and then we forget the early hour, shouting and laughing
our way through two and a half hours without realizing how much we
have exercised .  Then it is time for a stop at the coffee shop for a cuppa
and at least another two hours of gossip.  What a great way to start the day.

Please tell me when this is all over, those days will come again.  Tell me
traumatized children will laugh and play again or will they have lost some
of their innocence?  Tell me my great-grandchildren will still remember
me, when I have lost those precious brief first days when imprinting is
so important?  Will we have lost the hugs between old friends, the
handshakes between colleagues, the high-fives after a great game?
Will we always view each stranger, not as a potential friend, but as a
carrier of some dread disease?  When will we be able to stop sanitizing
everything we touch, stop washing our hands when all we did was sit
alone on the sofa, and when can we scratch our chin when it itches?
When can I ditch the mask and show the world my smile, and I will
smile, from ear to ear.  Some experts say never, I do hope they are wrong.

                                                    I'm just sayin'

He Doesn't Care About You, Don't be a Fool for Him

May I address those of you poor misguided people out there marching
around the capitol in Madison today?  I know you are hurting, but some
how you think you are the only ones who want this to be over.  I have
been confined to my home for seven weeks.  I long to go out and mingle
with my friends, have a drink, have a fish fry, but I also feel an obligation
to them to stay here.

I may not be hurting as financially as some of you are, but that is because
I live in a house that I can afford, drive a ten year-year old car that I can
afford.  I eat at home because I can make it cheaper and better for me when
I make my own lunch or dinner.  I make sure that at the end of the month
there is money to put away for a time like this.

I am not trying to tell you how to live your life, keep your $3000 a month
mortgage and that nice car that you will never see the title to, and all the toys
in your garage that are costing you 22% interest on your credit cards.  But do
not put my life in danger because you want to go back to work.

Do you really think that the governor is keeping you home because he wishes
to destroy the state that he has worked so hard for?  He has dedicated his life to
serving people, as a teacher, administrator, and superintendent.  He was born
in Wisconsin and was educated here.  His heart and his home are here.  And he
is here to save you from yourselves, and not just you, your families and
friends and neighbors.   Have you really thought about them?

And what about the police who must come out to your demonstration, do they
deserve to be infected and bring that home to their families?  So you don't care
about yourselves and your families, you have no right to put others at risk for
you foolishness.  These public servants, who have sworn to protect and defend,
have no choice but to respond to the unlawful demonstration that you are taking
part in.

And when you do get sick, what of the doctors and nurses who will care for you?
They will risk their lives for you, and how will you pay for that care?  You will
need the government to cover your hospital bill and, god forbid your funeral.  
This same government you show such casual disregard for now.  Do you really
think that your representative gives a damn about you, if you do, you are dumber
that I though.  This is the person who made you come out in a pandemic to cast
your vote, the vote that generations before you fought and died for.  For what??

You are being used, used by people whose only care is not your health and safety,
not your financial problems, but for their needs.  Tell me how they equate the
second and fourth amendment, that is if you even know the difference yourself?
Traveled lately?  When you get to the airport, do you subject yourself to being
X-Rayed, patted down, your luggage gone thru, do you surrender you bottle of
water, your too large tube of toothpaste?  And all because you are afraid of being
blown out of the sky.  Why don't you tell the TSA Agent to kiss off, you have rights?
Because that would be the end of your vacation, that's why.

Want to go to Canada for some great Muskie fishing?  Good luck getting out of
the country without a $120 passport, Where are your rights there?  And if you do
get out, better luck getting back in.  How about that speed limit sign?  In Germany
they don't have one, try telling the police officer that, when he hands you the
citation.  Yup, like they say, you rights end at my nose.  And you have no right to
jeopardize my health and safety.  So stay the hell home you moron!

                                                            I'm just sayin'

Notes From the Dining Room Table

Well I don't know about you, but all this drinking, dining and dancing
night after night has worn me to a frazzle.  It has been awhile since I
have sat down and seriously put pen to paper, or at least fingers to
keyboard.  I do have my actual work that I must do, I am secretary on
four boards of director and the mail must continue to flow.  But when I
contemplate putting my thoughts about the world situation down, I find
it so difficult.  I have been keeping up with my daily journal, but even that
has been hard.  I find going back and reading about the past five weeks
surreal.  Like it happened to someone else.  Wednesday, I begin week
number seven of this odyssey.  So for better or worse...

I do not understand the people who are gathering in protest against the
'safer at home' directive.  I have tried, but when someone says they
would rather die a horrid death of drowning in their own sputum, rather
than sheltering in their home it defies logic.  Is this the worse thing that
Americans have been asked to sacrifice?

What would have happened if your great-grandparents had said that during
the depression, or your grandparents has said that during the World Wars?
I remember ration books and coupons; I remember hating Spam but it
was the only meat you could get without that precious coupon.  Well calling
Spam meat, is a stretch, but still my parents said this is what it is.  They didn't
go out and demand their rights, because an American somewhere was dying
in a foreign land so that we had rights.

Don't you realize you are being used; you are merely pawns in a chess game
of political one-up-man ship.  The pawn is the first man to be sacrificed, the
little guy out front shielding the King.  Yes, little man with your big gun, you go
stand up against the United States government, and if you aren't mowed down,
you may stand trial for treason.  I hope I'm on the jury.

And this so called 'flu' named Covid-19 is not your mama's chest cold.  Covid-19
does kill by inflaming and clogging the tiny air sacs in the lungs, the alveoli,
and choking off the oxygen supply.  But that is not all this little virus does, it
also causes; acute kidney damage, neurological malfunctions, heart inflammation,
blood clots, intestinal damage, and liver problems.  There is increasing suspicion
that the virus is entering other cells besides the besides the lungs.  Some people
encounter what is called a 'cytokine storm', that is when your immune system goes
into hyper-drive and begins attacking healthy cells in your body.  If the virus enters
thru the nose, it can attack the olfactory nerve and cause a loss of smell and taste,
but it may also travel along the nerve endings to the central nervous system.  Then
some people experience confusion, low blood oxygen, and loss of consciousness.
Yup, it's a nasty litter critter, so little that a million can fit on the head of a pin.
Now do you want to put your mask and gloves on?

And while I am pondering these things, I am being bombarded by a bombastic
buffoon every evening, self-aggrandizing and denigrating  anyone with the
temerity who dare challenge his mastery of the war against this invisible enemy.
For ninety minutes or more, he holds forth castigating the latest number one on
his enemy list.  Who shall it be today; the press, China, the epidemiologists, the
WHO?  Everybody's wrong but him.  The ultimate showman, how many balls
can he keep in the air before  they begin to hit the ground?  Thankfully my TV
has an off button!!

But of all the things that keep me awake, there is one thing that stands head and
shoulders above the rest, though I don't know why.  I will probably be dead
before the reckoning comes due.

Congress and the President are getting close to an agreement on another
stimulus package.  Yup, another quarter of a trillion dollars in stimulus money.
What the heck, who was it said "a billion dollars here and a billion dollars there,
and pretty soon you're talking about big money"?  Everett Dirksen is spinning
in his grave.

 In 2007, the Federal Reserve's holdings were less than $1 trillion, after the
recession of 2008, the Fed's holdings topped the $2 trillion due to QE.  Today
because of the new policy of the Federal Reserve to buy up government and
other bonds, even junk, and to guarantee the stimulus funds the Fed's holdings
are at $6 trillion and growing daily.  There are those who say this is needed to
keep the economy from going into a depression.  But this kind of free money
has often preceded hyperinflation.

MMT, the Modern Money Theory, that used to be thought of as crack-pot
speculation is now the accepted norm across the industrial countries in the
world.  Major economies everywhere are cranking up the printing presses and
floating currency as fast as possible.  The MMT says we have to create as
much money as necessary to support the economy.  Why don't we ask
Venezuela, South Sudan and Zimbabwe how that worked out for them?

It appears that once QE is the norm, it is very hard to back away.  But I
believe we have gone well past ordinary quantitative easing, we are in
very dangerous waters, and the storm hasn't even arrived yet

                                                        I'm just sayin'