Come Heller high water …
- It took Trump a year to pass a major piece of legislation. The good news: At this pace, we only have three dumb laws to go.
- Sen. Schumer’s right – there’s probably never been a tax cut that the majority of people didn’t favor. Only 33 percent like this mess. So why is it now law? Well, here’s
a word to add to your vocabulary: plutocracy. It doesn’t mean rule by Disney dog. It means rule of the rich, for the rich, and by the rich. It’s what we’re becoming. Trump essentially created a tax bill that he and his rich buddies benefit from. Us, we get the scraps. Let us eat cake. - Actually, I think I’d prefer Pluto the cartoon dog for president. He doesn’t have thumbs so he likely wouldn’t tweet. Plus, he probably has a moral center.
- People seem to either really love or hate “The Last Jedi.” Me, I’m in the squishy middle, as I am with all Star Wars movies except the first. There were moments that were so incredibly Star-Warsy awful (many involving that damned round robot and its seeming superhero powers) that I groaned out loud. But there also were moments I thought were genuinely exciting and well-done. In the end, it was a Star Wars movie – we’ve seen it all before so we shouldn’t expect anything too new or fresh, right? You don’t expect a pizza to taste like a banana. Or you shouldn’t anyway.
- Speaking of pizza, Little Caesar’s is installing windows at its new corporate headquarters shaped like a pizza slice, only without the grease and the cheap pepperoni.
- Does anyone else call it Little Squeezers, or is it just us?
- So glad the Michigan Supreme Court sided with teachers in ordering the state to repay 3 percent of their pay taken from them by the Snyder administration to pay for retiree health care. Snyder spent $200,000 of our tax money fighting the teachers’ lawsuit, even after his own attorney general dropped the case, primarily because Republicans hate unions. He should pay us back the money.
- If you’re over 40 and ever wondered why your parents seemed to live better back in the day than your family does today, even though you make way more money, I recommend a column by P.J. O’Rourke in American Consequences with the headline “The Price of Being Middle Class.” By his estimation, it cost about $20,000 (in today’s dollars) for a family of five to live an ordinary middle-class life back in 1952, including mortgage, a new car every five years, an annual vacation, and schooling the kids. Today it costs $145,000 to live the same life. Stunning, right?
- Last year, I crabbed about what I consider the worst Christmas tune ever — Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmas Time” (I just threw up in my mouth as the tune entered my head.) So now here are my all-time favorites: “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby, “Silver Bells” by Johnny Mathis, “Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams, and “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey. Aside from Carey, I don’t think there’s been a Christmas tune made after 1970 that’s worth a darn.
- Heck, while I’m at it, my two favorite Christmas movies are “Christmas Story” and “Love, Actually.” I’d add “Die Hard” but everyone gets mad at me when I say it’s a Christmas movie. (Which it is.) “Home Alone” also never gets old.
- Most overrated Christmas movie ever: “It’s a Wonderful Life.” I love Jimmy Stewart but, good grief, he chews the scenery in this.
- I have an 18-year-old son so I end up hearing a lot of hip-hop songs. In seemingly half of them, one of the “singers” (not sure singing is what they actually do – emoting, maybe) makes a cricket sound, like “bdddd-bddddd!” I tell him the Beatles would have never made cricket sounds, then I do a few bars of “Yesterday” with cricket sounds inserted. He rolls his eyes and goes back to staring at his phone. Tormenting kids with dad humor is great fun.
- He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.” – Roy L. Smith.
Image credit: DonkeyHotey
You mean ONE more dumb law, at this rate.
I would prefer a pile of dried dog turds to trump.
Perfectly said, as always, Fred! (That didn’t rhyme by design.) (Never mind,)
Merry Christmas. May we all see the beginning of the end of the Trump regime in 2018.
Hey, they don’t have to be dry!
The price of being middle class, the problem is wanting things that you don’t really need. Back in the fifties if you had one phone you were lucky. Tv in every room, lucky you had one. Tons of toys for Xmas, ah- maybe two toys. So much that this younger generation want or think they need is putting them in debt. Back in the fifties if my folks made $10,000 a year that was a good year but we were happy and we were clothed and ate well. We had loving parents and that’s the most important thing. Merry Christmas to you Andy and all the readers.
Not to mention the throw away culture, To much going to landfills instead of being repaired, taped glued nailed back. Remember repair shops 🙁
Ruby, that’s because they don’t know how to fix things. Schools are all about college prep., no mechanical skills being taught.
It is true that people don’t know how to fix things, but it is also by design that many things would cost too much to repair and it is cheaper and easier to replace them. My brother repairs electronic musical gear and many times he can’t get parts, or it isn’t worth the time and effort. So, it is a little of both.
I’m with you on the worst Christmas song. I snap the radio off the second it comes on, but still get an ear worm for hours.
Got lost reading all of P.J. O’Rourke piece. Much like Teddy Lubas comment. Very funny how vacations were, back in the day. A steak, fill up of gas, bait for fishing going to uncles cottage. $ 23.
Our vacation was going to Caseville for a picnic. Loved it, just like you loved yours. We didn’t know any better.
So you do not like the tax package passed by the republicans. Well there are parts of that I do not like. The part that I do not like is the sunset provision that ends the tax cuts in 2026. Some republican sites suggest that the cuts should occur just before the elections in 2024. The reasoning is that if the democrats regain control of CONgress and repeal the tax cuts by then, then the republicans could run of the platform that the democrats are the taxing people to death.
If all you liberals are upset that you are not paying enough in taxes, then go ahead and give more of your money to the government.
As of a little while ago AT&T, Firth Third Bancorp and a couple of corporations are giving the low end workers a $1,000.00 bonus each.
Andy when was the last time a newspaper gave you a bonus? Or when did any of the liberal writers on this site get a bonus?
For your information: Chuckie schumer, nancy pelosi diane fienstein, joe biden, and a whole lot of democrats are going to benefit from this tax plan. Why? Because you fail to understand that they are all millionaires. They probably whine and moan in public and in private they rejoice that they are going to keep more of their money.
The liberal democrats are the plutocracy.
One of the things that differ between obama and President Trump is that President Trump has not backed any business that has received millions in taxpayer money and went out of business very quickly. The democratic donors/owners of those businesses pocketed millions of YOUR tax money and laughed all the way to the bank. obama backed a number of companies that did just that.
OH, as a side note President Trump still says that he will not fire mueller. I believe him. mueller still has not found any real collusion between the Russians and President Trump. He has found some things that tie some democrats to the Russians. Along with some other questionable things that the lame stream media will not report.
Remember the Reagan tax cuts and the amount added to the national debt. Same thing is happening now.
Yeah. obama added about 8 trillion dollars to the national debt. No tax cuts. There were tax increases at the same time. The debt was over 9 trillion dollars when obama was elected and it was around 19 trillion or so when he left office. Care to try to explain why the national debt doubled in 8 years when obama was in office?
When President Reagan cut taxes I started earning more money. Under slick willey and obama I had a harder time making money.
Hmmm, how about a war Obama inherited and an economy he had to bail out because of the past republican administration. Because of this tax cut trump just added another 1.5 trillion and he’s not done yet.
You think you’re giving all money to the government under the democrats? Bend over and grab your ankles bud. It’s gonna hurt!!! Nothing for you unless you make 700,000.00. Educate yourself!
So you are admitting that the republican’s tax plan really benefits millionaires?
So Meuller shares info with you? Tell him I said hi next time you talk to him.
AT&T …Kansas City Star reports they are handing out 4000 plus pink slips.
These will be in Missouri, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois. Now that needs some publicity.
Coming out with that announcement about bonus$ , right after the bills passage looks like craven act to smooze up to the pols cause they are wanting those roadblocks to their attempt at buying Time Warner gone.
Not to mention the $1000 was negotiated into their last contract. So if they pink slip 4000 workers before the end of the year, do they save $4,000,000 in bonus payouts?
Merry Christmas to all, even including interminable Jim the Third!
Andrew, I recommend you go back to, and listen to the traditional Christmas hymns, because all of the popular music Christmas songs inevitably are shallow. “Joy to the World” is wonderful. “Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee” is a great song, unaccountably underappreciated.
Here is a wonderful Christmas suggestion for all: Please try singing “Jingle Bells,” the most popular Christmas song, to the tune of, “Yesterday,” the most-played pop song of all time. It works. Please try it. It is fun, even hilarious.
Mariah Carey?? No No No!!!
When President Trump pulled the USA out of the Paris Climate Accord, 210,597,319 Americans died.
When President Trump ended the Obama era “Net Neutrality” (actually liberal heavy handed control) 510,579,538 Americans died.
By allowing taxpayers to keep more of their money President Trump killed another 5,675,798,722 Americans.
Signed – The Democrats
There are four types of Trump supporters today; those who are in denial; those who aren’t paying attention; those who want a divided America; those who are just stupid.
Which one are you?
Fred, go stand in front of a mirror and instead of President Trump replace it with obamma,
There are 3 types of obama supporters along with the democratic party;
1. Those who are in denial about what obama did. It was his campaign promise to “fundamentally to change America. He achieved some of his goals, if hilliary had gotten into the White House, she would of finished the job
2. Those who want a divided America. The democrats are doing that by using class warfare, sexism, racial division, along with a long list of other items.
3. Those who are not intelligent enough to understand history and look at what happened to countries that were forced to adopt socialist/ communist/liberal policies. lenin murdered a lot of people after he got into office. He started with the “White Russians” then he moved on to others. Stalin murdered around 30 million or so Ukrainians in the 1930’s. Hitler had over 6 million murdered that did meet the nazi standard. No matter what you and other democrats say, Hitler was a socialist. Stalin was a communist.
If we were in the time of the American Revolution the liberals would be tories. They would oppose the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
I could add more but it would be more that you and Andrew Heller could comprehend.
People who don’t like Obama, feel that way for one of two reasons; he is black, his big words make them feel inferior.
Which one are you?
As i have for some time now fred, liberals and socialists are the most racist people on the planet. I started to really learn that way back in 1972.
I learned that lesson from hanging around the tolerant liberals. They would make oike they were all for everyone being the same. As soon as the blacks and hispanics left, the “liberals” would show their true colors and start saying nasty things about them. Why were they dating white German women, that upset some of them the most.
I had a few black officers and NCO’s that were over me in the years that I stayed in the Army reserve and other places. We got along ok. They gave the orders and I did them to the best of my ability. Sometimes the biggest trouble I had with some of the orders I was given came from the white officers and NCO’s.
obama’s use of “big words” did not phase me. I have worked with men and women in the past that could use “big words” that are more intense than what obama used. All of them did not need a teleprompter to help them speak. Whenever obama spoke without the aid of a teleprompter he had trouble articulating what he was trying to say. He used an a lot of ahhhss and mmmms when he had to stop and think of what he was going to say.
But Jim III, you are racist and support racists. Are you a liberal?
You poor, triggered little snowflake. These next 7 years are going to be rough on you. Try not to cry too much.
#maga
It sounds like you are fantasizing about your guns again.
WD. He won’t make it though the first term. Needs to resign now. He’s a sexual deviate that likes to grab unexpected women by the vagina. You say you are a dad? Do you have any daughters? Granddaughters? You condone this guy? You’re are just as big as a perv as him. Don’t cry to much when he is forced to resign.
OK jim says, when did President Trump grab women by the vagina? Are you referring to the tape where he was talking to someone about the women in the beauty contests and other venues would allow someone like harvey weinstein to grope them in order to get a better shot at a career.
If there ever was a pervert in the presidency it was slick willey. Along with LBJ. JFK also. I am not going to say that all republicans were saints and did not chase after women or have women chase after them.
They should have all been removed from office. Different day and age now. There are several women that leveled accusations against trump. Are you going to tell me the woman are all liars?
“Mr. Trump: Yeah, that’s her. With the gold. I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.
Mr. Bush: Whatever you want.
Mr. Trump: Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.”
Take a look at what Fifth Third Bank is doing as soon as the new tax plan becomes law. $15 minimum and $1000.00 to all except top management. Appears to be a nice start!
$1000.00 to all except top management, top management will probable get $100,000.00.
And Very Merry Christmad to you, Ted.
So they couldnt afford to do that before? Gullible aren’t you?
I guess I must be gullible, Fred, or maybe I like to stay positive. Merry Christmas to you, also.
I guess I must be gullible, Fred, or maybe I like to stay positive. Merry Christmas to you, also. We will have a Happy New Year!
I guess you must be too.
Positive yes but realistic too. Republicans aren’t.
It’s about time they start paying a living wage. I continue to watch worker numbers in our downtown branch dwindle down and banking hours shorten.
Repurposed Christmas Song
♫♫♫
You better watch out, you better not lie,
You better not tweet, I’m telling you why,
Santa Claus is dumping the clown.
He’s making the list and checking it twice,
He knows Don is one who’s naughty, not nice,
Santa Claus is dumping the clown.
♫♫♫
Like it!!!
Here you go Andy. This one you can recite all day long.
Very good Christmas music: The Phil Spector Christmas Album!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pVon5xDARc
Absolutely. Love Darlene Love’s rendition of Christmas. Miss watching her sing on Letterman’s last show before Christmas. It was a family tradition.
Andy,
Totally agree with your top two Christmas movies. Can’t agree with Carey’s version of “All I Want for Christmas.” Love the song, just not her singing. Watched White Christmas last night. No one sings that song better than Bing Crosby. Another of my favorites is the Crosby/Bowie duet of Little Drummer Boy.
We call the pizza chain Little Sneezers.
Thank you for your continued support of teachers. The MEA and AFT fought long and hard in the court system to get ALL school employees’ money back. I think Snyder was so confident that a Republican-appointed Michigan Supreme Court would eventually rule in his favor, that he wasted taxpayer money on all the appeals. He should have to pay that money back with interest.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. My wish for all of us is that we can once again show respect for other peoples’ views and opinions without resorting to name calling when we disagree. Besides the lying and alleged sexual misconduct, the name calling that the Trump Administration has made popular makes my stomach turn.
“So glad the Michigan Supreme Court sided with teachers in ordering the state to repay 3 percent of their pay taken from them by the Snyder administration to pay for retiree health care. ”
Andy, the money was originally “taken” by Granholm, not Snyder.
I know you know this.
Come on man, be better than this. Half a truth is often the most insidious of lies.
The reason we are where we are is because of these games that favor one partisan-tuned fact over another.
If you absolutely must, you can equivocate reality by saying that Snider fought to the bitter end with taxpayer money to keep the 3%. But really, you only publicly insult your own intelligence if you pretend that Granholm wouldn’t have done exactly the same after having the money taken in the first place.
Stop being part of the problem. Have as much respect for your integrity as I do for your intelligence.
The same 3% was deducted from State workers’ paychecks. However, their money was returned in January 2012 when it was apparent the law would be ruled unconstitutional. Explain to me why school employees’ money wasn’t returned at the same time. The money was in an escrow account, so the State couldn’t use the excuse it was short on cash at the time. I agree with Andy. Republicans hate unions and have done all they can to try to weaken the MEA and AFT.
Right, I’m not disagreeing with you, but understand that both things can be true, not just the ones that agree with one partisan narrative or another.
I agree with you, too. Granholm signed the faulty bill. I should have included that in my comment. My bad. Please remember that all school employees were affected. Thank you for respectfully reminding me. Merry Christmas!