HardSchell Report

Spoken or Tweeted Meaning Believe Me! What I just said is either a lie, a boast with no substance, or a benighted observation about something important or possibly completely unimportant. Nobody knew I had no idea. I found out ten minutes ago (but it is common knowledge.) Since you are the unwashed masses and gullible I am going to pretend that this is a new bit of wisdom and take credit for discovering it. We will see I am important . . .

Let’s admit that Iran’s Hassan Rouhani and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un are smart. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same for our guy. For the past sixteen years the US has deployed our technically superior war machine as the solution to problems in Afghanistan and Iraq with unforgivably negative results. The armaments suppliers and defense contractors have done quite well, as have the brass who have burnished their careers. Now our current benighted “commander” is enthralled by the generals (and . . .

Remember healthcare? The administration has embarked on a passive aggressive campaign to subvert the ACA: Cost-sharing subsidies are approved month by month with the implication that they could suddenly stop Withholding financial support for “navigators” Suggesting that the IRS won’t enforce mandates. Rather than accepting the failure to repeal and replace the plan is to create uncertainty so that the markets “implode” putting millions of people in jeopardy for the sake of an ego. What is behind this cowardly approach? . . .

At the risk of sounding unpatriotic, I place the blame for the Navy’s recent lethal collisions between their state-of-the-art destroyers and huge lumbering cargo ships on the top brass. The excuse percolating out of the fog is that the Navy is over-extended and does not have enough resources. According to Wikipedia we have 66 destroyers – not enough? Maybe not for the war industry that President Eisenhower warned us against? Apparently, the destroyers from Navy’s Seventh Fleet are cruising around . . .

We are in some bit of danger from our elected leader who has at best a simplistic understanding of today’s world. There are many factors which affect economic growth. These factors work in combination and taking them out of context to make blustery speeches does more harm than good. Factors such as research and development, corruption control, and cultural diversity all influence a healthy economy. Unfortunately, these are all targets for the current administration to either remove or stymie. Problems: . . .

Being a member of congress is a great gig, despite all the “sacrifice and exhausting public service.” Why do some of these characters hang on for decades? I agree with Randy Bryce, Paul Ryan’s long shot iron worker opponent. They should trade places – an excellent idea. Rand Paul is warning his colleagues that they will have to explain their healthcare positions to their “republican” constituents and face their wrath when they return home for the summer. Do these “public . . .

According to Fred Barnes in an opinion piece in WSJ 7/17/2017: “Politics is a team sport…. legislative success depends on operating as a team”. Wouldn’t a better measure of success be based on legislation that works for the country rather than winning as a team for political benefit? Granted, there are times when having “serious doubts” may require some courage. That is what we should expect and demand. Maybe Republicans care “passionately about ending Obamacare” but the majority of citizens . . .

The Commander-In-Chief has given “total authorization” to the military. This seems better than having a man-child making decisions to shoot or not, but does represent a fundamental dereliction of duty. There is a reason that tradition and the constitution assign the authority (and responsibility – that is the rub) to the President for control of the military. Has anyone mentioned to the “commander” that responsibility is not absolved, despite any efforts at blame shifting? This tactic, increased military-industrial investment, and . . .