Alternative Facts

Welcome to the world of "alternative facts."

There is a much simpler term for what White House advisor Kellyanne Conway called alternative facts.  The term is lies.  There are no alternative facts in the real world.  There are facts and then there are falsehoods.

It is a fact that of the eight planets in our solar system, Mercury is the planet closest to the sun. What Sean Spicer did would be akin to claiming that it is actually Uranus that is the planet closest to the sun.  That would be an alternative fact.  It would also be a lie.  An untruth.  A distortion.  A prevarication.

Why would the Trump Administration draw a line in the sand over the trivial issue of whether or not the inauguration was a success?  Why does it have to have been the biggest crowd in history, when it clearly wasn't.  I won't waste your time with another reiteration of all of the lies told by Mr. Spicer but there were a lot of them.  

Rather than ignoring the photos that showed a relatively empty National Mall for the Trump inauguration side-by-side with the throngs that were there in 2009 for the first inauguration of Barrack Obama, Mr. Trump and his minions pounced like hungry lions on this attack against him.  How dare anyone, let alone the media, show off that his inauguration was anything but the best ever?

Considering how often and frequently Donald Trump and those who speak for him lie, you'd think they would be better at it.

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Conversely, the Women's March on Saturday was an amazing success.  The pictures tell the story.

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Friday fatigue

I was so tired after work yesterday that I was unable to write a Thursday blog.  I guess learning to live with my physical limitations includes learning to accept that there will be days I cannot do all I want to do.  Since I'm prioritizing work at the moment, other things get the energy left after work is done.

I'm glad to be working today though for the sole reason I'll be in the office and isolated from the inauguration.  I would not have watched the coverage anyway, but now it won't be in the background.

Found it kind of interesting that Ivanka Trump and her husband had to get rabbinical approval to ride in a car after sundown today.  As Orthodox Jews, they would not normally be able to do that.

When I drive to work, if there is too much traffic on Overland I will duck over to Sepulveda.  Overland turns into Westwood and both Westwood and Sepulveda Boulevards pass beneath the Santa Monica Freeway.  I find it interesting that in the Sepulveda underpass there are a number of homeless people living there in tents, but the same is not true of the Westwood underpass.  Why this disparity?

Magic Johnson had dinner with Jeannie Buss and the sports media wants to make something out of it.  He can't take an ownership stake in the Lakers while he is part of the ownership of the Dodgers.  Jeannie's brother Jim has said he will step down from his post as executive vice-president of basketball operations if the team isn't going in the "right direction."  Stay tuned.

Lots of memes about today's inauguration making the rounds.  This one pretty much sums it up.

When Chelsea Manning is released from military prison this May, she will lose all access to medical treatment through the military and VA.  That is because of the loss of her veterans benefits due to her having been dishonorably discharged from the Army.  Will those who passionately advocated for her release step forward to pick up the tab for her continued medical expenses that are part of her transition?

Anyone who buys into Donald Trump's statement that his plan will provide cheaper, better health insurance for all should read this column by David Lazarus of the Los Angeles Times.

Comparisons

Conservatives are criticizing the choice of dozens of Democratic members of Congress to boycott the inauguration of Donald Trump this coming Friday.  As I write this the number stands at 65 and it may well increase between now and noon Friday.  One of the criticisms being leveled is that this is unprecedented.

There is some validity to that charge.  In 2013 when a number of Republicans chose to skip the second inauguration of Barrack Obama it wasn't announced publicly.  They merely made other plans.  Then Texas Governor Rick Perry made a point of giving his only substantive interview of the entire year dealing with policy at the exact moment the inauguration began.

However, comparing this inauguration to those that have come before is a misnomer.  There is no valid comparison because there are so many things about the incoming president, the campaign and what has transpired over the past 18 months are are also unprecedented.  How is this inauguration different than any in the past?  Because we've never had a man about to take the oath of office who has:

Lied as much, or as often as Donald Trump has.  There has probably been no prior president, including George Washington, who did not tell lies during the campaign.  But Donald Trump has reached new levels of dishonesty.  He continues to deny having mocked a disabled reporter.

Been in breach of a contract with the government's General Services Administration the moment he took the oath of office.

Failed to release his tax returns, at least for the past four decades.

Suffered a Net Operating Loss on his personal income taxes of nearly $1 billion.

Filed for business bankruptcy multiple times and costing his investors billions of dollars.

Been accused of sexual harassment and assault to the degree such charges have been leveled at Donald Trump.

Been being sued for fraud with a deposition date pending after the election date.

Engaged in a Twitter war with anyone who he feels has said something unflattering about him.

Publicly criticized the father and mother of a fallen soldier.

* * *

Then there is the question of Russian hacking and its influence on the election.  Never before has multiple intelligence agencies of this nation determined that another nation attempted to interfere in our presidential elections.

As noted in an earlier blog, the Russians have not been accused of successfully hacking into the systems that handled the votes of Americans.  Did they hack the DNC?  Apparently so.  Did that cost Hillary Clinton the election all by itself?  No.

However, the question of foreign interference in our election has never presented itself in this way before.  This is also unprecedented.

* * *

Is it a sign of disrespect to the American people to boycott the inauguration?  No.  It is a sign of disrespect to the man taking the oath of office.  We must respect the office.  We need to refer to Donald Trump as Mister President, President Trump and so on, once he is sworn in.  The office deserves that respect.

As to whether or not the man deserves your respect, that's up to you.

Come May, Chelsea Manning is a free woman

Among the hundreds of sentence commutations and dozens of pardons passed out today by President Barrack Obama as his presidency winds down was one for Chelsea Manning.  She will be released in May of this year and will have served seven years of the 35 year sentence she was given after being found guilty on 20 of 22 charges against her.

Conservatives are aghast.  Progressives aren't happy either but only because it took so long for this commutation to take place.  Remember that commutation is not the same as a pardon.  Manning remains a convicted felon and with her dishonorable discharge has lost almost all of the veterans benefits most former military personnel receive after leaving the service.

She isn't being released immediately as this period from now through May will provide time to arrange from her transition from military prisoner to freed civilian.

There is the fact that she received a much longer sentence than most who leak classified information.  Before you try to make a comparison between Manning and Jonathan Pollard, remember that Pollard pleaded guilty to the far more serious charge of espionage.

So is this a case of balancing the scales of justice?  Is Chelsea Manning receiving this commutation because she's tried to kill herself twice?  Because she's a transgender woman?  I do not believe those things were part of President Obama's thought process.  I believe he felt that seven years behind bars was an appropriate punishment for the transgressions of Chelsea Manning.

The White House was asked how what she did was different from the actions of Edward Snowden.  Their response pointed out the fact that Snowden fled to a foreign land to escape prosecution while Manning went through the justice system.  The two cases of leaking classified material are very different when you take that into account.

On my way home from work today a pundit on talk radio made the point that President Obama has now issued pardons and commutations during his eight years that total more than the 11 presidents who immediately preceded him.

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Not just another Monday

Today is the day we celebrate the birth of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  It is also the last Monday before Donald Trump will become President of the United States.  Charges of racism, bigotry, sexism, homophobia and more have been leveled about the President-Elect.  Making today an excellent opportunity to examine the accuracy of these labels.

First off, we can all agree that he is definitely a bully.  He has called himself a "counter-puncher" but the fact is he will hit first when he feels it is appropriate.

Can we agree that someone who talks about grabbing women by the p***y is a sexist and/or misogynist?  I think so.

Is he a homophobe?  I don't know but the fact is he is not opposed to laws that would allow people to discriminate against the LGBTQ community and I think that is reprehensible.

Now let's get to the meat and potatoes of this discussion, given what day it is.  Is Donald Trump a racist?

I don't see him ever joining the KKK or anything like that, but his record of discrimination in housing back in the 1970s speaks for itself.  His failure to denounce the racist rhetoric among his supporters also speaks volumes.  In the end, if you don't actively oppose racism, then you are part of the problem.

* * *

American Apparel, headquartered in Los Angeles and the largest garment maker in the U.S. has begun to lay off 2,400 workers.  Their stores may close as well, as the purchaser of the company's assets currently has plans to operate those stores through April of this year.  Their future is unknown.

Where is Donald Trump, savior of jobs this time?  Is he less concerned about losing jobs in states that did not vote for him?

* * *

Kamiyah Mobley was kidnapped as a newborn and raised for 18 years by the woman who is accused of having stolen her.  This part of the story has been big news since the truth about her origins was uncovered.  The woman who is accused of taking her is in jail.  The 18 year old is being reunited with her parents.

But there is another victim here.  The man who raised her as his own daughter, Charles Manigo.  For 18 years she called him dad.  Even when he and the accused child-stealer broke up, he continued to be raise her.

Her biological parents, the man who raised her and this young woman are all victims.  I hope they put the woman accused of taking her behind bars for a long, long time.

* * *

The B-Street Band is a Bruce Springsteen cover band that's been around since 1980.  They were signed to play at the Garden State Inaugural Ball coming up as part of this year's inauguration back in 2013.  Now they are backing out of the deal, even if it means taking a financial hit for breaching the contract.

It isn't their own politics driving this choice.  But that doesn't stop me from admiring it.

* * *

In Roseville Michigan, a man refused to commit to a long-term relationship with a woman.  As he slept, she stabbed him nine times before he could get out of the apartment they were in.

He's going to live but is currently hospitalized in serious condition.  She's in jail.

I'm guessing the relationship is off.

* * *

As the confirmation hearings for Trump's cabinet picks get underway, of the 14 still needing to sit for those hearings, only five have turned in the required paperwork to the Office of Government Ethics. 

Didn't we hear Reince Preibus talking about how transparent the Trump Administration would be?  Right about the time he denied that Republicans ever questioned where President Obama was actually born.

* * *

A friend put the following on his Facebook page.

"Copy this and post as a status update. List 10 albums that made a lasting impression on you as a TEENAGER, but only one per band/artist. Don't take too long and don't think.
These are in no particular order. You whippersnappers keep in mind when you were teens and when I was a teen."

Here are my ten.

Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Toto - Toto
Led Zeppelin - Untitled (known as Led Zeppelin IV)
The Beatles - Rubber Soul
Stevie Wonder - Talking Book
Paul McCartney and Wings - Band on the Run
Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic
The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed
Harry Chapin - Verities and Balderdash
The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers

It was very difficult to pick only ten.

Sunday Stuff

The WWE Universe has lost another Hall of Fame member  Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka has passed away at the age of 73.  Cause of death was not immediately available.  He had been facing charges of murder in the death of his girlfriend back in 1983 but a judge dismissed the case against him two weeks ago.  At the time his doctors said he had only six months to live.  RIP, Superfly.

* * *

Just read a story about how Jon Hamm has gone from playing an advertising exec on TV to being pitchman for H&R Block.  Story ran in the Boston Globe.  Of course, he got tax day wrong, it's April 18th this year, not April 15th.  And his claim that Jon Hamm is the first celebrity to appear in H&R Block commercials is wrong as well.  NBA star Anthony Davis has done commercials for the company in recent years as did Willie Nelson back in 2003.  #FactCheckFail

* * *

Hidden Figures won the weekend box office wars, maintaining the top spot for a second straight weekend.  Patriots Day was supposed to compete for the top spot but finished a disappointing 6th in its first weekend in wide release. The seven Golden Globe wins for La La Land prompted it to rise from its 5th place finish last weekend to a strong 2nd and it had the highest per-screen gross of any film in wide release.

* * *

It looks like Donald Trump's feud with Congessman John Lewis is causing the list of people who won't be at his inauguration to grow, with the addition of a number of members of Congress.  The number of members of the California congressional delegation that will skip the Friday festivities may be as high as one in five.  Donald Trump doesn't have enough money to convince me to attend or watch the inauguration.

* * *

According to Oxfam, a charity dedicated to ending poverty, eight men have as much wealth combined between them as the poorest half of the planet. 

Amancio Ortega
Warren Buffett
Carlos Slim
Jeff Bezos
Bill Gates
Michael Bloomberg
Larry Ellison
Mark Zuckerberg

The inequality of wealth and income continues to widen and a Trump administration will do nothing to reverse this trend.

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Got this very cool hat from a grateful customer on Sunday.  Love it!!

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Saturday news items

You won't notice it but next Friday, right in the middle of the presidential inauguration of Donald J. Trump, the general officer who commands the D.C. National Guard troops that will be guarding the festivities will be stepping down.

Major General Errol Schwartz is a political appointee and as such had submitted his resignation.  Traditionally most such resignations are not acted on immediately.  But the Trump transition team is making a point of "cleaning house" in this manner.  That's why the man who has been the volunteer voice of inaugurations for decades was replaced by a Trump supporter.  It is why all of this nation's ambassadors will be gone from their embassies on Inauguration Day. 

Meanwhile, the people Trump is putting into positions of power are exactly the type he promised to drain from the "swamp" of Washington, D.C.  General Schwartz received his commission as an Army Guard officer over 30 years ago. 

* * *

The city of Biloxi, Mississippi is under attack because it sent out a tweet from its official account regarding the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday that read as follows:

“Non-emergency municipal offices in Biloxi will be closed on Monday in observance of Great Americans Day,”“Non-emergency municipal offices in Biloxi will be closed on Monday in observance of Great Americans Day”

Biloxi is a city with an economy that depends on its tourism business as the home of a number of hotel/casinos on the Gulf Coast.  The tweet's title for the official holiday dates back to 1985 when the City Council issued a proclamation giving the holiday that label. 

Not smart.

* * *

Martin Shkreli is best known for his decision to raise the price of a drug astronomically after he purchased Turing Pharmaceuticals.  Currently he is out on bail while awaiting trial on federal securities fraud charges.

He was slated to be a special guest at UC Davis as part of a tour by alt-right darling Milo Yiannopoulos.  The appearance was met with a large protest and had to be canceled but Shkreli decided to hang out.  That's what he was pelted in the face with what some say was dog poop.

That's news in and of itself.  But what really caught my eye was the TMZ.com version of the story, where they got his name right but blamed him for the dramatic increase in the cost of the Epi-Pen.  Just in case they catch their error and fix it, here's the text:

"Martin Shkreli has taken a lot of crap for raising the price of EpiPen ... and now that's happened literally."

* * *

* * *

Caitlyn Jenner is going to attend the Trump inauguration.  She used social media to send out a photo of her recent 24 karat gold facial.

She's being criticized for going to the inauguration in light of the view of the President-Elect and his supporters on LGBTQ rights.  Jennifer Holliday recently canceled her appearance there for precisely this reason.  Marie Osmond and R. Kelly are also not going to be performing there.

* * *

Recognizing valor

Happy Friday.  It is January 13, 2017.  At a ceremony today at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina, five veterans will be recognized for their heroism.  The medals they are receiving are upgrades to prior awards.

Marine Corps Sergeant Michael Mendoza was awarded the Silver Star for his service in Iraq.  The medal was presented to him in 2005 for his actions in April of 2004 in Anbar Province.  Now that award will be upgraded to the Navy Cross, the nation's second highest award for combat heroism.  The other four men will receive Silver Stars that are upgrades of previously awarded Bronze Stars with the V device (V for valor).  All four have left military service.

This ceremony is the first of what will undoubtedly be a number of similar events.  At the beginning of last year the Pentagon began a review of over 1,000 awards for valor that had been made since the events of 9/11.  It is kind of ironic that the first ceremony involving awards that were reviewed involves Navy personnel considering that the Navy was the only branch of service that initially opposed the review of previous awards.

The stated reason for the review was a concern that during 15 years of combat, the standards for valor had changed.  Congressman Duncan Hunter of California had called the review "long overdue" when it was announced last January.  "It's a systemic problem," Hunter said. "I'm glad they're finally getting around to fixing it. This is military bureaucracy at its worst."


These reviews are a good thing as long as the standard isn't being lowered.  Valor must be recognized properly.  One of the persistent problems the military has had is with inflation of awards (usually for service and not for valor) and the inflation of performance evaluation.  During the ten years I served, enlisted personnel were evaluated on a scale from zero to nine.  I saw a study that showed 92% of all enlisted performance reviews had overall ratings of nine, and 99% were eight or better.  Is there an inflation of award level going on here?  I do not believe so.

As long as we are conducting reviews and trying to have consistent standards for judging and recognizing valor in combat, it is long past time to go back and reevaluate the number of confirmed kills that Marine Corps sniper Carlos Hathcock is credited with.  The official record shows 93 confirmed kills for Gunnery Sergeant Hathcock.   Chris Kyle, who is considered to be the most lethal sniper in U.S. history is credited with more than 150 confirmed kills, although the exact number has never been officially verified.

But the standard was different for Chief Petty Officer Kyle than it was for Gunnery Sergeant Hathcock.  During the Vietnam War, not only the sniper and spotter have to have witnessed the kill for it to count, a third-party also had to verify the kill.  That third-party had to be a commissioned officer.  The standard for Chief Kyle's kills did not include that requirement.  Gunny Hathcock estimated that his kill total was between 300 and 400.

It may be that Chief Kyle's actual kill number is higher than Gunny Hathcock's.  We will never know.  Nor will there be a review of those kills.  But in my mind, the issue of who was the most lethal sniper in U.S. history is not cut and dried.

As to the most lethal sniper in the history of the world, it isn't an American.  Finland's Simo Häyhä had 505 confirmed kills of Russian soldiers during the 1939/1940 Winter War between the two nations.

* * *

Rosie O'Donnell has been feuding for a long time with Donald Trump.  Now she's put out a tweet that says she would support the imposition of martial law to delay Trump's inauguration until he can be "...cleared of all charges."

While I would be pleased to see anyone other than Donald Trump taking the oath of office next Friday, martial law is not appropriate.  Like it or not, no formal charges have been brought against Mr Trump.  There are allegations and allegations do not preclude an elected official from taking office.  We are a nation of laws and due process and we can't just pick and choose when we want to suspend those laws.

The rush to repeal Obamacare

With the Republicans in control of the legislative and executive branches of government in less than ten days, they are moving at maximum warp speed to repeal the Affordable Care Act.  I have to wonder about what those people who current have health insurance coverage through the ACA who voted for Donald Trump will do when they discover that they've lost that coverage.

The thing is, there are more than a few of them that actually appear to believe that Obamacare is not the same thing as the Affordable Care Act.  I've heard speculation that had Obamacare never become the label for this law, the required sentiment to repeal it might have never come into existence.  That is something that cannot be objectively proven, but it makes a lot of sense.

In attempting to frame the discussion in a light to point out the problems with repealing the ACA, those who want the law to remain in force are focusing on the potential loss of the prohibition against insurers denying or limiting coverage to those who have pre-existing conditions. 

If I were attempting to purchase homeowners or renters insurance for my residence, there are pre-existing conditions that would come into play in how much of a premium I would pay.  My zip code, because if my residence was located in a neighborhood with a higher than normal crime rate.  How many claims I'd put in on this type of insurance in the past.  The proximity of my residence to potential hazards.

The same applies to getting automobile insurance coverage.  The number of moving violations I have would be one such condition.  So would the number of accidents I'd been involved in within the past few years. 

So why are those kinds of insurance policies permitted to be issued based on those pre-existing conditions, but under the ACA, such limits are prohibited?   Because not having automobile insurance or renters insurance won't result in you dying due to the lack of coverage.

However, it must be recognized that a system where people who don't "need" health insurance and can go out and get it after they get sick or injured is not a workable system either.  No one is going to go out and try to buy an automobile insurance policy after they've had an accident while not having coverage.  Actually they might try, but it won't happen.

The Republicans in Congress have no plan to replace the ACA.  Here's a thought.

Let the ACA remain in effect until January 1 of 2018.  On that date, it would be replaced by a new system.  Every individual in the nation would have the opportunity to opt in, or opt out.  But for anyone who opts out, they would not be eligible for enrollment in the new system until they become eligible for Medicare.  Not Medicaid, but Medicare.  Further, for anyone who chose to opt out of the system, they could not get rid of medical bills through bankruptcy.  Medical debt for those who chose to opt out cannot discharge any obligations incurred for healthcare in bankruptcy.

The system would provide a basic level of benefits.  Premiums and deductibles would be based on household income.  Insurance companies would all be able to offer the basic policy and would compete in a marketplace to sell supplemental policies that would provide lowered out of pocket costs and enhanced levels of coverage.

Families living below the poverty level would be enrolled in the system at no cost to them.  The billions poured into public healthcare facilities at the state and county level could be redirected to pay for this coverage. Those who have opted out of the system would not have a fallback of publicly funded healthcare..

This is a basic outline and not designed to be a complete solution to this problem.  But it is certainly better than the non-existent plans of the Republicans in Congress.

Trump's Press Conference

Donald Trump says no one cares about his tax returns.  He's wrong.
Donald Trump says we would learn more about his finances from the financial disclosure forms he was required to file than from his tax returns.  He's wrong about that too.

So what can we learn from his tax returns that we cannot learn from his financial disclosures?

We can learn if he actually paid ANY income tax in a given year.  As an employer he may have paid payroll taxes, unemployment taxes and the like; but those taxes are not based on his income.  His tax returns will tell us if he paid any taxes on any income.

We can learn how much money he donated to charities and which charities he supported.  That information isn't in his financial disclosure forms.  We can see proof positive of what we already know from the tax returns from his private foundation; that he has not donated a single dollar of his own money to his private foundation since 2008.

We can see the specific net income/loss from each of the S-Corporations he owns, and see if he's as tremendous a businessman as he claims to be.

When the Clintons released their tax returns, I was able to learn that they'd claimed $1.7 million in expenses for over $7 million in income earned in India.  We still don't know where that income came from in that foreign nation.

There is information in the Trump tax returns that is not in his financial disclosure forms and he knows it.  He doesn't want us to know it.

If you agree, sign the petition.

Headlines and ponderings

Donald Trump says Meryl Streep is an "overrated" actress.  She's been recognized by her peers with three Academy Awards and a whole slew of nominations.  Then again, in his mind he's the greatest actor on Earth.  His acting managed to convince over 62 million people that he is qualified to be President.

* * *

Apparently Sylvester Stallone had a problem with the seats assigned for himself and his wife at the Golden Globes and wound up watching from backstage.  They plan these ceremonies down to the smallest detail but somehow things got screwed up and there weren't enough seats for Sly and his wife to sit down?

* * *

A woman was arrested for allegedly sending men to rape the wife of the man who she'd once been engaged to.  Turns out that the wife framed the former fiancee.  You have to have a lot of hate in your heart to do something like that.

* * *

Students at UCLA protested the return of a tenured professor to the classroom after his suspension for sexual harassment allegations.  While he paid a fine and accepted suspension without pay for one academic quarter, he never admitted wrongdoing. 

The University paid settlements to the two graduate students who made the allegations.  Protests against his return prompted the cancellation of his classes.  Now the university will videotape his classes so students who don't want to attend in person don't have to.  That's a good compromise, which will allow the protests and the classes to continue.

* * *

Best news of the day is that the Dodgers finally announced that they'd signed Kenley Jansen to a new contract.

* * *

Dylan Roof has been sentenced to die.   He did murder nine people after all.  My question is, how long will it take before he is executed.  They got Timothy McVeigh from death sentence to execution in only four years.

Roof will go to the Federal Death Row in Terre Haute, IN.  Now there are difference between that Death Row and the various state-level death rows.  Then again, three of the dozens of convicts on Federal Death Row have been awaiting execution since 1993 (all for the same murders).

Hopefully Roof's execution won't take quite so long.

* * *

Back in 2000, Spike Lee put out a film, "The Original Kings of  Comedy."  I'm watching it cable at the moment and found in it a metaphor to define the last 16 years.  Cedric the Entertainer is doing a bit and he started talking about how the national debt was "6 Trillion Dollars." 

Want to see where our national debt is now?  Take a look.

* * *

Are the Chicago Cubs accepting President Obama's invite to visit the White House before he leaves office because they share a love of Chicago, or because they aren't interesting in visiting Donald Trump?  We will never know.

The headline is misleading

The headline reads "Get ready to pay $500 more in taxes in 2017."  That ought to catch anyone's eye, unless the reader doesn't pay any taxes.  So does it apply to you?  Depends.

Did you earn at least $118,500 or more in salary or self-employment income in 2016?  Will you earn more than $127,200 or more in salary or self-employment income in 2017?  Unless you did and will, then this change won't have any impact on your total tax bill in 2017.

What is happening is that the maximum amount of employment earnings subject to the Social Security tax is being raised and not by a small amount.  Look at the history of that maximum earnings amount since 2000.

2000 - $76,200
2001 - $80,400
2002 - $84,900
2003 - $87,000
2004 - $87,900
2005 - $90,000
2006 - $94,200
2007 - $97,500
2008 - $102,000
2009 - $106,800
2010 - $106,800
2011 - $106,800
2012 - $110,100
2013 - $113,700
2014 - $117,000
2015 - $118,500
2016 - $118,500
2017 - $127,200

That represents an increase of 7.3%, the largest such increase in 34 years.  This isn't the new Congress taking action.  The so-called "FICA Cap" isn't based on inflation.  It is based on growth in the National Average Wage Index, which grew by 3.5% in 2015.  It also grew by 3.6% in 2014 but they couldn't raise the cap last year.  Seems that the law mandates there be no increase in the FICA Cap in any year where recipients of Social Security do not receive an increase in their benefits.

Unless you are fortunate enough to earn more than those amounts, you won't be paying any extra taxes.  And if you do earn that much and will pay this additional amount in taxes, that's a good problem to have.

* * *

Apparently the hypocrisy of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is even worse than we originally led to believe.

When President Obama nominated Merrick Garland to fill the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court created by the death of Antonin Scalia, Senator McConnell made it clear that there would be no hearings on the nomination until after the election.  This was historic.  The Constitution does not limit the power of a lame-duck president to make appointments to the Supreme Court.

After Democrats began talking about delaying confirmation hearings for whoever Donald Trump nominates to fill that vacancy, Senator McConnell began talking about how wrong it would be to attempt to block confirmation hearings.

Now the Senate's Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer has recycled a letter that Senator McConnell sent to former Majority Leader Harry Reid, regarding President Obama's cabinet nominees.

How time changes things.  Now Senator McConnell wants the Senate to confirm the nominees of President-Elect Trump without all of the vetting he mentions in this letter.

In point of fact, had the aforementioned Senator Reid not invoked the nuclear option back in 2013, the Democratic minority in the Senate could have filibustered the nominees of Donald Trump indefinitely.  But that is no longer possible.  The most that can be done in terms of delaying those confirmations is a maximum of 30 hours of debate.

I wish Senator Reid had not invoked the nuclear option.  I'd have been fine with the Senate's Democrats filibustering any Trump nominee to the Supreme Court for the entirety of Trump's time in the Oval Office.

* * *

Acceptance speeches - Gratitude or Bully Pulpit

I watched the entire Golden Globes Award show tonight.  I expected La La Land to do well but not to sweep all seven of the awards it was nominated for.  Is this a tribute to how good it is, or simply the Hollywood Foreign Press Association membership (all 90 or so of them) feels about musicals?

What prompted me to blog about this tonight before I go to bed is the acceptance speech Meryl Streep gave in accepting the Cecille B. DeMille award on this night.

You can read the entire text of her remarks here.  I don't disagree with any of her sentiments and had I been in the audience I would have joined in applauding her comments.  Here is one excerpt.

"But there was one performance this year that stunned me. It sank its hooks in my heart. Not because it was good; there was nothing good about it. But it was effective and it did its job. It made its intended audience laugh, and show their teeth. It was that moment when the person asking to sit in the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled reporter. Someone he outranked in privilege, power and the capacity to fight back. It kind of broke my heart when I saw it, and I still can’t get it out of my head, because it wasn’t in a movie. It was real life. And this instinct to humiliate, when it’s modeled by someone in the public platform, by someone powerful, it filters down into everybody’s life, because it kinda gives permission for other people to do the same thing. Disrespect invites disrespect, violence incites violence. And when the powerful use their position to bully others we all lose. O.K., go on with it."

The question in my mind, is it appropriate to use the stage at an awards show to deliver a political message?  The only reason the people in that room and a large segment of the worldwide audience aren't taking issue with her remarks is because they share her beliefs.

What if an award winner were to get up in front of this audience and delivered a speech extolling the virtues of Donald J. Trump, our nation's President-Elect, instead of taking issue with what he did on the campaign trail?  Almost every person who applauded her comments would have sat in stone silence, probably too polite to boo and catcall.

Partisan politics are important.  Political messages are important.  Engaging in resisting the upcoming attempts to limit our freedoms is extremely important.  I'm just not sure that award shows is the right forum for these messages.

New Year - New Memes

Saw this one today.

In case this is the first of my blogs that you've read, I am not a fan of Donald J. Trump.  I did not vote for Hillary Clinton, I voted against Donald Trump.  But I feel compelled to point out that this meme's simplistic approach to comparing the margin of popular vote loss between 2016, 1824, 1872 and 1888 are plain wrong.

In the 2016 election, roughly 42% of the U.S. population voted.  In those other three elections, the percentages look like this:

1824 - 3.3%
1876 - 20.5%
1888 - 21.7%

At the time of the 2016 election, the U.S. population was 324,000,000.  In those other three elections, the population figures look like this:

1824 - 10,800,000
1876 - 41,000,000
1888 - 52,500,000

If we adjust the margin of loss for those much earlier elections, when the population and turnout were much lower, the margins of loss look like this:

1824 - John Quincy Adams loses by 14.2 million votes
1876 - Rutherford B. Hayes loses by 4 million votes
1888 - Benjamin Harrison loses by 1.1 million votes.

It is kind of dumb to compare the number of votes a presidential candidate loses by in 1824 to one who lost in 2016 when you consider how much change has taken place in the interim. 

* * *

Again, not a fan of Trump.  But did the hacking of the Russians really change the result of the 2016 general election?  Did people who were going to vote for Hillary Clinton change their minds because of the fake news, the professional trolls and the leaked emails of John Podesta?  Probably.  But how do you prove that all of the votes that Secretary Clinton did not receive were due to these things as opposed to:

The "Basket of Deplorables" comment.
The actions of the Democratic National Committee to systematically deny Bernie Sanders any real chance at the nomination.
Secretary Clinton's choice to virtually ignore Michigan and Wisconsin.
The choice to use a private email server located in her home.
The presence of all those emails on the laptop computer of Anthony Weiner.
Donna Brazile's choice to give Secretary Clinton advance knowledge of debate questions.

Could she have won without the hacking?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  But all those other factors were involved.

* * *

Five dead, eight wounded - was it preventable

Edit - This blog was written on Friday but I fell asleep before publishing it.  Streak still intact

It took only six days for the first mass shooting of 2017 to take place.  A former member of the army National Guard named Esteban Santiago legally got his gun and bullets into an airport baggage claim area, in his luggage.  He took his luggage into the men's room where he pulled out and loaded his gun.  Then he emerged and started firing.

The law allowing people to check guns in their luggage makes sense.  The requirement is that the gun be in a locked container, inside of a locked suitcase.  The gun must be completely unloaded with the magazine (if any) removed and no round in the chamber.

The problem that created the danger that gave Esteban Santiago the opportunity to get a loaded weapon into an airport where it would not normally be allowed is that he was also allowed to pack the bullets inside that locked suitcase.

Guns are unique to their owners, especially hunting rifles.  A hunter shouldn't be forced to travel somewhere to go hunting without their personal weapon.  But ammunition is not quite so unique.  If a hunter insists of having "special" ammunition (self-loaded or custom-loaded), it can be shipped separately.  Or alternatively put into a locked container that the TSA can return to the traveler once he or she is far enough away from the airport to ensure the safety of the large crowds inside the airport.

We cannot prevent all mass shootings this way.  But this type, where a vulnerable crowd with minimal security present, can be prevented.

* * *

January 6th is the date every four years that the presidential election conducted the prior November is certified by the Congress.  Like everything else connected to the election of Donald Trump, it was not "business as usual."

Had the votes of three electors from Colorado not been invalidated and replaced, there would have been a total of 10 faithless electors.  That would have been the most since the election of 1872 (the 14 electors who did not vote for Richard Nixon in the 1960 election were not pledged to a candidate and are therefore not faithless).

Here are the results:

Final certified tally:
Donald Trump, 304
Hillary Clinton, 227
Colin Powell, 3
John Kasich, 1
Ron Paul, 1
Bernie Sanders, 1
Faith Spotted Eagle, 1

All of the efforts of those to try to alter the results of the election by convincing electors to vote for anyone but Trump utterly failed.

Time for a chance to this system that favors states with smaller populations over larger ones as mentioned in a previous blog.

Does this add up?

Anyone who is familiar with football knows the value of a number of the players on special teams.  The punter, the kicker, the long-snapper and the holder.  So what would you make of this statement?

"The “numbers” situation in actuality is this: starting long snapper on scholarship, starting holder on scholarship, backup holder on scholarship, starting punter on scholarship, backup punter on scholarship, starting kicker walk-on. Is there anything wrong with this snapshot of the specialist group? Why are those deserving lads worthy of a scholarship while our son isn’t? What more did they do this past season that our son did not?"

That is an extract from a letter that the father and mother of University of Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blakenship in response to head football coach Kirby Smart telling them that Rodrigo will not be getting a mid-season scholarship.

Airing dirty laundry in the media is almost never a good move.  But in this case, considering just how well Rodrigo performed since getting the job as the team's starting kicker, it might not have been a bad idea.  The "boosters" of the UGA football team will not like the thought of losing a kicker who hits game winning field goals.

* * *

What those four teens allegedly did to that special needs classmate of one of them is reprehensible.  That they chose to live-stream it on Facebook boggles the mind.

But the fact that white supremacists and conservative talk show hosts are trying to use this as proof that the #BlackLivesMatter movement is responsible for this violence is at least as horrific as what happened.

* * *

Charles Manson had over 100 infractions of prison rules prior to his being hospitalized.  He's serving nine life sentences. If he survives this illness, what punishment should these infractions result in?  They can't add to his remaining time behind bars.

* * *

A man in Japan paid $632,000 for a 466 lb for a blue fin tuna.  That's over $1,400 per pound.  Must be destined for some really expensive sushi.

* * *

Two sisters trying to get to their dying father's bedside were thrown off of a flight by what they described as a "rude" flight attendant.  As a result their father died before they could get there.

The airline is "investigating."  Wow.

* * *

ww.macon.com/sports

SEC. 21.29.  SMALL BUSINESS EXEMPTION.

   (Amended by Ord. No. 176,342, Eff. 1/19/05, Oper. 7/1/05.)

 

   (a)   Small Business.  No tax is required to be paid under this Article by any Small Business.  A Small Business shall mean any person whose total taxable and nontaxable gross receipts from within and without the City do not exceed $50,000.00.  The $50,000.00 amount shall be increased to $100,000.00 on July 1, 2006.

 

/college/university-of-georgia/bulldogs-beat/uga-football/article124743449.html#storylink=cpy

SEC. 21.29.  SMALL BUSINESS EXEMPTION.

   (Amended by Ord. No. 176,342, Eff. 1/19/05, Oper. 7/1/05.)

 

   (a)   Small Business.  No tax is required to be paid under this Article by any Small Business.  A Small Business shall mean any person whose total taxable and nontaxable gross receipts from within and without the City do not exceed $50,000.00.  The $50,000.00 amount shall be increased to $100,000.00 on July 1, 2006.

 

It is getting busy already

Today is January 4th.  The IRS will not begin accepting electronically filed tax returns until January 27th.  That means that any tax returns we do for 2016 that are to be e-filed will be lined up on a host server and will remain there until the IRS opens their portal.

There will be even more of a delay for taxpayers who are receiving either the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit.  That is because both of those credits are "refundable credits" (which mean they can create an income tax refund without regard to whether or not the taxpayer had any income tax withheld from their pay).  This delay is to help deal with the billions of dollars that scammers are stealing from the government through fraudulent returns involving these credits.

So I expected that the first two weeks of the tax season would be slow.  Boy what I wrong about that.  I did three amended tax returns for a client on Tuesday.  Today I spent some time training one of the new tax professionals.  I also met with a client and helped them deal with a letter from a tax authority.  Tomorrow I work five hours and I have four confirmed appointments.  I had to insist on having Friday off or I'd have wound up working eight straight days.

I want to work as much as I can but my various physical problems limit what I can do.  Working eight straight days isn't one of those things I can do infrequently, let alone regularly.  I know I may end up working all but one or two of the days from April 3 through April 18th.  I just cannot allow that to begin happening in January.  I'm trying to pay more attention to what my body is telling me and right now it is yelling "moderation" at me.

* * *

Wednesday ponderings:

Just watched the new Jackie Chan movie that will open in limited release in the U.S. this Friday.  I can't say much about it because reviews are embargoed until Friday but I will say it was not what I expected and that I enjoyed what I saw.

**

Jenny McCarthy is saying that it is unfair of Mariah Carey to blame others for what happened at her New Year Eve performance.  I wasn't aware that Jenny McCarthy was still relevant.

**

The federal government is suing Google to block them from any government contracts because Google won't disclose specific information regarding employee compensation.  The government is seeking the data to make sure that Google is complying with federal regulations regarding minority hiring and compensation that apply to any government contractor.

Good for the government.

**

Elmo Jones is a retired U.S. Army Green Beret.  He saw combat in the Persian Gulf.  Now he's fighting the ridiculous bureaucracy known as the VA because they are garnishing his retirement pay for a child support obligation.  The problem is, it is for a child who he is not the father of, and the Colorado courts have already ruled he isn't legally liable to pay child support for this child.

The VA hasn't responded to his phone calls or to calls from a local TV station's news "problem-solver."

When the DNA test shows that the child is not yours and the courts rule you don't have to pay child support; then the VA has no business stepping in.

**

While channel-surfing tonight I landed on Independent Day.  Reminded me that I've always wondered why they cast a real news person (Barbara Beck) to play a reporter but they cast an actor (Gary W. Cruz) to play a news anchor. 

I've often wondered what Ms Beck has been up to and this time my web search revealed that she'd made a career change and went off to study metabolic medicine.  Good for her.

**

Tuesday thoughts

I can't believe it but I found myself agreeing with Donald Trump on something today.  When Congressional Republicans proposed "gutting" the independent Office of Congressional Ethics, President-elect Trump criticized the move.  Eliminating independent oversight of the ethics of the members of Congress is filling rather than draining the swamp.

Then again, what has that group accomplished since its inception in 2008?  It has referred more than 70 reports to the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.  Those referrals resulted in two members of the House being reprimanded and one being censured.  Of course they also referred the case of Rep Jesse Jackson, Jr. who wound up resigning from Congress and pleading guilty to a number of charges.

But it isn't the fault of the Office of Congressional Ethics.  The problem is that the members of the House and Senate don't want to look all that closely at how ethically other members of those august bodies behave.  To do so might invite scrutiny of what they are doing.

Consider the case of now retired House member Charles Rangel of New York.  According to the Washington Post, he solicited donations for the Charles G. Rangel Center for Public Service at CCNY from corporations with business before the Ways and Means Committee of the House; on congressional letterhead.  A committee chaired by Rangel at the time.  A clear ethical violation.

At the same time the New York Times reported that Rangel was renting four apartments at below-market rates which he combined to create a 2,500 square foot home.  One of the four was reported to be being used as a campaign office, in violation of city and state regulations.

Then there was the $75,000 in income on his villa in the Dominican Republic that he failed to disclose on his tax returns.  Considering that the Ways and Means Committee is the one that writes the tax laws, this was especially egregious.  He owed three years of back taxes at the time.

Or his claiming a homestead exemption on his Washington, D.C. home while claiming his residence was those rent-stabilized apartments in New York, another violation.  Ultimately he was forced to leave his post as Chair of that committee and the House ultimately censured him.  Other than damaging his "legacy" that act accomplished nothing.

So while the continued existence of the Office of Congressional Ethics may seem to be a good thing, considering it lacks subpoena power and any enforcement is done by the House rather than an independent body, it seems it will never accomplish anything useful.

* * *

On Youtube he's known as 8Booth.  His real name is Anthony Booth Armer and he is a thrillseeker/daredevil.  He recently got up on the roof of the Pacific Hotel in Long Beach and jumped into the pool.

But when he landed he broke both of his feet when they struck the edge of the pool.  He's in the hospital now.

He started a GoFundMe page to try to raise $112,000 to cover his medical bills.

Would you donate?  I wouldn't.  He brought this on himself.  He makes money from these stunts.  Use that money to pay the bills.

* * *

Random ponderings

I'm watching one of the best bits on late-night talk shows in some time.  On the Late Late Show with James Corden and he's playing "Fill Your Guts or Spill Your Guts" with Kendall Jenner.  They ask each other questions and if they can't answer honestly they have to eat some really nasty stuff.  Bull penis, cod sperm, clam juice, hot sauce, grasshoppers and more.  The questions were brilliant.

**

Today was the first day that the office was open for tax season.  It is traditionally a quiet day.  Instead I was busy the entire five hours I was there.  I did three tax returns today.  Never been this busy on day one.  Hope it is an omen for a good season.

**

Bill and Hillary Clinton will attend Donald Trump's inauguration.  I'm surprised.  I doubt anyone would have criticized them for skipping it in the wake of the nasty campaign that led up to the November election.

Or perhaps Bill could have gone solo?

**

Friday night will be the last broadcast for Megyn Kelly on the Fox News Channel.  She is leaving to go to NBC where she will be involved with news programming a news magazine program on Sundays and a daytime talk show. 

The risks involved in this for her and the network are major when you think about how poorly Katie Couric and Meredith Viera did with their attempt to transition from news programming to a talk show.

Will it last less than two years like the other two ladies?  Time will tell.

**

In Indiana a man won a court victory in a case where he'd given his long-time girlfriend an interest in some property he had inherited.  They signed a contract where if she cheated, she forfeited that interest in said property.  She gave birth to another man's child, their relationship ended and he demanded a return of the property.

He won, she appealed and her appeal was denied.

**

Is Jennifer Lawrence wrong?

While I was one of those who would not buy a cellphone for a very long time, I gave in over ten years ago.  There were no payphones near where my car had broken down and I had to push it away from a freeway off-ramp on my own.  Then I had quite a hike to find a payphone to call AAA for help.

But in all of the time I've owned one, I've never taken a selfie.  Nor do I plan to start.  I may take photos of things I find interesting but not of myself.  I might have considered taking a selfie with certain celebrities if I ever met them but now I've had to cross Jennifer Lawrence off of that list.  Seems she has made it clear that she won't be posing for selfies with fans any longer.

"I have just started becoming really rude and drawn into myself," the Louisville-native said. "I think that people think that we already are friends because I am famous and they feel like they already know me - but I don't know them.""I have just started becoming really rude and drawn into myself," the Louisville-native said. "I think that people think that we already are friends because I am famous and they feel like they already know me - but I don't know them."

She's right of course in that the general public feels like they know major celebrities because almost every facet of their lives is common knowledge.  That relationship is one way.  Millions of people go to see her on the big screen but they don't really know her or have a relationship with her.  She doesn't have a verified Twitter account.  But let's use Twitter as a barometer of how the relationship between fans and the major celebrities is a one-way street for the most part.

Katy Perry is the person with the most followers on Twitter with over 95 million.  Conversely she only follows 106 people.  I think she should have a fundraiser where people contribute $25 and one lucky person gets her to follow them from among all the entries.  She'd raise millions for whatever cause she wanted to support.  FWIW, she follows Taylor Swift and she is among the 244 people who Taylor Swift follows.

So most celebrities with millions and millions of followers on Twitter are themselves very selective about whose Twitter feeds they follow.  That's because like it or not, their own lives are far too busy to be wrapped up in the lives of large blocs of their fans.  That isn't to say celebrities don't do some wonderful things for a few of their fans.  One example would be Taylor Swift giving a private concert for a 96 year old man who is a major fan of the singer. 

It comes down to a simple concept.  Do celebrities have the right to a private life?  When there is enough interest in these people to spawn an entire industry in entertainment news, it becomes a tough question with some grey areas.  No one should be forced to endure even a few interruptions when trying to enjoy a meal in a restaurant.  Is it fair to expect a person to stop and pose for dozens of selfies every single day of the week if they venture out into public?  If a celebrity doesn't want to do that, they don't have to.  If they want to pose for some and not for others, that is also their right.   But those whose requests are rejected will not react well to hearing a "no" when someone else just got the coveted photo.  Maybe a policy of no selfies with no exceptions might be smart.

Bottom line is that buying a ticket to a movie, or a concert or anything else that puts money into the pocket of a performer doesn't entitle the purchaser to even a moment of that performer's personal time.

* * *

I have jury duty tomorrow.  It isn't that I don't want to do it, the problem is the timing.  Between now and April 18th I will be primarily focused on preparing income tax returns.  The deadline is April 18th in 2017 because April 15th is on Saturday and the Washington, D.C. observance of the Emancipation Day holiday must be moved to Monday, April 17th.

I'm hoping that if this is actual grand jury service I can get it postponed to May when I will ostensibly be on vacation from work.

* * *

A few random ponderings:

Is it right that pot shops in states where selling it is legal have trouble being able to use banks because of the federal prohibition on pot use?  I don't think so.

How amazing is it that the movie Rogue One opened on December 16th and still finished the year #2 at the domestic box office.

Did you know there was once a Debbie Reynolds Hotel Casino near the Las Vegas Strip?  I actually gambled there once.

Why is some Orange County high school calling me with their general announcements?  At least they finally added an opt-out number.

Everyone who advocates for the $15 minimum wage should read this illuminating op-ed by one small business owner.  He's being forced to move his business from Los Angeles to Las Vegas by the new California minimum wage law. 

Waiting for 2017 to begin

As I wait for 2016 to end I'm watching movies on cable and reading about the new laws that take effect tonight at midnight, here in California.  Here are some of these new laws that caught my eye.

In addition to the law prohibiting texting while driving, it is now illegal to play Pokemon Go while driving.

If you want to drive for Uber or Lyft, you cannot have been convicted of a violent felony or have had a conviction for DUI in the last seven years.  Also, those who drive for these "ride-hailing" companies are subject to a 0.04 blood-alcohol level standard rather than the usual 0.08 level to be considered to be driving under the influence.

Rebates from California for buying an electric car will not be limited to those with an income of $150,000 or less.

The statute of limitations on rape will no longer exist.  But fortunately for Bill Cosby, this law could not be made retroactive.

The cops cannot permanently seize your money or property worth less than $40,000 unless and until you have been convicted of a crime involving that asset.

Minor children can no longer be convicted of prostitution (makes sense to me).

The license issued to anyone to carry a concealed weapon will no longer vary from county to county.   Now if only the standard for issuing those permits were made uniform across the state.

California will not fund or force public employees to travel to states that are considered to discriminate against LGBT persons.

No smoking or vaping within 250 feet of a Little League baseball game.  Apparently no one cares enough about smoking in close proximity to Pop Warner football games.

California has declared denim to be the state's official fabric.

This one is sure to be challenged by the healthcare industry.  Anyone who goes to a hospital, lab or any other health facility for treatment that is in their insurance network will not face a larger charge if the doctor or other provider treating them is not part of the network. 

If you see a pet in a locked car and want to save it from hot weather or other threats, as long as you call the 'authorities' first, you can't be held legally liable for breaking into the car.

And of course, one that will probably cause even longer lines at the polls during elections, it will not be legal to take a selfie with your completed ballot before you put it into the ballot box.

* * *

For the longest time whenever I heard a reference to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, I've thought about a Harry Chapin song.   Back in 1975 he gave some concerts in California that were turned into a live performance album.  I was at the one in Santa Monica where he asked the audience to help him out on the song "30,000 Pounds of Bananas" by becoming what he called the "L.A. Memorial Choir."

Of course we did and at one point he described us as sounding like the "Mormon Tubercular Choir" and that phrase has always stuck with me.  But something has happened that has forever altered what I will think of when I hear a mention of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  That something is the courage of a woman named Jan Chamberlin.

She was a member of that group for five years but recently resigned rather than sing at the inauguration of Donald Trump.  In making that difficult decision she gave up being a part of something that is clearly a labor of love. 

The 360 members of the choir and 110 members of its orchestra are all volunteers.  They must attend 80% of all rehearsals and performances.  Being accepted to the choir is a difficult undertaking, requiring an audition/selection process that involves three phases over a six month period.  She gave up something she had clearly worked hard to become a part of of because of her personal beliefs regarding the incoming president.

She originally posted her emailed resignation email on her Facebook page, but has since taken it down.  Probably in response to the hate messages being posted there by Trump's legion of sycophants.  You can still read that email in its entirety here.  Here are excerpts.

"I love you all, and I know the goodness of your hearts, and your desire to go out there and show that we are politically neutral and share good will. That is the image Choir wishes to present and the message they desperately want to send.

I also know, looking from the outside in, it will appear that Choir is endorsing tyranny and facism by singing for this man."

"History is repeating itself; the same tactics are being used by Hitler (identify a problem, finding a scapegoat target to blame, and stirring up people with a combination of fanaticism, false promises, and fear, and gathering the funding). I plead with everyone to go back and read the books we all know on these topics and review the films produced to help us learn from these gargantuan crimes so that we will not allow them to be repeated. Evil people prosper when good people stand by and do nothing."

I don't see Donald Trump as the next Adolph Hitler, but I do see him as a tyrant and enabler of racism and bigotry.  The decision to not take part in his inauguration is a personal one.  Ms Chamberlin's decision and how she chose to express it is an inspiring note on which to begin 2017.