Stop Pulling the Wagon

DEAR DIARY

A New Year – Time for Reflection and Anticipation

I often joke that the only New Years Resolution I ever kept was the year I made a resolution not to make any resolutions.

I am older now and my “Looking Back” is no longer at the immediate year past but a panorama of decades past. Some changes in the years past were giant leaps forward, like Landing on the Moon, while other changes, like the development of Social Media, which may have appeared almost as a passing “fad”, have had a profound impact on the fabric of our society.

Not everything that has changed can clearly be labeled as “good” or “bad”. In many cases the full effects will not be known for generations. “The jury is still out.” When the “Great Society” and Welfare State was first introduced in the 1960’s I was excited and happy that we were going to eliminate poverty permanently, however, poverty is in many ways a bigger problem today than when we began the program some 50 years and 20 Trillion Dollars ago, and, the unintended consequences produced great harm to the family structure in millions of households.

The author, Thomas Wolfe, wrote the great novel “You Can’t Go Home Again” and what he had to say can certainly apply to the world we grew up in and is gone forever.

To perhaps most of my generation, we now find that many of the values we were taught, grew up with and have cherished have seemingly been lost forever or are in the process of being destroyed.

Some Examples:

Personal Integrity seems to be on an “Endangered Species” list in too many areas of daily life. I grew up with “Your Word Is Your Bond” and it meant more than any written document. My own father taught me when I was a youth that “You can’t be just a little bit dishonest any more than you can be a little bit pregnant”. Today it seems we live in a world of “weasel words” and “escape clauses”.

Credibility is becoming a rare and precious commodity. Many of our political leaders are habitual liars and are on my “Lie to me once, lie to me twice” list and I no longer believe anything they say. I do not trust most of what I hear and read in the media. They have become little more than a propaganda machine for the “Ruling Class”. The same can be applied to many advertisers of popular products.

Freedom of Speech – a Constitutionally Guaranteed Right. We have devolved into a culture of “victims” where spoken or written words, no matter how innocent in intent and nature, are twisted into “hate speech” or various “phobic” attitudes where none was intended. One lives in fear of being labeled a “hater” from a misunderstood word or phrase. Add to this list the “Indoctrination Centers”, our Schools, Universities and Colleges, that we used to think of as “Citadels of Higher Leaning” and where freedom of thought and speech is often no longer encouraged or allowed.

Respect for the Sanctity of Life – all lives matter. Our modern society seems to value the immediate desire of the individual over the life of another living being, no matter how innocent or defenseless. “Me” becomes the focal point of life rather than right to life itself for the unwanted. In too many cases overlooked is the part “me” can play in the greater good of family, community and the future of all.

Political Correctness. A toxic brew that has poisoned our society and taken away the precious Constitutional Right of Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the press. Politicians, Ministers, Business Owners, virtually everyone who must deal with the “public” must monitor every word for fear of alienating some “protected” minority or politically powerful group who can destroy their life, livelihood or career with catastrophic media destruction and/or litigation and financial destruction.

A Personal Moral Code. Usually founded on, or associated with some kind of discipline or religious belief or training. The Ten Commandments are one of the best known examples and one I try to live by. Some things are always right or wrong. Doing good is always “right”. Killing, lying and stealing are always “wrong”.

There is more. I believe we all should think about it and not just sit on the sidelines and let our culture and society degenerate into some kind of “Mad Max” future.

So what does this New Year and New Decade bring? Where are we headed and what am I going to do with it?

Bob Bandy – January 2020

“Mad Max” -1979 – Mel Gibson – Australia – Kennedy Miller Production

Britains Labour Party suffered a huge defeat in their recent elections.

Paul Embery is a Firefighter, trade union activist, pro-Brexit campaigner and ‘Blue Labour’ thinker. Following the defeat of Labour at the polls he wrote an article titled “Is this the end for Labour?” which is printed on the UnHerd website. For the complete article go to: https://unherd.com/2019/12/is-this-the-end-for-labour/

The article is several pages and much of it is directed at a British audience but it contains a great deal of common sense that should apply to our own Political Parties here in America and I am sharing excerpts from his text below. As you read these excerpts, wherever you see the word “Britain” substitute “United States” in your reading and where you see “Labour” substitute “Democrats or Republicans” (your choice). Similarly, you should substitute “Washington D.C.” for “London”. His words are intelligent, articulate and right on target!

Excerpts from: “Paul Embery – Is This The End For Labour”

“So there we have it. It turns out that the British working-class was not, in the end, willing to throw its weight behind a London-centric, youth-obsessed, middle-class party that preached the gospels of liberal cosmopolitanism and class war. Who’d have thought it?”

“Labour’s meltdown in these places will come as no surprise to anyone who was paying attention and wasn’t blinded by ideology or fanaticism. Some of us had long warned that working-class voters across post-industrial and small-town Britain were becoming increasingly alienated from the party.”

“But the woke liberals and Toytown revolutionaries who now dominate the party didn’t listen to us.”

“They believed that constantly hammering on about economic inequality would be enough to get Labour over the line. In doing so, they made a major miscalculation: they failed to grasp that working-class voters desire something more than just economic security; they want cultural security too.”

“They want politicians to respect their way of life, and their sense of place and belonging; to elevate real-world concepts such as work, family and community over nebulous constructs like ‘diversity’, ‘equality’ and ‘inclusivity’. By immersing itself in the destructive creed of identity politics and championing policies such as open borders, Labour placed itself on a completely different wavelength to millions across provincial Britain without whose support it simply could not win power. In the end, Labour was losing a cultural war that it didn’t even realise it was fighting.”

“Labour must stop treating the traditional working-class as though they were some kind of embarrassing elderly relative. It must learn to respect those who, for example, voted for Brexit, oppose large-scale immigration, want to see a tough and effective justice system, feel proud to be British, support the reassertion of the role of the family at the centre of society, prefer a welfare system to be based around reciprocity – something for something – rather than universal entitlement, believe in the nation state, and do not obsess about multiculturalism or trans rights.”

“Such people were once welcomed by the Labour party and felt entirely comfortable voting for it; but now so many of the party’s activists look upon these voters as if they were a different species altogether.”

“Cliché though it is, Labour stands today at a crossroads.”

“We are witnessing the beginnings of a fundamental realignment in British politics. The old tribalisms are crashing down around us. How Labour responds to this will determine whether it remains a serious political force or is instead destined to become a party of permanent protest.”

End of Excerpts:

If you agree, as I do, with Paul Embery’s words and conclusions as they would apply to the United States at this time, please share (forward, pass on, Tweet, Facebook, or PDF copy) this post with your own elected Representatives as well as your neighbors and friends. I find his logic to be flawless when I compare it with many things happening in our own political climate.

Bob Bandy – December 2019

Sacramento’s $22.5 Million plan for homelessness:

500 new shelter beds to open in 2020

Sacramento Bee – December 4, 2019

“After years of struggling to combat the city’s growing homeless population, the Sacramento City Council has a plan to get hundreds of people off the street in 2020.

The Council on Tuesday took a step toward spending $22.5 Million in expected private and state money to open 500 shelter beds in large semi-permanent tents, cabins, converted motels and scattered existing apartments. While the council did not take a formal vote on the spending plan, it directed city housing officials to move forward with the funding and a timeline for opening the facilities.

“I just insist following tonight that we follow through with urgency, with passion and with speed,” Mayor Darrell Steinberg said. “Not just raise the money, not just pass resolutions, but actually get more people indoors.”

The city’s 100-bed Meadowview shelter with on-site services, originally set to open in February for women and children, will now open in April for women only, officials said. A 100-bed shelter for adult men and women with services is set to open in May under the W/X freeway in North Oak Park.

The council previously approved roughly $20 Million to open the two shelters and plans to spend about an additional $6.4 Million to operate them for two years.

In the meantime, the city may be able to open a parking lot where homeless can safely sleep in their vehicles. Officials said that facility could open as early as January.

Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency officials estimate the safe parking lot would cost $1.1 million per year to operate, serving about 60 people at a time.

Councilman Rick Jennings sent staff from his office to visit several other cities in the state that operate safe parking lots for the homeless. He is searching for a site in his district, which includes Pocket, Greenhaven and Valley Hi, said Dennis Rogers, his chief of staff.

Rogers said it would be less expensive if guests can use bathrooms in an existing building on the site. “

complete article at the Sacramento Bee website: https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article237980199.html

Like most everyone else, I would love to get these poor, struggling people off the streets and into warm dry environments, housing, shelter etc…. but I have a question….. Do any of these officials and decision makers own a CALCULATOR?

Just for the exercise, try getting your calculator out and do the math to get an idea of the cost per individual helped with the Sacramento City plan.

Using the City’s numbers provided in the Sacramento Bee, it appears they plan/hope to help about 750 to 760 homeless people at a cost of $22.5 Million. On my calculator that works out to a cost of $29,605 per person helped. Am I wrong?

Can any of these City Administrators spell MAGNET?

Bob Bandy – December 2019

THIS IS GOING TO MAKE SOME READERS ANGRY , BUT….. I HOPE IT WILL ALSO MAKE THEM THINK ABOUT WHAT IS WRITTEN HERE AND REFLECT ON PRIOR “EXPERT CLIMATE PREDICTIONS”.

I am more than a skeptic of self proclaimed “Scientific Experts and Prophets of the Apocalyptic Doomsday of Civilization and Life as we know it”.

I believe that there are both Politicians and Bureaucrats with an “agenda” that have decided the best course to pursue for turning us all into obedient, glassy eyed drones is to get control of every aspect of our daily lives. What we eat, where we live, what we are allowed to hear, what we can drive etc.. Their goal is seizing absolute dictatorial control of all, and especially, “fossil fuel” energy resources and access to them.

I can visualize them carrying bags of taxpayer cash to “New Age, Progressive, Socialist Colleges and Universities”. They seek out like minded science students and professors willing to prostitute there “research” with the goal of “proving” their predetermined “Theorems” regarding “Man Made Global Climate Change”.

This is how the game is played. If your “Research” demonstrates what “we” Bureaucrats and “Progressive” Politicians want it to show, the sacks of taxpayer cash will continue to flow – if it does not then the sacks of cash will discontinue flowing.

Pretty cynical, aren’t I? I have gotten this way observing and remembering the last 50+ years of “Predictions” from “Experts”.

Does climate change? Of course. If we had been alive 10,000 years ago, the majority of us would have been up to our butts in year round glaciers, ice and snow. Today, large areas of the upper United States are flat lands created by glacial action. Thankfully, climate has changed and continues to change with warmer and cooler periods.

Remember that 70% of our planet is covered by water and of the remaining 30% mankind only really occupies a tiny percentage of the land area.

Lets look at the record of some of the “Prophets of Doom”.

The Population Bomb – a best selling book written by Stanford University Professor Paul Ehrlich (and his wife Anne, who was not credited) in 1968 predicted worldwide famine in the 1970’s and 1980’s due to overpopulation, as well as other Societal upheavals unless immediate steps were taken to limit population growth. At the time there were some 3.8 Billion people on earth and today the number is more like 7.6 Billion. Statistically, hunger is no greater problem now than it was then. Paul Ehrlich was wrong but created near panic in sections of the population due to his predictions.

In the 1970’s “Scientists” predicted an imminent Global Cooling trend leading to a new “Ice Age”. One view of this prophecy can be seen in the movie “The Day After Tomorrow” (2004). This prediction was given great credibility by Newsweek, Time, Life, The National Geographic and the news media. Instead, what actually happened was a slight warming trend. The so-called “Scientists” and “Experts” were wrong again.

Perhaps one of the biggest “hucksters” of all is former Vice President Al Gore who has made a fortune with his book, “An Inconvenient Truth” – 2006, and his following exploitation and “marketing” of his conjecture, all of which was supposed to happen long before now. Let’s look at some of his “predictions” and “science” while on his way to the bank:

1. Rising Sea Levels – inaccurate and misleading. Both Al Gore and former President Barack Obama have since bought Beachfront Mansions

2. New Ice Age in Europe – they’ve been spared; it never happened.

3. South Sahara Drying Up – completely untrue.

4. Massive Flooding in China and India – again, didn’t happen.

5. Polar Bear Extinction – The Polar Bear population is increasing.

6. The Earth would be in a “True Planetary Emergency Within a Decade Unless Drastic Action was Taken to Reduce Greenhouse Gasses” – never happened.

Al Gore made many other predictions. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Still he has created a huge following of “true believers” and a near panic in some quarters.

Now we have the newest prediction as shared with us by Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes and others that Civilization is Doomed within 12 years unless we immediately adopt their “Green New Deal” which will supposedly cost between 50 and 100 Trillion Dollars over the next ten years.

They have succeeded in causing panic among a large portion of the population with their “Progressive” agenda and even caused many prospective mothers to declare they will no longer have children because they to not want to bring babies into a world that is doomed to extinction in a short period of time. This is junk science and prophecy gone mad. Such fear mongering is beneath contempt. Shame on them.

Patrick Moore – Former President of Greenpeace has stated it well: “There is no definitive scientific proof through real-world observation that carbon dioxide is responsible for any of the slight warming of global climate which has occurred during the past 300 years.” He rejects the “science is settled” and “the debate is over” statements so popular in worldwide media.

I firmly expect to get a good deal of angry responses to this but before you fire off that angry reply or cancel your subscription, can you tell me the last doomsday climate prediction by the “experts” that came true? I will stand by what I have written.

Bob Bandy – November 2019

 

As she continues her “World Whine & Book Tour” I am getting the feeling Hillary Clinton just might see a wedge of opportunity to join the fray in the Democratic Presidential Primary Race.

With Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden fading in the Polls, Elizabeth Warren scrambling from lie to lie about her ancestry, personal story and financing for her 96 Trillion Dollar “Make America Broke Again” plans for the Country, coupled with the remainder of the pack of candidates seeming unable to get traction in the race, maybe, just maybe she thinks the Democratic Party will come knocking at her door to take a third stab at the Presidency.

First things first – Get Bill into a WOKE Rehabilitation Center and 12 Step Program…….. um, make that a 24 Step Program.

Second, make sure the long Silk Scarf with FOB (Friends of Bill) embroidered on it and reportedly found in a corner of Jeffery Epstein’s Cell after his “suicide” strangulation, er… “hanging”, finds its way into the same Black Hole that her Email messages now reside in.

Next, she should freshen up her repertoire of excuses for losing her last two attempts at the Presidency. Just possibly, just maybe there is some small chance that she lost because of some failing on her own part. Or, is everything that goes awry always somebody else’s fault.

Psst…. just a thought, she might want to get a personal consultant with an eye to helping her look a little less like an angry Nurse Ratched when she appears in public. Only a kindly thought, just trying to help out.

Bob Bandy – October 2019

In the classic Western Movie – El Dorado – Cole Thornton (John Wayne) is talking with “Mississippi” (James Caan) who asks him if Nelse McLeod (Christopher George), a hired gun won’t be really mad when he finds out that “Cole” has taken the side of Sheriff J.P. Harrah (Robert Mitchum)?

Cole Thornton replies that “I hope he is mad”. “The madder he gets, the better I like it”.

The point being that when any of us give in to our anger, hate or rage we tend to make mistakes.

I know that at those times in my life when I have submitted myself to these emotions, I have invariably said and done things I later regret and unfortunately cannot undo.

One way to defeat your opponent is to damage their emotional stability to the point they can no longer think or act rationally regarding the consequences of their actions.

Our President seems to have succeeded in totally enraging the “Progressive” “Far Left” to the point they have become irrational and are flailing about with wild, unsupportable claims of wrongdoing.

In the process they are also engaging in outrageous, often hypocritical, charges that are so weak that even an eight year old could see they have no merit. Frequently some of them, like Representative Adam Schiff are being caught in rather pathetic lies.

Their only accomplishment, if you can call it that, seems to be that they are destroying the “mainstream”, more traditional Democratic Party.

The Republican Party may find joy in this but I am not sure it is in the best interests of our Country.

Maybe it is just me, but it seems it is also aging some of their supporters.

I make no claim of having been a fan of Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, but have grudgingly admired her politcal skill and tenacity and the way she has maintained her appearance and demeanor. In the last two and a half years I have noted a change. Maybe it is the AOC Syndrome, but it seems she has aged 10-15 years since regaining her Speaker-ship of the House of Representatives. She often looks so tired, worn and almost haunted.

I almost feel sorry for her. Sad.

Bob Bandy – Oct. 2019

El Dorado – 1966 – Paramount Pictures