Monthly Archives: August 2016

Nation Off to the Races

BY MICHAEL S. JOHNSON  |  AUG 29

Donald Trump says Hillary Clinton is a bigot.

No, Hillary retorts. Trump is a racist.

Trump charges Hillary with exploiting blacks.

Hillary claims Trump is white supremacist, who blows a dog whistle for neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan.

Trump says Hillary is crooked and should be arrested.

Hillary says Trump is profoundly dangerous.

And, so, after another day on the dusty campaign trail, the two candidates ride off into the sunset. If only there were another time zone so their performances could go on even longer. Wait. What about Guam and American Samoa? Continue reading

Two Screenplays

BY RICH GALEN
AUG 22 | Reprinted from Mullings.com

I think the whole full-court press to protect Hillary Clinton’s emails has little to do with Hillary Clinton. I think it has to do with keeping Bill Clinton – former President of the United States Bill Clinton – from being indicted for conspiracy to sell access to Hillary’s State Department.

But first …

On Friday, former top dog of the Donald Trump campaign, Paul Manafort resigned. This was about two days after the top dog his own self, Donald Trump, hired Stephen Bannon who, like Trump, has never been in a major political campaign before, to be the new top dog. Continue reading

Random Thoughts

BY MICHAEL S. JOHNSON  |  AUG 22

DAY OF FINANCIAL RECKONING

It is getting closer to the end of the month and my nerves are on edge. I’ve done everything I can to prepare. I’ve filled out the forms; I’ve talked to my financial adviser, Sean Joyce, and I’ve made calculations for all contingencies. Waiting is the worst. It gets worse as you get older.

The only step I didn’t take was to make a purchase. It could have been a fatal mistake, but we’ll see.

The day of reckoning, August 31st, is the announcement date for the winners of the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes. If you’re an old geezer, who grew up in the 60s, and weren’t exactly on the doorstep to the middle class, the Sweepstakes was a quick and easy way to get up and out; one of the least labor intensive paths to the American Dream. (see footnote below)* This was before they invented the lottery. Continue reading

Lessons From Ryan Election

BY MICHAEL S. JOHNSON  |  AUG 11

“I’m not happy with him and some of the things he’s done, but you have to look at the big picture and you have to look down the road.”

A pearl of political wisdom from a Wisconsin teacher named Kim, after voting for her Congressman, Paul Ryan, in the Republican primary August 9, 2016.

There are other little pearls to be extracted from the Ryan landslide over a slick-talking, biker-businessman who the national media tried hard to mold into a credible candidate for public office when he was not. Continue reading