Should Individuals Be Free to put us All at Risk?

Thoughts?

VOX Vaccines: everything you need to know, from the 2019 measles outbreak to how denial spreads How measles outbreaks in the US typically start, and how exemptions work.


WEB MD Herd / Community Immunity


Politico Trump Finally Gets It...

Trump Lying about Sick Babies Again

CNN Trump Lies about Executing Babies

G2A Who Lives? Who Decides?

The Real Impact of Trump

Now the Trump True Believers keep telling me that he has accomplished SO MUCH and that things are MUCH BETTER / DIFFERENT than when Obama was President. Here are some graphs that define reality. Most are from the 2019 CBO Report

The biggest things I note here is that spending keeps going up, however revenues dropped under Trump due to the tax cut. Therefore the yearly deficit that was shrinking under Obama started to grow again under Trump. Our economy is being stimulated by "borrowed money" and the National Debt is growing at a faster rate under Trump.

Also, mandatory expenditures like Social Security, Medicare, etc are still a HUGE problem. The recipients are receiving more benefits than they paid for.

For all of Trump's talk of big GDP changes... I don't see it. The government is spending more, borrowing more and people have more money due to lower taxes. They are borrowing to stimulate a booming economy.  Unfortunately that additional debt will be a problem for our kids to deal with.

And as for the border crisis...  Things look about the same...

And as for unemployment, I see no big change when Trump entered the picture...  Do you?

Don't Worry, Be Happy !!!

Gallup Americans' Stress, Worry and Anger Intensified in 2018


Gallup World Took a Negative Turn in 2017


Gallup To Download Full Global Report


I guess I agree with the results...  Folks seem more intense lately.  Thoughts?


Thankfully, my life is almost perfect in every way !!!
I am so grateful !!!

How to Make Schools More Diverse?

MinnPost A lot of Minnesota lawmakers agree on the need to recruit and retain teachers of color. There’s a lot less agreement on how much the state should spend on it.

The Coalition to Increase Teachers of Color and American Indian Teachers in Minnesota

Can Trump Win Against "City Hall"?

Now the GOPers thought that Obama should answer to Congress. 
And yet I am assuming they think Trump should fight Congress.
Doesn't anyone on the Left and Right get tired of flip flopping?


CNN Trump snubs checks on power in massive assault on accountability


Politico Trump showdown with House Democrats ignites into all-out war

The White House and congressional investigators are hammering each other with legal action and charges of bad faith.

FOX News Trump: 'No reason' to honor Dems' 'very partisan' subpoenas, as McGahn testimony fight looms

Son-in-Law is Like Father

VOX Jared Kushner conveniently rewrites history of Russian interference
He says it was just “a couple Facebook ads.” He’s not telling the truth.

Well, at least we know why Trump likes Jared...  However unfortunately it seems that people are believing the lies.

VOX Polling shows Fox News has been amazingly effective at shaping opinion on the Mueller report
Viewers are buying the pro-Trump spin the network is selling them.

Where as most of us who actually read the details agree with Eric from MinnPost.
Trump’s exoneration talk just insults our intelligence

I mean anyone who wants to know the truth can just read the report.

Unfortunately from my experiences this weekend, I think many people are happier just believing whatever Trump tells them... For someone like me who picks apart everything, it is so surreal. :-(

Is Trump Even More Angry Now?

CNN From 'total exoneration' to 'total bullsh**': Trump lingers on damning report


AP FACT CHECK: Trump, AG spread untruths on Mueller report


So I spent my weekend with my favorite Hard Core Trump True Believers, and they are still listening to him rather than researching the facts.  And it looks like Trump may be even more upset than before. Which makes sense to me given:

• I mean in his mind he is a smart respected manager.
• The report shows in a very detailed manner that many of the people involved thought he was not that, but almost the exact opposite.
• They complained about him, they did not do as he requested, etc

For an extremely controlling narcissist like himself that has to be frustrating.


Though he seems to have a strong ability to deny the reality that the experts think he is an idiot who was willing to have them break the law to save his job.  It is good that they told him no, or he would have hung them out to dry at the first opportunity.

Mueller Report

I don't have time to review, but here you go.
Mueller Report
Fox News Coverage
VOX Possible Obstruction

Robbinsdale Armstrong Principal Dahl Update

It seems that the District 281 Administration has decided to ignore all the supports of Principal Dahl.  Not that this surprises me after so many years in the district. Apparently it did not even make a talking point at the board meeting.


Here is a related piece. CS Did Race Play A Role?


Well here is the Job Posting...  This sticks out like a sore thumb...  Thoughts?


"Works to implement the Unified District Vision, including:

• Serving as the leader of the elementary-middle-high school feeder pattern;
• Attending special events, activities and functions sponsored by the school, parent organizations and the district;
• Serving as a liaison between the school and stakeholders, including communicating with students, staff, parents and community members on a regular basis via social media, newsletters, parent meetings, phone calls and informal contacts;
• Recognizing the achievements and accomplishments of students and staff;
• Representing the School and District at meetings, workshops and conferences;
• Designing and implementing opportunities for working collaboratively with Achievement & Integration to develop high-yielding strategies for  underrepresented students’ participation in advanced academic and co-curricular programs;
• Assuming responsibility for the safety of students and staff;
• Performing other duties as assigned."

I assume it means...  Get kids into those classes whether they are capable or not... Just make sure the equity stats look good. I think this does not bode well for AHS... :-(

Trump Yemen Death and Suffering

VOX Trump vetoes Congress’s directive to end US involvement in bloody Saudi-led war in Yemen
Congress reasserted its constitutional power over declaring wars. Trump called it an attempt to “weaken my constitutional authorities.”


My thought is that Trump should either commit US troops to help fix this terrible situation or get our country out of it. Enabling this humanitarian disaster is wrong.  Too bad those wimps in Congress will probably not over ride it.  The sad irony of course is that this unwavering support for Trump comes from people who says children's lives are important.  Thoughts?


BBC Yemen History and Status
PBS Yemen Starvation and Disease

Trump Misleads about Ilhan Omar Statements

Trump continues to stoke hate, this time by taking words out of context and misusing them.

VOX Democrats unite to condemn Trump tweet linking Ilhan Omar and 9/11
The president’s tweet takes a clip of an Omar speech and combines it with footage from 9/11

FOX News Dems defend Omar after Trump retweets video against her

“Far too long we have lived with the discomfort of being a second-class citizen, and frankly, I’m tired of it, and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it,” Omar said. “CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties.”

I mean her statement seems pretty correct to me, though she maybe should have said "some people committed a horrific act of terror".  The reality though is that she is simply saying that a whole population should not be judged guilty by the acts of a few.  And that is SO TRUE, or us gun owners would all be guilty of thousands of deaths through our gun loving belief system.

Tax Bill Winners and Losers

CNN Here's who's winning under Trump's tax law

I think I lost some this year, but I am more worried about our kids.  A whole society based on:

• spending more
• paying less
• running up the debt
• passing the burden forward

is definitely not good for their futures.

NPR U.S. National Debt Hits Record $22 Trillion

CBO The Budget and Economic Outlook:2018 to 2028

G2A I Hope are kids forgive us

G2A Who will pay for the tax cut?

DC Who Contributed Most

ACA Revisited... Again...

You know how I like to keep our posts and comments somewhat aligned. :-)
And Molly, you have some reading to do to catch up with our 10+ years of arguing this...
See the links below...

Sean, My guess is that she thinks the "activist judges" should have ruled against it... SCOTUS now rules against ACA, Not supported it. G2A 

Molly, Now I need to find a reason to post about ACA to see what you disliked about it and if you have a better solution. :-)  G2A 

All, It was a very complicated ruling. In the end the court claimed that forcing people to buy something was a tax and Obama had told the public that is was not a tax. He told the public if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor and said that it would save people money all untrue.Molly 

Molly, I lost my highly desirable plan also. No love here for the Unaffordable Care Act. Jerry 

John, I thought the original point of the ACA was to to get insurance for the uninsured. I would have rather had a tax to all to pay for those folks to have insurance rather than completely change our healthcare system.  Molly 

All, The real problem with the ACA is that it didn't change our healthcare system enough. Sean 

Sean, Nonsense. The ACA was supposed to solve all health care problems, for everybody, for all time. Maybe the actual legislation did not match the promises made for it?  Jerry 

Sean, what did you want the ACA to do that it didn’t?  Molly 

All, "X was supposed to solve all problems" is a classic straw man argument. There is no health care policy that will solve all problems. Making that the goal of policy is a de facto decision to have no health care policy at all.  ==Hiram  

All, I did not suggest that the ACA /could/ solve all problems. I merely suggest that is what was promised and not delivered. And how did we get off on this old topic? Jerry

 G2A ACA Search
G2A Health Search
G2A Healthcare Cost Control
G2A Sean Healthcare Improvement Plan

Trump the Endless Victim

WAPO Trump says he was the target of ‘an attempted coup’ with Mueller investigation


It is interesting that Trump has such "victim mentality", I am happy I don't see the world like he does. :-)


And I am very puzzled why the IRS would not honor the request to see tax returns...  It seems to me they are government documents and Congress committees should have access...

Should MN Grade Schools?

Minnpost Should Minnesota grade its schools?

I think this was an interesting article, however unfortunately it seems that one should just avoid the purple areas whenever possible. :-(

It looks like Jie Ming Mandarin Immersion is an outlier... But then again it is 60+% Asian and White.. And 25% poverty, so I am pretty sure its demographics vary greatly from the community.
And Great Schools does offer some detail.
But I like the MN DOE Report Card better.
Great Schools Map

Education MN Stifles Alt Licensure?

MinnPost We need to remove, not increase, barriers to the classroom for teachers of color

Here is another old story replaying itself... Thoughts?

Oversight for Equity Handouts?

MinnPost After backlash, House DFLers back off plan to alter equity funding

This seems interesting but I have customers and business partners in town from China and Germany for a design review meeting and do not have energy to focus n it.  Thoughts?

The Drug Profit Paradox

VOX Trump is blaming Mexico for the US’s drug problem. He should blame a failed war on drugs.
Trump threatened to close the border “if the drugs don’t stop.” But the problem isn’t Mexico.
Some interesting concepts...

"First is a concept known as the “profit paradox.” One of the primary goals of the drug war is to make drugs more expensive by limiting their supply; the idea is that a drug habit is much more difficult to sustain if drugs are more expensive."

"There’s also the “hydra effect”: When one source of drugs shuts down, another takes its place. The name comes from the mythological hydra, a beast that, in some versions of the story, grew another head when its previous one was cut off."

IRS Audits and Racism?

My Reticular Activating System must be set to notice these types of stories right now.  Or it is a very popular topic at this time...

 

VOX America’s anti-poor tax audits, in one infuriating map: A map from ProPublica shows who the taxman really inspects.

 

Here are the questions:

• Do people like me not get audited because I hire someone to do my taxes and don't take any chances?  Am I sheltered by my wealth somehow?
• Are poor less educated people simply more prone to making mistakes and triggering computer flags?
• Are agents looking to audit minorities?
• Are they just looking for poor people who don't have the knowledge or resources to fight the audits? 
• Why would the GOP states have the most audits? A Liberal conspiracy?
• Other?

Now the first 3 maps are from the article which tries to steer you to believing that this is a race issue.  I added the poverty by county map to open the discussion further.
Also, Sean posted this interesting test link elsewhere. It is worth trying.  I failed... Not sure what that means...
Pick on the map to expand it.  Thoughts?

NY School Racism?

74M Race-Blind or Discriminatory? NYC’s Plan to Diversify Elite High Schools Becomes Latest Fodder for Advocates Seeking Supreme Court Rollback on Affirmative Action


NPR Freshman Class For NYC's Top Public High School Includes 7 Black Students Out Of 895


I heard about this on "The Daily" the other day. It seems aligned with our recent discussions.


Are the Asian families and students really harder working, more education focused, etc than the White and Black students of NY? Or is this just one of those unearned racial stereotypes that the Left complains about? 


Should these schools allow less capable kids in to fulfill a racial quota of some sort? Thoughts?

MN Leg Session Update

MinnPost Does the 2019 legislative session have the makings of a state government shutdown?
MPR Legislative Guide


Isn't divided government wonderful !!!  No big changes either way !!!