One of the causes of extreme conservatism

I suppose this isn't anything new, but yesterday my middle son was here, and he and I and his dad started talking about politics a bit.

We were discussing how Ronald Reagan got the ball rolling towards today's extreme conservative agenda in so many ways. Hatred of unions -- remember the air traffic controllers -- hatred of the poor -- remember the "welfare queen" remark -- hatred of government in general -- remember him saying that "government is the problem" -- one-sided and biased information -- remember he got rid of the "Fairness Doctrine" ...........hatred of regulations on business ...... I always cringe when I hear anyone praising old Saint Ronnie as such a great president. I think many people in that generation liked his patriarchal presence and "tough talk" on the poor and on Russia. I think he was the catalyst in many ways to today's hyper partisanship.

Anyway, I'm always encouraged by my adult kids' ability to see through all the crap out there and think for themselves.

That's all I wanted to say!

I Want My MTV

Dire Straits was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame this past weekend.

It's Magic

The Cars were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this past weekend.

What the '60s really looked like

A whole buncha fun photos here.

https://www.cnn.com/2013/04/05/living/irpt-real-60s/index.html

I remember I had a faux leopard fur coat and matching "muff" and I thought I looked pretty groovy in it! Especially with my brown plastic framed glasses and braces and the ubiquitous bow in my hair! I was around 9 in this memory.

Feed Your Head

I Put A Spell On You

Nina Simone was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame this past weekend.

Pruitt had to have bullet resistant seat covers put in his customized SUV - this is an outrage!

The more I read about this guy, the higher my blood pressure spikes.

What the hell does the head of the EPA expect is going to happen? Is he expecting to be ambushed by terrorists or hit with an IED?

This disgraceful grifter epitomizes the exact type of behavior Trump promised to eliminate (of course we all knew that was an empty promise anyway). And we don't hear one itty bitty peep out of any Republican lawmakers over it. This is absolutely disgraceful! Why does this snake still have a job?

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From the WaPo.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt upgraded his official car last year to a costlier, larger vehicle with bullet-resistant covers over bucket seats, according to federal records and interviews with current and former agency officials.

The records show that the EPA administrator’s office signed a lease in June on the Suburban, paying more than $300 extra per month for upgrades such as a leather interior, bucket seats in the second row and WiFi and GPS navigation. A representative at the Maryland-based company who provided the lease said the LT model that the EPA requested represents an upgrade from the LS model that is typical on government leases.

The monthly payment on the vehicle is $839, according to the contract.

The head of Pruitt’s security detail, Pasquale “Nino” Perrotta, subsequently approved the addition of Kevlar-like seat covers to the vehicle at a cost of hundreds of dollars, according to one official, on the grounds that it served as a security precaution. Two current EPA officials confirmed both the rental of the Suburban and the seat covers.

More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/04/17/pruitt-upgraded-to-a-larger-customized-suv-with-bullet-resistant-seat-covers/?utm_term=.5e6e16815835

Stuck in the '80s

An excellent opinion piece by Catherine Rampell of the WaPo.

"Take the GOP economic agenda, which has not been updated in (at least) 30 years.

Supply-siders still run the show, championing tax cuts as a growth elixir while conveniently ignoring their track record. All Trump and his cronies seem to remember is that there was this one time when Ronald Reagan cut taxes, and then .?.?. the economy grew.

They seem to have missed the role that monetary policy and the business cycle played in that mid-’80s growth spurt. Not to mention all the other changes in tax rates over the past century, in both directions, that reveal no discernible relationship between tax levels and long-term growth.

Hence the GOP’s big unfunded tax cut, on the promise we’ll grow our way out of the expense. And when that doesn’t happen, whom will Trump and Republicans blame for emptying the public purse?

Why, Reagan’s favorite villain: the welfare queen!"

More..............

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-gop-just-cant-escape-the-80s/2018/04/16/629d1f0e-41ac-11e8-8569-26fda6b404c7_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.9b6ff540a667

Rock Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2018

I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Watch Party at the Rock n Roll HOF this past Saturday in Cleveland. AWESOME STUFF!

This year's inductees are: Bon Jovi, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Dire Straits, The Cars, Nina Simone, and the Moody Blues.

Here's a summary of the ceremony from Cleveland.com, and also 102 images of the ceremony.

http://www.cleveland.com/music/index.ssf/2018/04/rock_hall_2018_a_look_back_at.html

I had a great time, as this kind of thing is right up my alley!

Can anyone believe

Bartolo Colon's effort pitching against the Houson Astros tonight?