GOP SHOOTING

A sad morning.

Sad for the people of the United States.

Republican Congressmen were shot at early this morning while practicing for a baseball game tomorrow morning. Against Democrats. An annual charity fundraiser.

Steve Scalise, the Majority Whip, was shot. In the hip. In surgery at the moment. Several others shot, including two police officers.

I am not a Scalise fan. He is a right wing conservative. However, that does not mean I want him shot. The philosophical battles between my side and his are fought in the halls of Congress and at the ballot box.

One observation. I place part of the blame on the venom and in your face bully type comments spewed by Trump. It invites reaction. In this instance, against Republican Congressmen.

All wrong!

An attack against a Congressman is an attack against me and against you. We are all Americans.

My yesterday a busy one. Running around all day taking care of the mundane.

Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou last night. My podcast. Dwelt on Sessions’ testimony, the Cabinet meeting (the ass kissing one), and Boeing building or planning on building plants in China, Saudi Arabia, and India.

Forbes March edition reported there are 2,043 billionaires in the world. Their combined net worth $7.67 trillion.

Our national debt is three times that amount!

This Qatar thing is having effects. I once again blame Trump for emboldening the Saudis.

Qatar is one of the richest nations in the world. However a financial crisis is looming. The Saudis have shut off Qatar’s outside its borders bank transactions.

Another problem is milk. A problem of more immediate consequence. Milk. Milk is generally imported. Saudi Arabia and several other Arab nations have blockaded Qatar.

Local Qatar entrepreneurs have started a cow paradropping campaign. The Berlin Airlift on a minor scale.

The Key West Citizen carries columns by national columnists several times a week. One appeared today. By the Washington Post’s Kathleen Parker: Wishing for a Trump Tweetectomy.

Right on!

More than any other President, Trump has increased material for use by comedians.

Comedy Central’s Daily Show is opening this weekend the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library. The featured subject: Trump tweets. The Library is at 3 West 57th Street in Manhattan. It will be open friday-sunday. Admission free.

Some 20 years ago, a waitress at Square One had a sister who was afflicted with some rare disease. The sister was in Philadelphia. The waitress walked from Key West to Philadelphia to bring attention to the disease and to raise money to assist in finding a cure.

Impressive!

Another such venture. This one in the water rather than on land.

Three women are paddle boarding from Havana to South Florida. Hopefully, Smathers Beach.

One paddle board. three women. Each will take turns of two hours or less paddling. One of the ladies said, “Our arms are our engines.” Actually, the ladies cup their hands and use their hands to cut the water.

A vessel will lead them.

The trip is anticipated to take 25 hours.

Purpose: To bring two charities to the forefront. Ocean of Hope and Special Olympics 305.

Brave, tough ladies. Not an easy trip. Beside crazy waters and sharks, jelly fish could be the most significant problem. The ladies expect bites. They believe they can mentally as well as physically handle the pain.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

Congress To Blame For Post Office Debt

Trump has decided the Post Office is in debt. He is correct. One hundred billion dollars plus in debt. He blames Amazon who contracts with the Post Office for many of its deliveries. Big dollars to the Post Office. In 2017, $7 billion. In reality, Amazon’s $7 billion is the Post Office’s life line.

 

The Post Office of course gives Amazon a discount. Any business that gets that volume of work provides a discount. The Post Office still makes a significant profit.

 

The real reason Trump is on Amazon’s ass is because the owner of Amazon also owns the Washington Post. The Washington Post is constantly investigating Trump’s activities. Trump is trying to get even with the Post by going after Amazon.

 

Last thursday, Trump announced he had created a task force to study the Post Office’s financial problems. Trump continues to assert the Post Office’s problems arise because of pricing in the package delivery market.

 

Trump has failed to do his homework.

 

Up through 2005, the Post Office was debt free. Made money. Understand the Post Office is set up to receive no tax dollars. It subsidizes itself by revenues from postage and services.

 

The Post Office was a cash cow. Congress recognized it. Congress devised a scheme whereby certain Post Office funds could be channeled into the national fund. To pay various government obligations.

 

In 2006, Congress passed the Postal Accountability Enhancement Act which was signed into law. It set up a system that would bankrupt any business.

 

The law mandated payments to pre-fund health care benefits for postal retirees – 75 years into the future. To make it even worse, the total of the payments had to be paid in 10 years. Project costs 75 years, but pay full amount in 10 years. The cash cow got fatter.

 

The law is quirky. Experts say full of accounting gimmickry. An example being the law only required pre-funding to actual current and past employees at the time of its passage in 2006. Theoretically, it has to include new entrants beyond that date and/or not born yet for accounting purposes. Making the program even more onerous.

 

Note that the Post Office is the only enterprise in America required by law to pre-fund future retiree healthcare benefits.

 

The new law required the Post Office to pay roughly $5.5 billion a year in pre-funded benefits. Any wonder why the Post Office was solvent in 2005 and in debt 2 years later.

 

A point was reached where the Post Office could not pay the pre-funded dollars. The ten years ended 2016. However at that time instead of 100 percent prefunded, only 49 percent had been paid. The Post Office owes the rest.

 

The Post Officewas required to pay, if it could, $115 million per month. Tough!

 

The solution is to change the law. Perhaps lower the amount. Even better, get off pre-funding and go to pay as you go like everyone else.