It seems to me that, in our complacency, we are letting the loons run the show. Oh, the loons are a very distinct minority, what maybe one or two percent of the people? And most of them don't think, but merely follow what sounds good to their feeble minds. The latest idiocy is criticism of the word "mother." No, we aren't supposed to use "mother," nope. It's "birthing person." I don't watch television so I don't know for certain, but I read some networks have bought in to this. This is textbook for those seeking radical changes. Redefine words to mean what they really don't mean. Perhaps we need to start teaching Animal Farm, 1984, etc. in the schools again. They'd better get thinking (ha ha ah). "Father's" Day is only four or five weeks away. We even redefine people. "When is Willie Mays not Willie Mays? When he's Willie McCovey." At least according to the Speaker of the House. I wonder if she knows when a door is not a door or a car is not a car. Despite still high unemployment rates, many businesses can't find enough employees. I've seen signs all over the place, "Help Wanted." I think I've never seen so many. Fast food. Other restaurants. Machine shops. Grocery stores. Golf courses. Even Starbucks! (No, I don't do Starbucks.) Ask employers and they will say, "I can't find workers." And why is that? Hmmm. Let's see. If the federal government is giving money for people not to work, maybe that's something to consider. The unemployed don't even have to show they are actively seeking work; the money still comes and has been extended, I believe, until at least September. What we hear from the loons is that businesses should increase pay; workers will come back then. Could this be an artificial and nefarious way to raise the miniumum wage to $15 or more an hour? But it still doesn't employ market forces. It's a sneaky, dishonest way to use government to get what is likely not going to happen legitimately (well, at least through legislation). Use taxpayer money to force employers to raise income. That's very dishonest, but what's a little dishonesty among political friends? I've noticed prices going up on practically everything. Gasoline costs a dollar more per gallon than it did a year ago, both nationally and around here. Food prices at the grocery store have shot up; I know since I do the majority of shopping. Many sale prices are higher than the regular pre-Biden prices. And consumer costs will continue to increase. Corn commodities have gone up 50%. Lumber prices have increased four-fold. Used cars cost 30% than just a few months ago. I'm sure the influx of all that federal money is driving the inflation (demand-pull; more dollars chasing fewer goods). But it appears the loons in DC don't know much about economics. "Economics? Is that still around?" Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics. Credit to Mark Twain. The CDC released figures on outdoor gatherings during CoVid. The risk of transmission is "less than 10%." Yes, it is. But it's a lot "less." The actual figure on outdoor transmission is "less than one-tenth of one percent." I suppose it might be argued that .001 is less than 10. But that is very, very misleading, by a factor of 100. And we still follow what these loons tell us to do?

"The New Normal"

Like so many of the terms that have turned our world topsy-turvy, I dislike "the new normal." It joins "social justice," "social distancing," and you can imagine others. So, are the following episodes examples of "the new normal?" If so, count me out--way out! In Texas, BLM thugs were blocking streets/roads in a suburb of Dallas. When motorists called the police, squad cars arrived. The thugs weren't arrested. They weren't even told to leave the streets, to leave the motorists alone. Nope. The drivers were told if they didn't shape up, they would be arrested. "I was just following orders." Hmmm..... Where and when have we heard that before? In Canada, a pastor was arrested by a SWAT team for, get this, "inciting" his parishoners to come to Sunday services. Yep, a SWAT team and church services. "I was just following orders....." At UMass in Amherst (not "The Fairest College," down a road a few miles to the south), three students were suspended, given only remote classes, for attending a party, off-campus, without masks, and then having pictures of them show up on some site. The university officials then took action. Oh, then the students were denied the remote classes and told they had to re-apply for admission for fall classes, but it was too late to get university housing. Oh, they won't get their tuition or room and board refunded from this semester/year. As for the snitch who turned in the photos to the administration..... I suppose it could be their version of "I was just following orders....." The students' parents have sued, citing a few weeks ago a campus celebration of the UMass national hockey championship. The celebration, widely photographed, showed students without masks, not "social distancing," etc. Nothing was done to any of those students or staff members. Oh, and in violation of the Mass gov's orders, the university held a parade. Why aren't the administrators summarily fired for breaking the law??? And some guy took to the Sunday newspaper to advocate "shaming" those who opt not to get the vax. That the Free Press actually chose to run this nut's op-ed speaks for itself. Right off the bat the author shows himself to be a bit off. He cites "Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease doctor....." First, there are a lot of people who would dispute that, with ample evidence to back them up. Fauci, the writer claims, said "if 75% to 85%...got vaccinated we could reach herd immunity by June." Who would believe this? Early on, Fauci said wearing masks wasn't needed. What about the "15 days" to allow us to catch up with the virus? Now it's double masks. Masks until 2022. I would think the "top infectious disease doctor" would be changing his mind so often. Besides, how can we trust a guy who couldn't throw a baseball 20 feet?!?!?! The writer also claims that "a quarter of the country," those who don't want to get the vax, "is ruining it for all of us." Hmmm..... What about the far, far greater percentages of politicians, bureaucrats, and policy-changing "experts" who are "ruining it" for so many people? Start with the businesses and companies that have faild. Many people have lost their jobs or, at the least, income. Look how closing the schools has has such a negative effect in so many ways on students. Suicides. Spousal abuse. Drug use and deaths. This guy doesn't seem to care about "ruining" these people's lives. This part was hilarious. "Biden's wildly successful vaccine rollout....." What a fool and tool! Does this guy not remember Biden's and Harris's skepticism (Harris' own word) about the vaccine when Trump was President? He obviously doesn't know that Biden and his crew received their vax while Trump was still President and that 1,000,000 Americans were getting the vax each day before Biden was inaugurated. I wonder if this author wants to "shame" people who text and talk on their cell phones while driving? There are many other instances, too, that we could ask the same. But I know, I know..... "That's different." Yep, it always is.