@HenryAWallace
Great observations as to spring, too. Plants and birds here both going to town.
We must continue to treat politicians as human because othering any group is a slippery slope. Besides, maybe doing so will slow the pace at which each new iteration descends into dishonesty and sociopathy, is only via ritual magik.

Have a great one.

rabbit.

I know I should have gotten over April Fool's Day in elementary school, but it still makes me smile.

I disagree with T.S. Eliot that April is the cruelest month (but agree with him that the Shakespearean rag is so elegant--and intelligent). Then again, I suppose almost anything in Elizabethan English seems intelligent.

Anyway....Spring gives us hope, which, in itself, is not at all cruel. Hope lifts our spirits, which, in itself, is always beneficial. Giving false hope, on the other hand, is cruel.

Nature usually makes good, more or less, on the hope that she gives us, the promises that her April makes to us. Blossoms on fruit trees, even in cities; flowers and crops, sending shoots through soil; etc. Perennials break Nature's promises only in extreme circumstances.

Humans, however, are considerably less reliable about making promises and giving hope, especially politicians. (BTW, are we still classing politicians as human? If so, why?)

Okay, this post is stream of consciousness, but it is still early.

Newark, NJ

@Lookout
Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin who pretty much became the first gastronome and created all the fuss and printed paeans to food and drink. I recognized the name, having somewhere read of him and his ouvre. He was an author and such, and hence food+writing = edible books.

I've heard of devouring a book, but I've never eaten one. I guess I never encountered one properly prepared. However, I see it is a real event...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edible_Book_Festival

It is a beautiful morning on Lookout Mountain. Dogwoods are blooming (that means it is time to plant corn). Spring is unfolding nicely here in the SE. I hope the weather is giving you all some warmth and beauty. I see Henry Wallace has (cherry?)trees blooming in his part of the world.

Hope you all have a nice day!

@smiley7
have a great day.

Slow going this morning, strange dreams awakened me; no Harvey insight.

Enjoyed these artists, yesterday: https://thisisindecline.com/flicks/the-peoples-prison; gave me a laugh.

Hoping you and everyone have a wonderful day.

Shantih!

@gulfgal98

in western NC. Last fall I planted some tulip bulbs as an experiment to see if they would come up or would the squirrels get them first. All of the bulbs I planted came up and they are getting ready to bloom. I was so concerned about planting late bloomers, that I forgot what color they will be. Whatever the color, it will be a very nice spring surprise.

In the meantime, the first of the azaleas are getting ready to blossom out. The previous owner of our house intentionally planted varieties that would bloom sequentially around the edge of the back yard, beginning on the eastern side and finishing on the west. After that, the rhododendrons will bloom. All of this beauty is the result of the wonderful forethought of the beautiful lady who owned this house and loved to garden. She is gone, but her legacy lives on in our yard.

@gjohnsit

follow the money

“The American people overwhelmingly want Congress to improve the Affordable Care Act, not repeal it or replace it with something radically different,” reads the memo. “We need to offer reasonable solutions to improve the law instead of a massive overhaul.”

Polling on the issue, however, suggests otherwise. One poll from September found that 52 percent of Americans favor single-payer health care, and 69 percent of Democrats support such a policy.

Campaign finance disclosures show that one of the DCCC’s biggest fundraisers is a lobbyist whose firm, Subject Matter, has been working for UnitedHealth Group, a health insurance giant that supports further privatizing Medicare. Subject Matter’s founder and top lobbyist, veteran Democratic staffer-turned-lobbyist Steve Elmendorf, has been bundling contributions for the DCCC, and in the current election cycle he’s raised at least $164,000. In total, bundlers have brought in close to $1.6 million to the DCCC in 2017 and 2018, making Elmendorf single-handedly responsible for more than ten percent of the DCCC’s bundled donations.

On behalf of UnitedHealth Group, Elmendorf has recently lobbied Congress on a health insurer tax that is part of the Affordable Care Act. Earlier lobbying records detail the company’s goal: “to repeal or delay” the tax. In January, the tax was delayed one year and will not go into effect until 2019.