On the Brink of Peace or More War?

No matter how you feel about Trump, you got to admit he keeps things interesting with his wake of chaos. One thing one day, the opposite the next, has led me to call him zig zag Trump. Perhaps it is all about keeping the blob off balance, or may be it is just Trump's nature. The big Trump news this week was his trip to western Asia. Sounds like he cut lots of business deals, and seems sincere in wanting a settlement with Iran. If Israel or the US start a conflict with Iran, I think it is WWIII, and the west will lose. Look how the Houthis stood us down, and now they want to take on Iran? Looks like he's getting lots of pressure from the Neocons to start that insane war.

Afternoon folks!

There's a mixture of interesting stuff for you all this week. Starting off we've got Chicago blues harmonica player Shakey Jake Harris with a fine album including songs from his repertoire backing Magic Sam. After that it's some Kansas City Blues with shouter Big Joe Turner supported by guitarist Pee Wee Crayton. After that, there's a compilation of John Lee Hooker recordings from the late 40's that he recorded as "Texas Slim." Following that it's on to an album of Dr. John with The Meters from the 70's and then it's guitarist Rory Gallagher's Beat Club (a German teevee show) performances. After that there's some serious rock and roll from Link Wray after which we mellow out in the diversity department with the Rowan Brothers and finish off with The Red Clay Ramblers.

Enjoy the tunes and have a great weekend!

Good morning, good people! I hope you have a great weekend planned, or that something completely spontaneous makes it wonderful!

James Comey had no idea what 86 meant, much less 86 47 meant. He just thought those shells in the beach sand were just an act of nature worthy of posting on social media. Seriously.

Politics in the 2020s are transitory. Not much seems permanent, other than taxes.

Congress

Have you ever noticed lately how worthless congress is? They're a bunch of ineffective do-nothings no matter which side is in power. They've abrogated much of their duties to the executive branch and they're the main reason that the office of the presidency is within a hair's breadth of being a king. Their primary duty is to make laws, do they even do that anymore?

Today, presidential executive orders make much of the new law. Congress drags their feet to codify laws, so with every change of an administration the previous executive orders are nullified by the new president. It's a miracle when a meaningful law is voted on and passed by congress. If the House happens to pass a bill it then goes to the graveyard of legislation, the Senate, where the filibuster, more times than not, guarantees that the bill dies in the 60 vote cradle.

There is no flow when laws change so often, which keeps the electorate in a constant state of change and uncertainty. The true believers love it because it appears they are winning, that is until the other side gains power again. The lack of consistency that would be attained by codifying laws ebbs and flows with the change of administrations, and the electorate gets bounced back and forth like that little square "ball" in that ancient Pong video game.

Attribution: Wikimedia Commons

Hospitals As Well?

Apparently private equity is starting to take over hospitals. As this article, 'Private Equity and Hospitals: Have They Finally Gone Too Far?', on Racket News says when talking about how people would have reacted in the old days -

I would hazard to guess that if some speculator came in who wanted to buy the hospital, leverage it up to the hilt, squeeze every last nickel out of it by skimping on supplies, cancel vital services and risk running it into the ground, well, that speculator would have been run out of town on a rail.

Private Equity! From an old lecture called 'Introduction to Private Equity'

Sounds about right to me. But, those days in the past when communities owned and controlled community resources are gone, and private equity is doing just what's described above as it gobbles up hospitals now. After all, gotta make money from health care, right? It's the 'Merican Way'!

Most of us here may remember the optimism shared around 55 years ago.
And most would agree things have not progressed in favorable terms for us.