The President And GOP In US Congress Are Ballooning US Debt

Things aren’t looking good.

Gronda Morin

The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, speaking at a press conference on Capitol Hill on Friday. The Senate leadership also supported the spending bill.CreditZach Gibson/The New York Times

In the past 6 months, the republican President Donald Trump and his fellow GOP members in the US Congress have passed a major tax cuts bill which was paid for in part by adding $1.5 trillion dollars to the US deficit over 10 years and a major spending bill of $1.8 trillion dollars. The president has started charging tariffs to even our neighbors and allies which will end up being a drag on the economy as per the vast majority of economists.

See: Congress Passes $1.8 Trillion Spending Measure – The New York Times

See: There’s a Surprise in the Government Funding Bill: More Tax Cuts/ NYT 

See: 4 winners and 4 losers from the GOP tax bill – Vox

See: Republican…

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Mr. Korematsu’s Daughter Shares Her Opinion On SCOTUS Ruling In Favor Of President’s Muslim Ban

The overruling of one decision while voting for another similar one.

Gronda Morin

On the 26th of January 2018,  the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of the president’s Muslim Travel ban (Hawaii v US) by a 5-4 decision, with the majority opinion authored by Chief Justice John Roberts. The Supreme Court issued two core holdings: (a) that the latest ban does not exceed the president’s authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA); and (b) that ban does not violate the Establishment Clause of the Constitution.

The 5 conservative Supreme Court justices applied what is called the very lenient “rational basis” review, which seems to have been defined that if there is any rational basis argument that can be made to justify the president’s travel ban, then the court is obligated to grant deference to the executive branch.

It is my contention that based on the above reasoning, these same justices would have been forced to rule in favor of the Korematsu v…

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Pontifications along a road less travelled, delayed gratification.

Jim and the farming business over the years in the U.K.

Jim Webster

It’s a funny topic, delayed gratification, and it’s entirely possible to get deep and philosophical without answering the question. Or indeed without even acknowledging there is a question that needs to be answered with any sort of haste.

Back in 1965 when my parents started farming, what happened was that my father and his brother-in-law both rented a farm off my grandfather. He’d had 34 cows, 60 sheep and a handful of young-stock. Because my father had always quite liked working with sheep he bought the sixty sheep and then the two brothers-in-law split the 34 cows between them. The cows were still tied up for winter, so all that happened is that they let every other cow out, and these seventeen were walked next door to where we lived and were the start of our herd.

On his two farms, with that level of stocking, my grandfather had employed…

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Song Writers Block

Another double story to cheer our day from that master of humor, Russell Gayer. If you like this short piece, just go to the top of the blog and click on BOOKS to see what else is waiting.

What's So Funny?

If you’ve ever submitted an article or short story for publication, you’ve probably received a rejection letter or two. Most are quite brief and often an obvious form letter. Here’s how to respond.

Dear ______, Thank you for your letter rejecting my submission. I have received rejections from an unusually large number of popular publications. With such a wide and promising spectrum of rejections, it’s impossible for me to consider them all. After careful deliberation, and because a number of publications have found me more unsuitable, I regret to inform you that I’m unable to accept your rejection. However, circumstances do change and I will keep your letter on file in case my requirements for rejection change.

If you’re new to Friday Flash Fiction, the editor in charge of word count is Sarah Josepha Hale Wisoff-Fields. If you’d like to participate in this exercise of madness, head over…

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A licence to print money Episode 9

Episode 9 of “A Measured Response”. “A licence to print money”. “The Port Naain Intelligencer”.

Annette Rochelle Aben

Here you are, I hope you’re enjoying the story, ‘A measured response.’ Have
you worked out whodunit yet?
So here we are at the end of the story, everything done and dusted.
Perhaps.

As I was saying, I’ve just published, ‘A licence to print money: The Port 
Naain Intelligencer.’ It’s available on Amazon at

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DNLCD9V/

In it, Benor, who just wants to get paid for some work he’s done, struggles
against corrupt officials, bent bookies, and all manner of other problems.
On the positive side he does get to meet a Magistrate who is also a
performance poet, and young Mutt finds somebody who might even be tougher
than he is.

As with all the stories in the Port Naain Intelligencer collection, you can
read them in any order. It’s a bit like the Sherlock Holmes stories, Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle wrote them in a particular order, but…

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Guest author: Jim Webster – A measured response… Episode 8

Episode 8 of “A Measured Response”. “A licence to print money”. “The Port Naain Intelligender”.

Sue Vincent's Daily Echo

Oh yes, sorry, I’m still here. Hope you’re enjoying the story, ‘A measured response.’ Have you worked out whodunit yet?

As I was saying, I’ve just published, ‘A licence to print money: The Port Naain Intelligencer.’ It’s available on Amazon.

In it, Benor, who just wants to get paid for some work he’s done, struggles against corrupt officials, bent bookies, and all manner of other problems. On the positive side he does get to meet a Magistrate who is also a performance poet, and young Mutt finds somebody who might even be tougher than he is.

As with all the stories in the Port Naain Intelligencer collection, you can read them in any order. It’s a bit like the Sherlock Holmes stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote them in a particular order, but you can dip in and out of them, you don’t need to start with volume one…

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Loyalty Is Extremely Rare

Right.

Loyalty is everything in any relationship! If you find it, keep it!

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Free for Three Days: ‘Sisters and Rivals’

SISTERS AND RIVALS is FREE for 3 days starting Wednesday, June 27th, 2018.

Margaret's Classic Posts

It’s the mid nineteen fifties, and the nascent romance of two young Sydneysiders is about to be challenged. The heroine, Linda, is being courted by an ambitious young carpenter named Harry. Seemingly without effort, he passes the scrutiny of her parents and they encourage her alliance with him. Trouble brews, though, when her sister Tessa lays eyes on him and, despite her engagement to a young accountant, makes her feelings abundantly clear. Will Tessa’s overtures ruin the fledgling love between Harry and Linda?

For three days. starting Wednesday 27th June 2018, this title will be free to download on Amazon Kindle.

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Be Better …

At moments like these, we need to remember Michelle Obama’s words during the last election. “When they go low we go high.” —- Suzanne

Filosofa's Word

I did not plan nor want to write a post about the Red Hen.  Or about Kirstjen Nielsen or Sarah Huckabee Sanders and their restaurant choices.  It is ridiculous and a waste of my time and yours.  BUT … there is a bigger issue here and it is an important one:  R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

I do not dislike Sarah Huckabee Sanders, for I do not know her.  Never met her, never had a conversation with her.  I do not like the fact that she perpetuates Donald Trump’s lies, I do not like her denigration of certain members of the press, and I think as far as the job she does as White House Press Secretary, she is without values.  That said, if I saw her eating in my favourite restaurant I would not harass her, would not so much as give her a sidelong glance.  I would either ignore her and leave…

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Tales from the Port Naain Intelligencer collection Blog Tour – Episode 7…

Episode 7 of “A Measured Response” from “A licence to print money.” “The Port Naain Intelligencer” collection blog tour.

Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

That evening when Benor returned to his room over the stables he checked carefully. His backpack had been disturbed. He looked around the rest of the room; somebody had disturbed the hoarded dirt under the bed. Not only that but there was a faint print of a shoe in the dust on the room’s only chair. Somebody had stood on it, perhaps to check on top of the battered cupboard that did service as a wardrobe.

His room had been searched but what for? Suddenly it came to him, were they looking for the crossbow? Given he didn’t actually possess one they’d have to look long and hard to find it. Then he had an idea. The privy needed emptying. It was getting disgusting, and the smell had turned his stomach that morning.

Next morning he made his way to the privy. He did so with the furtive air of…

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