Posted inCoronavirus Donald Trump

Don’t fall for Trump’s latest coronavirus B.S.

A bullshit detector should be mandatory equipment for everyone who watches Trump's coronavirus press conferences, which was held today in the White House Rose Garden for some reason (maybe so the roses could be fertilized by the crap that came out of Trump's mouth). It's difficult for me to pick the most disturbing thing Trump said today, given how many candidates there are. But I'll start with what irked me the most: Trump's repeated claim that if there are only 100,000 to 200,000 coronavirus deaths in the United States, that's a good thing, a success, because supposedly there could have…
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Posted inCity of Salem Downtown

City of Salem giving out parking tickets in a deserted downtown

Well, at least the City of Salem is heeding Trump's call for business as usual during the coronavirus crisis. Parking tickets are still being given out in the downtown area, even though spaces are plentiful now and visitors are few. This evening downtown resident and property owner Carole Smith let me know about this dubious policy. Here's what Smith said, along with three photos she took today during the lunch hour, which, as she says below, usually is the busiest time for downtown. Last week I ran into a parking services officer downtown and I asked him “You aren’t giving…
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Posted in2020 election Coronavirus Donald Trump

Trump wants people to die so he can be re-elected

I can't believe how many times I've said, "Trump can't do anything worse than what he did today." But he does. And today was the latest example of appalling worstness. During the daily White House coronavirus briefing, where Trump hogs the microphone while other officials cower in the background, doing their best to keep a poker face as Trump rambles on semi-coherently, our Idiot-in-Chief announced that he wants to make saving lives a distant second priority to resuming business as usual by the end of March. Why? Well, because he doesn't want the country to be in a recession, or…
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Posted inCoronavirus Donald Trump

Experts agree: Trump horribly mismanaged the U.S. COVID-19 disaster

Two days ago my daughter lost her job as sales manager for a small business in southern California. She's shocked. Her company's financial problems arrived very suddenly because of the COVID-19 outbreak. As I described in a previous blog post, with no retail outlets being open, with the companies that owe them money being unable to pay, and with them being unable to pay their suppliers, every employee has been furloughed. I blame Donald Trump. For good reason. Trump is why the United States is facing a massive disaster. Lots of sickness and deaths. Economic recession, if not depression. Shortages…
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Posted in2020 election Donald Trump

Progressive policies will win the war against COVID-19

Have you tried to buy toilet paper? Good luck with that. There isn't any available. Here in Salem, Oregon, a friend reported there's none at Costco today. The shelves were bare at several grocery stores I went to this week. Amazon has none, aside from a bunch of ripoffs trying to get people to buy masqueraded paper towels with a cautionary notice: "Don't worry if this product doesn't fit on your usual toilet paper dispenser." Of course it won't! It's a freaking paper towel! That's the free market at work. Or rather, not working.  Sure, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, these…
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Posted inNational politics

My daughter clues me in to why small businesses need help fast

Last night I enjoyed talking with my daughter by phone. Except when I didn't. Which was when she gave me a disturbing rundown of the challenges the small company she works for faces because of the worldwide coronavirus outbreak.  She and her family live in southern California. Her company (she's the sales director) makes a product that is sold in retail outlets in the United States and other countries, almost all of which aren't owned by the company.  But the dynamics she described to me must apply to huge numbers of small businesses all across the United States, notably including…
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Posted inChuck Bennett City Council City of Salem

Salem’s city officials need to WAKE UP about COVID-19 danger

I'll be blunt and red flag colorful. People are going to die if Salem's Mayor, City Manager, and City Councilors don't freaking WAKE UP about the danger COVID-19 poses to everybody in our city, but especially to those who are over 60 and those with underlying medical conditions. With St. Patrick's Day coming up, those city officials need to be screaming from the rooftops of social media, Statesman Journal, Salem Reporter, local radio stations, and Portland TV stations that Salem residents need to stay out of bars, restaurants, and other crowded gathering places until the COVID-19 outbreak has stabilized. Which will…
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Posted in2020 election Chamber of Commerce City Council

Salem Chamber of Commerce apparently trying to hide $25,000 in PAC money

In tonight's blog post I planned to focus on the curious case of Brad Nanke suddenly deciding that he wanted to run again to be the Ward 3 city councilor, even though back in September of last year he told the Statesman Journal that he wouldn't seek reelection in 2020.  Salem City Councilor Brad Nanke will not seek reelection in 2020, planning to cap a nearly two-decade run representing southeast Salem after his term concludes. Nanke, in his fifth term on the council, has more than a year left to influence policy: His current term ends Dec. 31, 2020. "Five is enough," he told…
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Posted inWomen's March

Photos of 2020 Salem Women’s March

Another year, another Women's March at the Capitol Mall here in Salem, Oregon. This time it was on International Women's Day, rather than in January as in 2017, 2018, and 2019.  I wasn't able to attend, but my wife, Laurel, did. She took these photos. The commentary is mine. We can only hope to be free of the bondage of the past. I was a big fan of Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, and Elizabeth Warren, all of whom would have been both a great Democratic presidential nominee and president. But such was not to be, so we're stuck with Joe…
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Posted in2020 election Oregon politics

Make Oregon Republicans pay for their anti-democracy walkout

Four days ago I titled a blog post, "It's a make-or-break week for democracy in Oregon." Well, today we learned that Democrats in the state legislature stood firm in defense of democracy, while the Republicans who walked out basically said screw you, democracy.  Oregonians need to remember this in the upcoming November election. Democrats care about democracy. Republicans don't. It's that simple. Vote accordingly on the local, state, and national level.  The only bright spot in the legislature being forced to close up shop because of the Republican walkout, which was a taxpayer-funded vacation for them, was how Democratic leaders…
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Posted in2020 election National politics

Joe Biden’s comeback makes my progressive heart happy

All through the already seemingly endless Democratic presidential primary process I've been thinking, "Geez. Joe Biden is a boring old white guy who doesn't excite me. I much prefer... [fill in Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, or Pete Buttigieg]. But what a difference South Carolina and Super Tuesday made. I'm now totally on board with Biden being the Democrat who takes on Trump. I watched his surprisingly large victory in South Carolina and over-performance in yesterday's Super Tuesday contests with joy. Because Bernie Sanders makes my heart worried, while Biden's comeback makes it happy. All that counts, really, is…
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Posted inOregon politics

It’s a make-or-break week for democracy in Oregon

With the coronavirus consuming so much attention, we shouldn't lose sight of another major threat to Oregon's wellbeing: the fifth walkout of Republican state legislators in just two years. Photo I took at a protest against a 2019 GOP walkout Why? Because the GOP hasn't been able to win elections in this state.  Normally the party that lacks control of a political body, like the Oregon House and Senate, sucks it up and accepts that elections have consequences. Which is nicely summed up in two images included in a February 29 Vox story, "Oregon Republicans are subverting democracy by running…
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