Links and a show

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/paul-ryan-house-republicans-will-continue-their-push-for-health-care-reform-this-year/2017/03/27/8e331e86-130c-11e7-833c-503e1f6394c9_story.html?utm_term=.0defbf1931b2&wpisrc=nl_politics&wpmm=1

How shall I say this...I don't exactly have a lot of stock in this, but I do think it is good they are trying, and, well, this sort of effort -- low-key, behind-the-scenese, something people can actually like and agree on -- is the sort of thing that can pass the house, and possibly the Senate, too.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/24/business/retirement/tontines-retirement-annuity.html?_r=0

i sort of like this; not saying it is for everyone, or even most, but there is a certain cold and callous logic about it...  Plus, of course, it does raise money now, and, well, if you can figure out the math...

Went to PQ at the Bottlehouse tonight...just Dee and myself for the Pictonomicom (names of famous people in rebus form)...came in third, which was impressive, given it was two of us, just...flites of beer the next time we show up there, which I guess is ok...I am not a fan of not winning, but, well, it is more...fun, if you will, than anything else., not that I believe in that, either.

Thrills

I have to admit...most of the Final Four games -- both men and women -- were pretty good; hell, if it had been the men's tourney, the Notre Dame/Stanford game would be an instant classic, given that Stanford was down by 15 and looked dead and came back...  The UConn beatdown was expected, of course, but the rest were competitive...  I was amused that the NCAA sent South Carolina (the leaders in attendance!) and Florida State to Stockton, CA, for their regional final...uh-huh.

This could be me, but if the President had selected anyone else other than his son-in-law, no one would be making half the fuss about the move to put him in charge of anything; hard to believe that 50 years ago, the President could joke about giving one's little brother some legal experience as Attorney General before he goes to practice law...  I sort of like the idea of an innovation czar; and while I am not exactly sold on the choice...well, I can see the logic, er, rationale, behind it.

Austin Jackson made the team.  Jose Ramirez got an extension (I suspect the new move only boosted the case for a raise), and they may even sign Lindor to one...interesting, though it might mean Santana's last year here.  Now, the OF is not exactly settled, with Chiz out, and I suspect they want Urshela to get the 3B job, which is prolly fine, though not really. I think I prefer the thumper, but Diaz is NOT on the 40-man, and the roster permutations might not be worth the hassle, especially if, as we hope, Kipnis is a fast healer

There is no plan

So, the AHCA is dead...I am not surprised, not saddened; miffed, of course, that it came to this...  I just wonder if the repeal process is dead...for one thing, GOPers will have to go home and explain why it isn't, and, as I like to say, no one wants to get primaried.  For another...tax reform, from what I have read, depended largely on the tax cuts in the AHCA, and you need one without the other.  To be sure, I am doubtful the GOP leadership wants to go through this again... on the other hand, trying it (and doing it) would make them look absolutely brilliant.

Left unsaid in this is that while they are at it -- and trying to meet CBO scoring -- they could go and further...drain the swamp.  Vengeance would be a dish served lukewarm.  In the meantime, as to what could be done for Obamacare...well, the smart play would be to let it die -- it's why we put Price at HHS, for Christ's sake -- but as evinced by recent events, we're not good at that, so...on to Plan C.

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/3/17/14951868/trump-defund-pbs-npr

The problem with this is that it is not quite true; I mean, I get the feeling that liberals will miss PBS and NPR, but...honestly, I really don't know of many people on MY side who will.  I mean, my "Downton Abbey" watching was a rarity among the red crowd, if you get my drift, and after that...nothing really piques my interest...nor anyone else's.  Of course, if it meant that much to your local progressive, they would kick in, but as they do not...well, I think we all know what that means.

Watched "The Little Fugitive" a couple of days ago (539); it is the type of movie I thought I wouldn't like -- a 7-year-old boy lost at Coney Island -- but it had a certain charm to it, so I ended up...well, appreciating it.  I sensed it felt European...and in fact, it influenced the work of guys like Truffault, so I was like...well, you're getting good at this, Mattie...

Beating

Went to the other PQ last nite, came in third...alas, alack, though we were a bit short-handed.  It was good to hang out, good to practice, and good to get out of the house.  Rah.

I am fascinated by the AHCA issue; to me, they should have let the conservatives write the bill, voted on it, and sent it to the Senate...this way, they could have done what THEY wanted with it and taken the blame.  I guess Ryan was trying to win the optics battle, but there really wasn't one to win...

Two exciting games so far today...good for the tourney, I guess, not that people won't watch.

I am amused that the Tribe is saying that Salazar is fine despite being shelled; I mean, maybe...guys do work on stuff now, and if the point of yesterday was fastball command...good.  If not, oi...  Brantley had another good day; one hopes he is ready and able to play the OF, at least pretty regularly, as there is not a spot for him as a DH, and with Kipnis out...well, he does somewhat offset a regular diet of Michael Martinez...

catching up on links

Finished my work project today...yay!  I mean, there will be, I am sure, complications.  But I think I will survive.  More seriously, I had this odd stomach...pain or cramp last nite...couldn't sleep for a bit til it passed.  Not sure what it was; stress, too much run, bad food, Lord knows...affected the sleep quality, ugh.  Alas.

https://thebaffler.com/salvos/the-wrongest-profession-baker

I thought this was interesting....a bit wrong at times, though...I mean, for one thing, of course, the economic growth of WWII was caused by mass production AND the fact that the "labor surplus" of the nation went into the army (women and men, as it turned out).  Now of course, the problem is that we have plenty of un- and under-employed people (many in places without work) and there is no good way to put them back at it...  the other problem, of course, which he seems to omit is that deficit spending isn't exactly good, in that it does leave debt for the next generation; also, the problem with Entitlements is that in many cases, promises made are promises that cannot be kept except by screwing the next generation, which is...dare I say, morally bankrupt?  

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-03-17/trump-s-budget-asks-the-right-questions-for-conservatives

I think this is exactly right, and something that conservatives should ALWAYS have championed from day one...to say nothing of the fact that, as always, if liberals really believed in this, they would certainly mail in checks...the fact that they don't, of course, is suggestive...

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/douthat-scenario-religious-right/

This bothers me a little, because, well, I DO think we should (as Christians) care about our fellow men and women, and this includes their immortal souls.  On the other hand, as always, I say to myself...well, you Hope and Changers wanted this, and now you have it, so...

A sense of loss

Well, that was depressing...Duke loss.  One had such high hopes, especially because...well, they just pissed that game away, literally and figuratively.  Alas.  They're already mentioning that Duke could lose SIX players...two seniors will be gone, and I suspect one, if not both, of the fab freshmen will leave.  As for Allen and Kennard...maybe; I am not sure Allen should leave, given his, well, statistically bad year (to say nothing of other issues).  Ditto for Kennard; yesterday showed his weaknesses.  On the other hand...maybe a swamp-draining would be beneficial.

Bad news on the Tribe, too...Cody Anderson out with TJ surgery...not that I had huge hopes for him, but he was starting depth and a reliever candidate.  With Clevinger not pitching well, that is a concern, especially with Carrasco and his swelling.  Kipnis is also a concern, given the way they fucked up the Brantley issue last year and the general desire among everyone not named Francona to give Michael Martinez as few ABs as possible.  The Ramirez to 2B is a possibility, though that opens a hole at 3rd.  Urshela/Diaz is an interesting possibility, though they will prolly use just one, and the glove guy at that.  I don't necessarily mind...but the whole rash of injuries does not bode well, even given my cheery nature to begin with.

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-03-16/the-man-who-made-us-see-that-trade-isn-t-always-free
Well, this does explain President Trump, and more deeply, why so many people are hurting in the heartland and beyond.  And, as you note, the solution he advocates -- support of industry, military spending to boost technology...well, I wouldn't exactly say that the new budget promotes this directly, but I would strongly suggest it is a deep underpinning of it.

http://news.wgbh.org/2017/03/15/politics-government/major-new-study-shows-political-polarization-mainly-right-wing

I think this is largely true, but they diagnose it wrong...some of this, is, of course, political, but I suspect a lot of it is that people on the right are fed up with the bias (intentional or not) of the mainstream news, and thus, you look for Plan B....I DO fault the mainstream media, if you will, for this...I mean, with subscriptions in MOST publications falling, I suspect pissing off potentially a third of you potential readership to be unwise.

Bracketology

Well, Nova is out...sort of had a feeling about that, put Wisconsin as the victor in a couple of them..I can imagine the Selection Committee gave them plenty of bulletin board material.  I wonder if, at any point, they get...feedback?  Like, someone tells them, next year, pull some different shit?  They should...

Quiet day at the OC today; the Internet worked, small crowd, good volunteers...pleased.  We didn't move the volume of product we wanted, but got rid of some high-importance crap, which is always nice.  Rah.  Went to the gym HARD today, always a good thing, too.  Need to do it more...

Finished off the book about the Enlightenment/segregation book today and moved on to something about WWI trench warfare (any sentiments to my own life purely coincidental, let me tell you). Rah.  I should technically go out tonight, but with multiple party invites on the line and a general sense of fatigue from watching hoops all nite for the last two days...I'm not.  Alas.

Politicking...

I have to admit, I thought the strategery was wrong in yesterday's first First Four (God how I hate them!); could be me, but three seconds is simply not enough time to run any sort of play, unless you are under the basket, or damn close.  I can see the point of not fouling, because if you do, you are down three, but...you can always go for two, try for the steal, force a possession to a bad FT shooter, etc.  I am not sure limiting options is wise...

https://www.brookings.edu/research/prospects-for-partisan-realignment-lessons-from-the-demise-of-the-whigs/

I need to read the Whig book, for one...more seriously...I think the GOP is in the more danger here, given the unstable nature of its coalition...to me, the Dems are having/have had their cleavage; the Reagan Dems are back to the GOP (entitlements, racism, culture war, all of the above) and the Dems have chosen other partners.  It just failed in 2016, but 2020 is not that far away.  For the GOP, of course, the issue is the shotgun wedding between the voters of the here and now and the conservatives.  One difference between us and the Whigs is that...I think slavery was a HUGE issue, more than anything, in that it was both a political AND a moral problem, and eventually it became one that, for many Whigs and Northern Democrats, could NOT be untwined.  Not sure we have that now; I mean, gay marriage isn't as salient, neither is abortion.  I don't think anyone is going to die on the hill of the AHCA....

https://reason.com/blog/2017/03/06/the-gops-obamacare-repeal-bill-is-here-i

My own feeling is that it is dead, mainly because the House and the Senate versions CANNOT be reconciled.  One way around this might be what Douglas did to pass the Kansas-Nebraska Act; namely, rather than have omnibus bill, you put everything up individually, and let the electoral chips fall where they may.  I suspect you would get enough of what you wanted to be palatable to most without offending all...

Hoops!

Interesting about the Tourney -- more kerfuffle about Duke NOT being a #1 and 'Cuse being out of it than, in my mind, the worst snub...Illinois State NOT making it. I would have thought that they merited a bubble berth, if nothing else, and quite frankly, they deserved a real one...

As you can see, I have spent WAY too much time watching college basketball this weekend, not that this is a bad thing...to be followed by spending way too much time on the brackets.  Alas, alack.

One thing I have been monitoring the is health of the Tribe.  Kipnis NOT being ready for opening say IS a setback, as the middle infield is the strength of the team (after the pitching) and the utility guy is...the worst guy on the roster.  By far.  Ugh.  Not like he can DH, either.  More seriously, Andrew Miller...seems to be getting hit hard here early on.  Could be rust, could be a phase, but...long regular season, heavy use late, short rest in postseason, an alteration in workout schedules...oi.  Losing him (and I suspect any injury would be severe) would be a shitter for this team...again, not that we couldn't afford to, but we are paying him for October, if you will.

Have to admit, the sleep adjustment is no fun, but the extra sun is quite nice...

Links, part two

OC duty today...it was funny; I told everyone I wanted a smooth day, as I had trouble sleeping last nite...and of course, the Internet went down.  We bought a new hot spot, but the battery pack was broken/not charging, and there we were...had to switch to Mac phones to power the laptops.  Oi.  In the meantime, let's go over some more links...

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-03-07/trump-s-industrial-rebirth-is-a-dead-end

I agree with this, to an extent, but the fact of the matter is that if something is NOT done to boost the economic prospects of the areas "left behind," if you will, the stuff that caused Trump will continue, and I suspect the local libtard doesn't want that.  More seriously, to me, is the idea that we should resuscitate, namely, many of these industries are essential industries (as Adam Smith would say) and thus merit protection...

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-budget-reflects-working-class-resentment-of-the-poor/ar-AAnYXRw?li=BBnb7Kz

This could be me, but if you promise people a bill of goods, and what is delivered isn't what was promised, and is hell of a lot worse than what you had before, and you have to pull full freight on it...well, resentment should be the least of worries of the people who caused it, right?

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/lawmaker-shocked-by-insane-boozing-at-rhode-island-capitol/ar-AAnZyaS?li=AAn4eAA
This is a state that elected a Kennedy, for Christ's sake!

Links

Fueled by a second-place finish in PQ last nite, a Kansas upset, and the fact that I have a pile of links to discuss...let's get to work.

http://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2017/3/7/14841292/liberal-universities-conservative-faculty-sizzler-pc
I actually think this is a fine idea; I mean, for years, people of the left have been saying we need more diversity and such, like it or not, and, well...here you go.  I mean, if we can gerrymander congressional districts on this basis, why not force universities to hire faculty that, oh, I don't know, match the voting patterns of the state in which they are located?  Brilliant, I tell you!

http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/03/obesity-epidemic-in-america-healthcare-costs-000336

I think there is something to this; I mean, if we really wanted to control healthcare costs, we would charge people MORE for having diseases/conditions that cost more (I have a condition, it costs more, and mind you, I did nothing to merit this.), especially as many of these conditions are preventable.  Smoke too much, drink too much, eat too much...pay.  It would be market friendly and bipartisan in its antagonisms, so what is there NOT to like?

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/retirement/puerto-rico%E2%80%99s-troubles-show-how-pension-funds-squeeze-young-teachers/ar-AAo0wgt?li=BBnbfcN

I got a kick out of this, because, of course, any system with such a setup is bound to have this happen; Social Security, for instance.  Of course, the ideal system would be to have everyone responsible for their OWN retirement, such as by a 401k or an IRA...you could craft your own retirement and savings strategeries; of course, the muckups would want to blame someone for NOT saving for them, which is why it will NEVER fly...

Rest

Took a vacation day from work...scheduled a couple of MD appointments.  Glad I did, not that I achieved all that much, or slept in, but it was good to veg and chill a bit.  Rah.

On the hand, like most people, I think that the wiretap story is BS; on the other...
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/03/06/obama-spying-trump-fisa-tapping-glenn-reynolds-column/98779170/

So, yes, there is some part of me/any conservative that says "Gee, I wouldn't put it past them."  And, considering the general level of dishonesty (not quite Trumpian) we've had over the past eight years, well, I wouldn't necessarily discount it, either.  Of course, that is not the same as "It's true."

The new book I am on is Guyatt's Bind Us Apart, which concerns the role of Enlightenment thinking led to many of the theories and beliefs that supported racial segregation in this country.  I am not that far in, but it is interesting, and, dare I say, we are still using them in different ways today...

Sad news about Robert Osborne; I've spent many a fine couple of hours watching stuff on TCM, and he was a movie encyclopedia...I hope they continue to run the intros and bios he did for the films, because you really learn all sorts of stuff about them...nowadays, you have commentary and interviews and such on the DVD and a 100 shows, but not even fifty years ago, it didn't exist, and the work he did to get stars to talk...priceless.

Meh

You know, for all the vim and vigor of yesterday, today was less so...I didn't sleep all that well, despite getting to bed at 11, and the gym workout was less than ideal.  My gastrointestinal system feels as if it is at war.  I can sense a little sleepiness.  Ugh.  Ideally, tonight will be more fitful...

I finished the military strategy book I was reading and am now on Rod Dreher's The Little Way of Ruthie Leming.  Truth be told, not quite my cup of tea, but it was recommended in National Review, and it does have its moments, though I am not one for solemn recollection, as you can imagine.  Actually, I told a friend today that everything has just been meh for a while now...job meh, health meh, depressingly single (not that depressingly per the Fun Run Bunch)...not sure what it is, but I think I need some sort of seismic shock to my system...

Zonk

http://www.politico.eu/article/what-if-donald-trump-played-the-kremlin-vladimir-putin/

As a variation on my usual and popular series...

OC duty today...not sure why -- the cold, the improving economy, whatever -- but the crowd was a bit low.  We didn't have all that much extra stuff, so that was awfully convenient...at least there were no scandals or gossip.  Lots of runners, so I was able to do...well, some needed cleaning and other things.

Yesterday I went to run my anti-virus, mist have nodded off...because it was before nine when I hit the hay and it was after midnight when I woke up.  I did need the sleep -- nine hours in a night is impressive --and while in some ways I had more energy than usual (hard workout at the gym, good cardio session) I am tired and yawny now.  Alas.

Up to 537 on the film list -- two more shorts off, and, with the advent of March Madness, I think this may be the only progress I make for a while.  "Precious Images" was one -- a compilation of Hollywood's greatest scenes, put together for the Oscars.  The other was "Powers of Ten," a short showing how adding a zero onto a visual magnification changes what one can or cannot see- pretty cool for something shot over 40 years ago.

Light?

I turned in the big work project today; now, if I can survive the next steps, things might improve.  IF.  Alas.

In the meantime...I thought the SOTU was pretty solid; not a lot of details, of course, but...well, whatever they gave the man, it worked.  And today it came crashing down with the Russia thing.  My own sneaking suspicion is that nothing untoward was said, but, of course, NOT mentioning or remembering it...well, the coverup is ALWAYS worse than the crime.  Unless some other cool idea is planned and the Donald wants to erase it, but, somehow, I doubt it.  Oi.

One other thing of amusement...could be me, but none of my Democratic friends watched it.  I mean, I know they don't like the guy, but...I managed to watch all 8 of the last guy's and didn't seem to have any ill effects.  As the Fun Run bunch would say, "Petty douchebaggery" at its finest.  Of course, we've now taken having last week's last-placer wear a pussy hat...

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/obamacare-gut-check-do-republicans-love-freedom-as-much-as-democrats-love-big-government/article/2615982
Largely true.

I crossed another one off the film yesterday -- "Manhattan."  It is a Woody Allen flick, with him and a a bunch of other stars.  I admit, the man has some funny moments and lines, but 90 minutes of the schtick...oi, oi, oi.