Wakey

I dare say, not only did I crash last night, but I did it as well while watching "Casablanca," so much so that I missed the singing of "La Marseillaise," or, as I like to say, the strongest French resistance to the Germans...  oi.  Here I am now, drinking coffee and trying to finish the stuff I should have done instead of watching (and napping through) my favorite movie.  Alas.  It was a long and busy week, I guess, so that is a reason, and with the weather this weekend -- bad when I will be out on the roads -- I suspect it will be slightly more stressful, too.  Alas.

Vance brings a wrecking ball to diplomatic gathering in Munich – POLITICO
I listened to the speech (not live) and while I can see how the Europeans were appalled by it, the average GOPer would say 1) he is correct and 2) this is more than about time.  I think we all know where I stand on the matter, but, more to the point, I would think the Russia-Ukraine war would impel Europeans to become stronger...  not that they can deter the Russians on their own, but raising the stakes would make the Russians less likely to pull crap in the future.

Trump is slashing agencies long hated by the GOP. The next cuts might be harder. - POLITICO
I get that, to an extent, and yes, people like their benefits, but I think we in the GOP we have to call these people out in that they are acting like Dems -- they want not only theirs, but yours, as well.  I mean, we are $36 trillion in the hole, and we all know that government spending is the great cause of this -- and the inflation that has made it harder for a lot of people to live.  That is an inconvenient truth, but a truth nonetheless.  I think we will need tax hikes --- selected, I can assure you -- to fix this, but the spending reductions would help, and they must be done.

Republicans May Find It Harder to Cut Medicaid Than They Think - POLITICO
Similarly, we in the GOP are part of the problem, but that doesn't mean we cannot self-correct now; adding work requirements to Medicaid and SNAP are one way to do so, to say nothing of offering a partial solution to the illegal immigration problem.  I think we in the GOP need to ask ourselves why we are being Democrat-lite in so many cases.  I can see why it may be temporarily popular, but over the long run, no one is better off.

I am not exactly what I think of the "practice game" that was part of the J! TOC.  It aired tonight, and I guess I get it -- the first round byes do not play, and there may be something to the performance issue if someone else gets an extra game on the buzzer.  On the other hand -- Cris Panullo may disagree -- the solution is to have them play every round in the TOC?  I guess if I truly cared I would see what they are saying on the socials.  I guess my only objection is that my scores are lower, and I could use a return to regular J! to boost them, as if it masks my mental decline.