Too much quiet leads to trouble

Published 07-23-2020

There’s nothing quite like the quiet of an empty house... well, if you don’t count the two dogs who are currently napping, but I find that it leads to too much time to think about way too many things.

Sam’s currently back home for his annual Vavie fix at least for at the next couple weeks, and with Vince at work it’s just me and the dogs during the day.

Now don’t get me wrong... time to catch up and plan my next projects is welcome, projects which include the upstairs guest rooms. But it also gives me plenty of time to ponder the state of politics and culture when I catch glimpses on social media and in the evenings when Vince turns on the news.

There’s layers of disgust. Most of the time the daily noise amounts to nonsense and is better turned off. I’ve come to learn nothing good comes from my watching daytime cable news. And my blood pressure stays in the normal range.

American cities on fire, politicians spouting platitudes and our nation’s landmarks allowed to stand only when they can pass the muster of anarchist mob. And that’s before we get into people beating each other in the streets.

Simply put, this is no way to run a country.

Our ruling class tut-tut’s federal police arresting those committing criminal mayhem and destruction. Calls of authoritarianism run amuck, and secret police not withstanding, it seems as though there should be zero consequences for law breaking depending on the politics.

No fan of federal anything, I can’t believe I am actually endorsing federal police taking enforcement actions in an American city outside of a request from city and state leaders, but here we are.

The same people crying foul were lecturing people like me over their quaint notions of defense of private property and telling me to unlearn my whiteness just a few weeks ago.

Needless to say, I’m definitely not too concerned with the feds rounding up Antifa and adjacent bad actors.

My tax dollars pay to run and maintain that building and the salaries of all who are employed there. Tax dollars will be required for repair and cleanup.

It is in the interest of every tax paying citizen for that property to be defended. My preference would be local elected officials enforcing current law, whether it be federal, state or local ordinance. But since those officials would rather take shots at the president on Twitter, or try to convince the public that the graffitied, fire bombed Federal Courthouse is a figment of everyone’s imagination, it falls to the President and the Executive Branch.

And while I personally would have preferred that same level of defense around statues and the symbols of our shared heritage, an ugly federal building is a start.

2020 has brought more than a few curveballs.

My disgust isn’t left to those in the streets, but also is focused on those whose job it is to defend the Constitution and our nation against enemies both foreign and domestic, but couldn’t be bothered to show up or speak out, instead sending votes by proxy to further bankrupt our nation with lavish payoffs to connected corporations. Unemployment payments, welcome during a mandated lockdown, have ballooned to payoffs for staying home - outpacing any hourly wage that can be earned, while those self employed were locked out of the system.

PPP loans, meant for small businesses to pay employment costs were squandered to companies and institutions flush with cash.

And we’re supposed to cheer because Republicans are in charge of this latest round of direct funding, all the while knowing it will be more law crafted behind closed doors and benefitting those most connected, this time just connected to those in the Republican Senate caucus.

The rumored provisions to protect big business from any liability regarding COVID protections for essential employees, or lack thereof, is a special twist for American workers, if that twist is a knife in the back.

And forget trying to wade through any research about the pandemic. Everything regarding this physical virus has been magically made political complete with virtue signaling, moral authority and and a megaphone that is the national press.

Instead of expending energy on creative ways to fix all that is broken in society - a hollowed out middle class, reigniting critical manufacturing sectors or horribly corrupted institutions - we’re fighting to send kids back into a school structure that was created in response to the Industrial Revolution 100 years ago and arguing whether red states or blue states are handling COVID better.

Here’s a news flash, we’re all Americans, we’re all affected by the virus, we all have a different reaction to both the illness and the governmental response and yes, it all supremely sucks.

The theatre surrounding all of this is ridiculous and bizarre.

Most days it just leaves me feeling more than a little schizophrenic in a world gone completely mad.